How Bad Bunny went from bagging groceries to global superstardom
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How did Bad Bunny become a global superstar?
This is In Conversation from Apple News. I'm Shamita Basu. Today, how Bad Bunny became a global superstar.
Earlier this week, Bad Bunny became the first person with a Spanish-language record to win the Grammy for Album of the Year for his sixth solo studio album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos.
Thank you to all the people who have believed in me throughout my career. To all the people who worked on this album. Thank you, mommy, for giving birth to me in Puerto Rico.
Te amo. It's just the latest milestone in a string of accomplishments for Bad Bunny. He's now won six Grammys.
What milestones has Bad Bunny achieved in his music career?
Last year, he was Spotify's most streamed artist in the world for the fourth time. He wrapped up a blockbuster residency in Puerto Rico last summer that brought hundreds of millions of dollars to the U.S. territory where he grew up. And this weekend, he'll headline the Super Bowl halftime show, the stage that typically draws more than 100 million viewers. Some politically conservative critics have expressed their disapproval with that choice. But Bad Bunny, whose offstage name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, has remained unapologetic and outspoken, especially on issues like immigration and his intentional decision to sing almost exclusively in Spanish.
What was Bad Bunny's upbringing like in Puerto Rico?
You really don't need to speak Spanish fluently to feel the current of energy that he channels in his music.
That's Susie Exposito, an editor at Delos, which covers Latin culture at the Los Angeles Times. Susie has spent time with and profiled Bad Bunny several times, including for a Rolling Stone cover story. She's also genuinely a longtime fan who has followed his rise from the very beginning.
Bad Bunny's story is a very Puerto Rican story, but it's also a story of the American dream. You know, he went from working at a grocery store to becoming like the biggest singer-MC superstar in the world.
Bad Bunny's music is rooted in Latin urban genres like reggaeton and Latin trap, but he often blends in elements from other genres too, like rock, pop, and salsa. So I wanted to talk with Suzy about how he became who he is, how he thinks about politics and identity, and what makes him such a globally appealing artist in this moment. Well, let's go back to the beginning of his story. What was his childhood like? What was his family life like growing up? And how did he first get interested in music?
He grew up in a small town in Puerto Rico. His dad was a trucker. His mom was a teacher. She taught English. And he and his brothers didn't really absorb that, but they grew up watching The Simpsons a lot, which I think is a big reason why he's so funny. And he grew up listening to a lot of religious music because of his mom. Like he grew up singing in the choir in their local Catholic church. But, you know, as soon as he started listening to hip hop and reggaeton, oh, it was all uphill from there, I should say.
Yeah.
There's no turning back.
They didn't know it then, but yeah. So he grew up listening to these like really tough MCs.
How did Bad Bunny's early influences shape his music?
In the 2000s, Reggaeton had this massive international moment. Daddy Yankee released Gasolina. Hey!
I mean, I remember it because I played it at my little quinceanera party. I think, yeah, I turned 15. We must be the same age because, yeah, I heard about the parties at that age. Yep, that was one of our jams in high school. It landed at the right time for me, but it also landed at the right time for Benito. You know, like young Benito would have been in middle school around that time. And he would listen to artists like Daddy Yankee, of course, but also like Vico C, who was like one of the, you know, essential OGs of reggaeton.
as well as Don Omar, Tego Calderon, but he listened to a lot of different types of music, which, you know, we hear elements of in all of his albums, you know, because he grew up with this eclectic taste that was, yes, like, you know, obviously he's very, very rooted in Puerto Rican music. Like, his music is part of a Puerto Rican tradition, but at the same time, growing up with music Having MTV available, he also knew about Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit and Green Day.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
How did Bad Bunny become a global superstar?
0:03–1:00
2
What milestones has Bad Bunny achieved in his music career?
1:00–1:39
3
What was Bad Bunny's upbringing like in Puerto Rico?
1:39–3:44
4
How did Bad Bunny's early influences shape his music?
3:44–8:08
5
What led to Bad Bunny's rise on platforms like SoundCloud?
8:08–13:48
6
How did collaborations impact Bad Bunny's career?
13:48–19:47
7
What themes does Bad Bunny explore in his latest album?
19:47–26:12
8
How is Bad Bunny reshaping the music industry and cultural narratives?
26:12–33:22
Speakers
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