Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny continues to use his music to draw attention to issues concerning his homeland. On Sept. 20, Bad Bunny surprised his fans and listeners by dropping a single titled “La Velita” without warning. The single comes exactly seven years after Hurricane Maria made its way through the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico.
The song is a critique of the ongoing problems in Puerto Rico, both before and after the devastating storm. Bad Bunny opens the song by setting the tone with soft folk sounds as he describes the situation:
‘Tá empezando a llover, otra vez va a pasar
Por ahí viene tormеnta, ¿quién nos va a salvar?”
( “It’s starting to rain, it’s going to happen again, the storm is coming, who’s going to save us?”)
Bad Bunny has consistently spoken out about issues in Puerto Rico. He has always been very vocal about his love for the island and its people, and this song is no exception. Beyond the song, he has urged Puerto Ricans to register to vote and has emphasized the importance of advocating for the island through interviews and social media posts.
One of the more impactful lines in this song addresses the island’s government for its failure to address issues like unbuilt bridges meant to prevent further damage:
“Siete años después del huracán, el gobierno ‘ha escondido los fondos’ destinados a reconstruir el país, igual que escondieron los suministros en 2017, dejando morir a miles de puertorriqueños y puertorriqueñas. La luz se fue después de María y nunca llegó. Hoy, en 2024, se va la luz todos los días en Puerto Rico.”
(“Seven years after the storm, the government ‘has hidden the funds’ meant to rebuild the country, just as they hid supplies in 2017, leaving thousands of Puerto Ricans to die. The power went out after María and never returned. Today, in 2024, the power goes out every day in Puerto Rico.”)
Many Puerto Ricans, like Bad Bunny, feel that the political parties have just further used the tragedy as photo ops in their campaigns. He sings:
“Con el gobierno no me envíen na’, que esos cabrone’ lo van a esconder
Van pa’ la calle, pa’ fotos na’ má’, por mi toditos se pueden joder.
Fueron cinco mil que dejaron morir y eso nunca se nos va a olvidar”
(Don’t send me with the government, they’re just going to hide everything. They go out to the streets just for the photos. It was 5,000 you let die and that we will never forget.”)
This line refers to a Harvard study, which, according to NBC News, estimated that deaths from the hurricane could range from 793 to 8,498.
While the first half of the song is a call for action from Puerto Rico’s government, the second half conveys love, hope and unity. With the song having over 3 million streams on Spotify just on Sept 20 alone, debuting in at number 16 on the daily Global Spotify Chart. The song has continued to receive lots of love and support from his peers as well as his fans and has definitely caught the attention of many. Bad Bunny seems determined not just to make music, but to use his platform to speak on issues that matter to him – and he most definitely did so with this song.