Puerto Rican TV viewers get a Bad Bunny surprise as he promotes new album

By Mivette Vega

January 10, 2025

The 17-track album is rich with traditional Puerto Rican sounds and issues, serving as a heartfelt love letter to the island.

In recent days, Bad Bunny has silenced criticism in Puerto Rico that he only gives interviews to international media.

The artist is currently promoting his new album on the island, Debí tirar más fotos (I Should Have Taken More Photos), which was released on Jan. 5, Víspera de Reyes.

Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Bad Bunny’s real name, surprised viewers of WAPA on Tuesday morning when he appeared as a guest anchor on Noticentro al Amanecer. The artist fully embraced the role, even joining Titi Aixa in her birthday dance segment.

Telemundo also got its dose of Bad Bunny on Wednesday when he appeared on the program Alexandra a las 12, where he played the role of floor director and shared experiences with host Alexandra Fuentes.

Debí tirar más fotos is his sixth studio album, following 2023’s Nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana (Nobody Knows What Will Happen Tomorrow). The 17-track album is rich with traditional Puerto Rican sounds and issues, serving as a heartfelt love letter to his homeland.

The opening track, a salsa piece titled “Nuevayol,” includes a lyric from El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico’s 1975 classic Un verano en Nueva York: “Si te quieres divertir con encanto y con primor, solo tienes que vivir un verano en Nueva York” (If you want to have fun with charm and delight, you just have to live a summer in New York).

The album also incorporates instruments and genres like the Puerto Rican cuatro, plena, reguetón and other Afro-Caribbean sounds, showcasing his greater artistic maturity.

In the song “Lo que le pasó a Hawaii,” he expresses concern about Puerto Rico facing gentrification, referring to what happened to Hawaii.

“They want to take away the river and also the beach, they want my neighborhood and grandma to leave, don’t let go of the flag … I don’t want them to do with you what happened to Hawaii,” he sings, accompanied by the sound of the güiro.

Gentrification is also the central theme of a short film titled Debí tirar más fotos, where Benito debuted as both director and screenwriter alongside director Ari Maniel Cruz. The film stars Jacobo Morales as an elderly resident of a Puerto Rican town grappling with the realities of gentrification. It portrays how his town’s atmosphere has changed, including a local bakery now charging $30 for a pastrami sandwich and a quesito.

Other track titles include “Pitorro de coco,” “Bokete,” “El club,” “Café con ron,” and “La mudanza.” The latter narrates the story of how his parents met, emphasizing that no matter how famous he becomes, he will always belong to Puerto Rico.

“No one is getting me out of here. I’m not moving from here. Tell them this is my house, where my grandfather was born. I’m from P f*^ing R,” he declares.

Bad Bunny posted a TikTok video crying, presumably because of the reception the album has had since it was released just days ago.

Author

Mivette Vega

Mivette Vega is a seasoned journalist and multimedia reporter whose stories center the Latino community. She is passionate about justice, equality, environmental matters, and animals. She is a Salvadorrican—Salvadorian that grew up in Puerto Rico—that has lived in San Juan, Venice, Italy, and Miami.

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CATEGORIES: LOCAL CULTURE

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