Bad Bunny is a Puerto Rican musician with a worldwide fan base. Unlike earlier acts who converted to English to extend their fan bases, he achieved success while writing and performing in Spanish. The three-time Grammy winner is best known for his singles “Titi Me Pregunto,” “Dakiti,” “Moscow Mule,” and “I Like It,” which reached No. 1 with Cardi B and J Balvin.
El ultimo Tour del Mundo, his 2020 album, is the first all-Spanish album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. He replicated the feat with his fourth studio album, Un Verano Sin Ti, which was also the first Spanish-language album to be nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys. His new album, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Maana, will be published in October 2023.
Early Life and Family
Benito Antonio Martnez Ocasio was born on March 10, 1994, in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, about 30 miles west of San Juan. He grew up in the Almirante Sur district of Vega Baja, in a lower-middle-class family. His father worked as a truck driver, and his mother was an English teacher. Bernie and Bysael are his two younger brothers.
Young Bad Bunny appreciated reggaeton, a mix of hip-hop and reggae, and artists like Daddy Yankee and Vico C. On the walk to school, he would occasionally hear reggaetonero Tego Calderón. Benito also liked salsa, merengue, and rock music. At one point, the Bee Gees were his favorite band.
Benito sung in his local Catholic church’s choir until he was 13 years old. He subsequently focused on creating his own beats in his room and freestyling at school.
He enrolled at the University of Puerto Rico’s Arecibo campus in the audiovisual communications program. He bagged groceries at local Econo supermarket to help pay for his schooling.
Music Career
When Bad Bunny was still in college, he started posting his songs on SoundCloud. In 2016, the popularity of his song “Diles” resulted in phone calls from producers, which Bad Bunny had to answer while working in a grocery shop.
After finding a manager, Noah Assad, the two devised a strategy to get exposure by releasing tracks and videos on YouTube rather than attempting to sign with large record labels.
Bad Bunny was featured on a number of popular singles in 2017, including “Pa Ti,” “Loco Pero Millonario,” and “Sensualidad.” In 2018, his singles success continued with the Grammy-nominated “I Like It.” He co-wrote the song with rapper Cardi B and reggaeton star J Balvin, and it peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July of that year.
Bad Bunny’s debut album, X 100PRE, was released on Christmas Eve of 2018. It peaked at number one on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart. The album exhibits Bad Bunny’s ability in a variety of music genres, allowing him to cope with his fame while also demonstrating his strengths. By May 2019, X 100PRE had garnered a Latin Grammy for Best Urban Music Album and had been diamond-certified.
The following month, Bad Bunny released another EP with J Balvin titled Oasis. It was nominated for a Grammy for Best Latin Rock, Urban, or Alternative Album.
Bad Bunny performed with Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, and J Balvin during the 2020 Super Bowl halftime show. On February 29th of that year, he released YHLQMDLG (Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana, which translates to “I do whatever I want”). The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. The platinum-certified record was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Latin Pop or Urban record, which Bad Bunny nicknamed his “gringo Grammy.”
Another Bad Bunny album, Las Que No Iban a Salir, will be released in May 2020. Its ten tracks are made up of outtakes from prior recording sessions. Later same year, his single “Dakiti” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs list and stayed 27 weeks at the top. El ltimo Tour del Mundo, Bad Bunny’s third album of the year, was released on Thanksgiving 2020. It was the first all-Spanish album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and it won Best Urban Music Album at the 2022 Grammys.
In December 2020, Spotify named Bad Bunny the Artist of the Year. On the platform, his music garnered over 8 billion streams.
Bad Bunny’s Japanese song was 2021’s “Yonaguni,” which earned his first solo top 10 smash on the Hot 100 after multiple joint attempts. Nicki Minaj, Ricky Martin, Daddy Yankee, engo Flow, Jowell y Randy, Ozuna, Enrique Iglesias, Drake, Maluma, Karol G, Rosala, Marc Anthony, and Will Smith are among Bad Bunny’s musical collaborators.
Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny’s fourth studio album, is set to be released in May 2022.The album, like El Ultimo Tour before it, opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and spent 13 weeks at the top before winning the Grammy for Best Msica Urbana Album.Un Verano Sin Ti was Bad Bunny’s sixth consecutive No. 1 album on the Top Latin Albums list. The chart-topping single also established new ground for both the artist and the Recording Academy, earning a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. It was Bad Bunny’s first nomination in the category, and it was the first time a Spanish-language record competed for the top prize.
Latest Album
In late September 2023, Bad Bunny released the reggaeton track “Un Preview,” claiming it the “last song” he’d release this year and “a small preview of what’s coming next year.” However, he stated two weeks later that his fifth studio album would be released on October 13th. His Instagram image was titled, “the most anticipated day by many has arrived.”
Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Maana is the title of his new album, which translates to “nobody knows what will happen tomorrow.” Bad Bunny had previously hinted at the album’s title by including a billboard with the line “nadie sabe…” at the end of his music video for “Where She Goes.” Additionally, in early October 2023, Spotify billboards with the slogan nadie sabe si será esta ao o el próximo, meaning no one knows if it will be this year or next, began appearing in Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Argentina.
Personal life
Bad Bunny is presently dating model and media personality Kendall Jenner. In February 2023, the two met through mutual friends, and suspicions of their connection began almost immediately as the two were frequently observed at restaurants and parties. They kissed on stage at a Drake concert in August after attending the Met Gala together in May.
Nonetheless, in interviews, Bad Bunny has mainly avoided discussing the relationship or his personal life, telling Vanity Fair: “[Fans] don’t know how you feel, they don’t know how you live, they don’t know anything, and I really don’t want them to know.” I’m not interested in clarifying anything because I’m not committed to clarifying anything to anyone.”
From 2017 to January 2023, Bad Bunny was in a relationship with jewelry designer Gabriela Berlingeri.He met her in a Puerto Rican restaurant, and the two spent the COVID-19 quarantine period together. Berlingeri co-wrote “En Casita” with Bad Bunny.
Bad Bunny has shown a willingness to consider s*x and gender. “It does not define me,” he stated in 2020 of his s**uality. “At the end of the day, I’m not sure if I’ll like a man in 20 years.” In life, one never knows. But for the time being, I am straight and enjoy women.”