Bad Bunny Makes Debut on NPR’s Tiny Desk

For the first time the Grammy-winning Latino was at the NPR venue to perform some of the songs from his most recent albumBehind a school desk and at the helm of a special group of Puerto Rican musicians, Bad Bunny Merch performed on one of the most important stages for music on the internet: NPR’s Tiny Desk. Although the singer-songwriter is considered one of the biggest names in the industry and has won several Grammy and Billboard awards, he had not appeared until now in the series of videos that other global stars such as Adele Tayler Swift and Dua Lipa among others have starred in. The Puerto Rican celebrity performed several songs in what has already become a key moment for Latin music globally.

 NPR’s Tiny Desk Marking a Milestone for Latin Music

The Tiny Desk concert have been taking place for more than 15 years. Laura Gibson inaugurated the performances in 2008. The vast majority of the artists featured have been American, but NPR Music the National Public Radio broadcaster in charge of the video series has opened the door to Latino projects from inside and outside the United States, and even dedicates a month each year to Spanish-language music, which has led to talents such as Natalia Lafourcade from Mexico Juanes from Colombia  Mon Laferte from Chile  and Paco Amoroso from Argentina and The Marias from California but with Latino roots getting their own session.

Bad Bunny Highlights in Tiny Desk Performance of Latest Album

The performance involved songs that are part of DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToSDTMFMerch the Puerto Rican’s most recent work, which has reached the top of the Billboard 200 chart and been applauded for exploring the complexities of Puerto Rico’s political status, as well as issues such as gentrification and the loss of cultural identity topics he also mentions in the video which is just over 30 minutes long.

Bad Bunny Blends Tradition and Celebration in Tiny Desk

After opening his presentation with PiToRRO DE COCO, the heartbreak song in which Bad Bunny experiments with the jíbaro genre, which is traditional to Afro-Caribbean culture, VOY A LLeVARTE PA PR, immediately got the audience in the mood to party. Martínez stated in Spanish.I didn’t know there were so many people here. He then asked if there were many Puerto Ricans who quickly identified themselves.

Bad Bunny Highlights Puerto Rican Identity and Politics

One of the key moments was when he performed LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii, one of the album’s strongest tracks, in which he laments the negative effect of gentrification and change in Puerto Rico,s cultural identity.Before singing it, he explained: “It’s a song I dreamed. I was sleeping, and I had to get up to write the whole song. It had never happened to me before.I tried to continue sleeping but the song wouldn’t let me. He also recounted that prior to the Tiny Desk performance, he was rehearsing with his band near the White House when they were approached by a worker who liked the song. He told us It’s cabrón. It’s over 100 years of colonialism and you guys are still maintaining your culture your language your slang. 

Bad Bunny Calls Out U.S. 

While telling the story Bad Bunny sounds frustrated that many Americans don’t really know much about the island where he grew up. “You guys sometimes  you don,t know where Pureto Ricco is he told the audience addressing mostly non-Latinos, and at one point even suggested he forgot whether he should speak in Spanish or English for the recording. For a moment I felt like I was in PR so thank you for being here people.

Bad Bunny Ignorance of Puerto Rico During Candid Tiny Desk Moment

To close Benito led a rendition of LA MuDANZA a love letter to his family’s past and the environment in which he grew up. My story comes from the same place it comes from for many of us,” he said. “That’s why we are here. All of us here are Puerto Ricans. So we feel very proud to be able to represent and to be able to take our music and our culture to the whole world.” And while much of the world now knows who Bad Bunny is with his Tiny Desk his music may reach more ears as he gives his fans a session they can not repeat. until he returns to that famous  small desk.

Bad Bunny Brings Puerto Rico to NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert

He slowed it back down with “KLOuFRENS,” a heavily layered track discussing the struggles of moving on after a heartbreak. However, many have read between the lyrics and speculate its double meaning, also symbolizing capitalism in western culture, which wouldn’t be far off given the artist has never shied away from speaking out against political issues in Puerto Rico. Which, speaking of, he transitions into the song  discusses the gentrification and over tourism of Puerto Rico to which the artist pleads to not let the island see the same fate as Hawaii where tourism has harmed the locals’ way of life.

 BadBunny appered on NPR's Tiny Desk series

BadBunny Merch mentioned the song came to him in a dream late at night. “It was a song I dreamt of…I got up and said, ‘I want to go to sleep.’ I tried to sleep, but the song kept me from doing so. So I get up write it from start to finish and once I wrote it in full, I went back to sleep.”He then performed “La MuDANZA” and wrapped his set with one of the most heartfelt songs on the album, “DtMF,” about wishing to have made more memories with loved ones before their passing

Bad Bunny Previews Record-Breaking Puerto Rico Residency with Vibrant Tiny Desk Concert

Today NPR shared their latest Tiny Desk Concert with Bad Bunny  Marchandise and his band bringing a slice of Puerto Rico to the office-based live music series. Backed by musicians playing traditional instruments including the cuatro tiple, and güicharo Benito ran through a collection of songs from DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, starting with "PIToRRO DThis summer Bad Bunny will embark on a residency in Puerto Rico. He will be taking over the country's largest indoor arena Coliseo de Puerto Rico venue, which can accommodate a crowd of 18,000, for 30 shows between July and September. It's a record-breaking number of shows with tickets to the first nine dates of the residency exclusively reserved for the local community.