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Instead of travelling the world and to perform in a new city every night, Latinx artist Bad Bunny is telling fans to come to his home country Puerto Rico.
Earlier this year, Bad Bunny released his massively successful seventh studio album ‘DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS’ (translated in English to ‘I should’ve taken more photos’) and announced he would be going on tour. But when the time came, he decided to tell fans to meet him in his home, Puerto Rico.
Having previously called a U.S. tour ‘unnecessary’ given that he’d performed numerous times in America over the last few years, it should hardly be surprising that the 31-year-old Latinx superstar chose to host a three-month residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, starting on July 11th.
The show is named ‘No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí,’ meaning ‘I Don’t Want to Leave Here’. It has struck a chord not just with Puerto Ricans, but millions around the world facing pressures to migrate to escape war, climate disasters, and genocide.
Puerto Rico is an archipelago and former US colony that’s made headlines in recent years after being struck by powerful hurricanes, electricity blackouts, and ongoing political struggle.
In his lyrics – entirely sung in Spanish – Bad Bunny doesn’t sugarcoat the hardships lived by many in his homeland. Subjects of colonialism, displacement, and corruption are woven in with lyrics about love, sex, friendships, and family, painting a vivid portrait of Puerto Rican identity, resilience, and unity.
Despite the undeniable economic and political instability experienced by those living in the country, Puerto Rico a place with a rich cultural history worth celebrating. Considering he always has spotlighted his culture through his music, it makes sense Bad Bunny wanted to do so by way of a residency.
The first of his nine shows were open to locals only, with around 80,000 tickets sold at shopping malls and farmer’s markets in a matter of hours. This past weekend, doors were opened to global attendees who had to purchase their tickets online – some linked with hotel packages – and travel to the show.
Bloomberg forecasts that Bad Bunny’s residency could bring more than $200 million USD to Puerto Rico’s economy, while bumping up the national GDP by 0.15 percent.
