Gaby Pena | Writer
February 9th, 2023
On Sunday, February 5th, the Grammys opened with an extravagant performance by Bad Bunny. This Puerto-Rican artist made headlines singing two of his most popular songs, “El Aragon” and “Después de la playa” (after the beach). Both of these lively songs are tracks from his 2022 album, Un Verano Sin Ti.
The performance was introduced with his hit song, “El Apagón,” displaying Puerto Rican pride through lyrics that shout out different towns on the island. The repetition of the lyrics “el sol es Taino” honors the Indigenous Taíno people of Puerto Rico My personal favorite line from this song is “Ahora, todo el mundo quiere ser Latino, pero les falta sazón.” (“Now, the whole world wants to be Latino, but they lack seasoning.”)
Bad Bunny also brought down the house with his popular hit, “Después de la playa.” This song starts off slow, but it quickly breaks into a fun merengue song that leaves one with no other choice but to dance. Along with the beat, the curtains dropped, revealing dancers wearing traditional Puerto Rican clothing. Dancers flooded into the crowd, encouraging Grammy attendees to dance along with them.
“I thought his performance was so fun and lively!” said senior Jill Mitrevski. Not only was Bad Bunny able to successfully get the 2023 Grammys crowd on their feet, but he was also able to keep the traditional rhythm of merengue alive, giving it a modern, personalized twist that works out beautifully.
Shortly after his performance ended, Bad Bunny took home a well-deserved Grammy for Best Musica Urbana, delivering an inspiring acceptance speech, stating: “Gracias. This is really easy. Humble,” said the artist. “It’s easy because I just made this album with love and passion, nothing else. And when you do things with love and passion, everything is easier. Life is easier. I want to thank everyone who listens to my music.”
Bad Bunny was also nominated for Album of the Year, and even though he did not win, this nomination alone was a huge milestone for Latino artists. His album made history, being the very first Spanish (non-English) album to be nominated for that Grammy.
As somebody who is Puerto Rican and has not seen much representation in the media, it warmed my heart to see people dancing to music that I love so much.
“One of my favorite parts was seeing Taylor Swift get up and dance with Bad Bunny’s dancers!” said senior Sydney Van Dijk.
Taylor Swift is another one of my favorite artists, so seeing her dance to Bad Bunny’s music was so much fun! Bad Bunny’s performance at the Grammys truly encapsulated the essence of Puerto Rico, emphasizing unity through dance and music.
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