Bad Bunny on Why He Doesn’t Need to Record With Americans
Bad Bunny featured several up-and-coming Latin artists on Un Verano Sin Ti. When it comes to collaborating with American artists though, the “Titi Me Preguntó” singer believes the perspective on music has changed.
Bad Bunny’s ‘Un Verano Sin Ti’ featured Jhay Cortez, Tony Dize, Bomba Estéreo, the Marías, and others
Bad Bunny is the artist behind Un Verano Sin Ti, enjoying 10 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Each song earned millions of Spotify plays, with “Titi Me Preguntó” receiving over 675 million streams since its debut. (“Me Porto Bonito” has over 780 million Spotify plays.)
He performed at the MTV Video Music Awards and headlined Philadelphia’s Made in America music festival. Bad Bunny also embarked on his World’s Hottest tour, which became the highest-grossing tour by a Latin artist in history.
This collection was complete with several artistic features, including Chencho Corleone for “Me Porto Bonito.” Maria Zardoya of The Marías sometimes appears onstage to sing “Otro Atardecer.” Jhay Cortez was added to “Tarot,” while Bomba Estéreo appeared on “Ojitos Lindos.”
Bad Bunny thinks the ‘perspective’ on collaborating with Americans has changed
Bad Bunny’s collaborations are intentional choices – especially for Un Verano Sin Ti. Because he’s already one of the world’s biggest artists, the “perspective” surrounding American artists is different.
“Sometimes, Latinos would want to record with an American, and because they’re American, they’d think, ‘I have to do it,’” Bad Bunny said during an interview with Rolling Stone. “No, man. He’s not at the level I am, you know? Just because they’re American.”
“But that perspective has changed,” he continued. “You can see it now. People have become aware. They suddenly see, ‘Wow, Bad Bunny has been the most listened to on Spotify for 70 days. It wasn’t the American. It’s this guy, who’s Latino.’”
That attitude extends to Bad Bunny’s projects as a solo artist. During an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, he commented on creating a sequel to the 2019 release Oasis.
“My goal will be to do things that I enjoy, never to be a billionaire or whatever. If I don’t feel passionate about something, then I’m not going to do it, no matter how much it is,” he said. “But, hey, if we get to a billion one day, then we get to a billion,” he adds with a shrug.
Bad Bunny partnered with Cardi B and J Balvin for ‘I Like It’
Bad Bunny often collaborates with other musicians, including Daddy Yankee and J Balvin. In 2018, Bad Bunny appeared as a featured artist on Cardi B’s “I Like It” along with J Balvin.
The song holds over a billion Spotify streams, with Cardi B even joining Bad Bunny on stage in 2022. For an extended version of Future Nostalgia, Dua Lipa featured Bad Bunny on “Un Día.”
