Bad Bunny is opening up about why he chose to base his concert residency in his home country of Puerto Rico, pointing to the current political environment in the United States.
The 31-year-old rapper and singer launched his 30-show residency, which is currently sold out, at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan in July. Since then, hundreds of thousands of fans have flown to the island to see the Grammy Award winner perform, including many celebrities.
Before his “No Me Quiero Ir de AquÔ (“I Don’t Want to Leave Here”) shows began, he told Variety that it was “unnecessary” to bring the shows to the United States. Now, during a recent interview with i-D magazine, Bad Bunny expounded on why he chose not to tour in the United States — as well as the significance of playing shows in Puerto Rico.
When asked by the British publication if one of the reasons that the concerts are taking place abroad is because of the “mass deportations of Latinos” across the country, he confirmed that concern impacted his decision.
“Man, honestly, yes,” he replied. “There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the U.S., and none of them were out of hate —I’ve performed there many times. All of (the shows) have been successful. All of them have been magnificent. I’ve enjoyed connecting with Latinos who have been living in the U.S.”
Bad Bunny continued, “But specifically, for a residency here in Puerto Rico, when we are an unincorporated territory of the US… People from the US could come here to see the show. Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel here, or to any part of the world. But there was the issue of — like, f—— ICE could be outside (my concert). And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”
Since the beginning of the year, there have been ICE raids around the country, leading to protests.
The “Baile Inolvidable” singer also told i-D that he believes fans can better understand his music and the “whole experience” that comes with it when they are in Puerto Rico.
“It feels a bit like… How do I say this? Innocence. An eternal innocence. It has the joy and the party vibe of ‘Un Verano Sin Ti,’ but this time the Puerto Rican-ness is more present than ever,” he said. “The pride, the sense of homeland that unites generations. It’s always been something you see in my concerts, but in this concert, it is much more marked. There are kids who are 17, 18 — but also those who are 20, 30, 40, 60, there are elderly people. You see people dancing, laughing, singing.”
Bad Bunny previously discussed how meaningful the tour when he appeared on Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist Aug. 31.
“This is so far my best experience in music, maybe in life. This happening right now in San Juan in that arena is something magical,” he marveled. His shows have brought in more than $200 million to the island, according to an organization that promotes the island called Discover Puerto Rico.
He further shared the joy he feels performing in Puerto Rico while speaking to Geist. “It’s such a pleasure to show my culture, my country, my land, right there, in my house,” he said. The musician also pointed out the location allows him to sleep in his bed every night, spend time with his family and avoid air travel.
“We show the best of Puerto Rico and also the toughest or delicate things about Puerto Rico,” he added. “I think that’s the beauty of this show. That is very powerful and honest.”
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
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