Bad Bunny is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter who made the first all-Spanish record to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Bad Bunny News: Singer Announces 2024 Tour
Bad Bunny, 29, might not know what’s happening tomorrow, but he’s got a full slate of concerts coming up next year. The rapper and singer announced a 31-stop tour on October 19. The news comes less than a week after releasing his fifth studio album, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana, which translates to “nobody knows what will happen tomorrow.” His Most Wanted Tour begins in Salt Lake City in February 2024, then visits Las Vegas, Denver, Houston, and Toronto, among other cities, before wrapping up with three concerts in Miami in May. Registration for tickets is open through October 22.
Who Is Bad Bunny?
Bad Bunny is a Puerto Rican musician with a global following. He became a success while writing and singing in Spanish, unlike previous acts who switched to English to broaden their fan bases. The three-time Grammy winner is known for the songs “Titi Me Pregunto,” “Dakiti,” “Moscow Mule,” and “I Like It,” a No. 1 hit with Cardi B and J Balvin. His 2020 album El Último Tour del Mundo became the first all-Spanish album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. He repeated the feat with his fourth studio album, Un Verano Sin Ti, which also became the first Spanish-language album to earn a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. His new album is called Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana and released in October 2023.
Bad Bunny was born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio on March 10, 1994, in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, which is approximately 30 miles west of San Juan. He was raised in a lower middle-class household in Vega Baja’s Almirante Sur neighborhood. His father was a truck driver, and his mother taught English. He has two younger brothers, Bernie and Bysael.
Young Bad Bunny was a fan of reggaeton, a blend of hip-hop and reggae, and liked performers such as Daddy Yankee and Vico C. He sometimes got to hear reggaetonero Tego Calderón in the car on the way to school. Benito also listened to salsa, merengue, and rock. At one point, his preferred music was the Bee Gees.
Benito sang in the choir of his local Catholic church until he was 13. He then concentrated on making his own beats in his room and free-styling at school.
He enrolled in the audiovisual-communications program at the University of Puerto Rico’s Arecibo campus. To support his studies, he bagged groceries at an Econo supermarket.
How Did Bad Bunny Get His Name?
Bad Bunny shared the origins of his name with ET in 2018. “When I was a little boy in school, I had to dress up as a bunny, and there’s a picture of me with an annoyed face. And when I saw it, I thought I should name myself ‘Bad Bunny,’” he explained. “It’s a name I knew would market well. A bunny is something so common that I thought to myself, every time someone sees one, they’ll remember my music.”
Music Career: Hit Songs and Albums
Bad Bunny first began sharing his music on SoundCloud when he was still a college student. In 2016, the popularity of his song “Diles” resulted in calls from producers, which Bad Bunny had to answer while at work in the grocery store.
After he found a manager, Noah Assad, the pair developed a plan to get attention by releasing singles and videos on YouTube instead of trying to sign with major record labels.
In 2017, Bad Bunny was part of a number of successful singles, such as “Pa Ti,” “Loco Pero Millonario,” and “Sensualidad.” His singles success continued in 2018 with the Grammy-nominated “I Like It.” He recorded the song with rapper Cardi B and reggaeton star J Balvin, and it became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 that July.
Bad Bunny’s debut album X 100PRE came out on Christmas Eve 2018. It climbed to No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart. The record showcases Bad Bunny’s skills in multiple music genres, which provided a way for him to both cope with his success and demonstrate his abilities. X 100PRE received a Latin Grammy for Best Urban Music Album and became diamond-certified by May 2019.
The next month, Bad Bunny released another collaboration with J Balvin: an EP called Oasis. It earned a Grammy nomination for Best Latin Rock, Urban, or Alternative Album.
Bad Bunny performed at the 2020 Super Bowl halftime with Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, and J Balvin. On Leap Day of that year, he released a reggaeton album, YHLQMDLG (Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana, which translates to “I do whatever I want”). It debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The diamond-certified album also won a Grammy for Best Latin Pop or Urban Album, which Bad Bunny dubbed his “gringo Grammy.”
