By Isabella Montenegro
Editor-in-Chief
On Feb. 5, Puerto Rican pop artist Bad Bunny opened for the annual Grammy Awards at
Crypto.com Arena. Bad Bunny righteously made history by performing as the first all-Spanish
opening act at the 65th Grammy Awards, honoring Hispanic culture.
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, known professionally as Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican rapper
and singer-songwriter. A diverse artist, his music genre ranges from reggaeton and rap music to
a more urban music style of rock, punk and soul. He opened the ceremony with his famous
song, “Después de la Playa,” from his record-breaking album, “Un Verano Sin Ti.” However,
during the performance, it was noted that the subtitles displayed the text “singing in
non-English” instead of closed captions in Spanish on television. Later, when he was giving his
acceptance speech for the award for Best Musica Urbana Album, the captions similarly
displayed, “speaking non-English.”
Bad Bunny was the perfect forerunner for the Grammys, as he excited the crowd with such a
passionate and emotional performance. According to ET Online, the performance got everyone
in the audience dancing, including American pop and country singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.
This demonstrates how artists from different genres are able to enjoy Bad Bunny’s music of
reggaeton, a type of fast-paced Spanish music. His music is able to be enjoyed by more than
just the Hispanic community, which illustrates the enjoyable experience Bad Bunny gave to the
award ceremony.
History was made with Bad Bunny’s performance, as it was the first all-Spanish act at the
Grammys, per the New York Post. This performance further exemplifies that it was a moving
force for the minority race of Hispanics, allowing for more diversity to be celebrated publicly to a
big audience. According to Billboard, Bad Bunny’s show-opening performance was a milestone
moment for Latin Music.
Picking the artist Bad Bunny to kick off the Grammys excited the audience for the rest of the
award ceremony and was the perfect choice. Bad Bunny’s musical talent was further
demonstrated when he won the award for Best Musica Urbana Album. Bad Bunny was also
nominated for Album of the Year which is also the first Spanish-language album to earn that
honor in the organization’s 65-year history.
Many argue that this landmark is not that significant and that the Latin community is
sufficiently represented through the Latin Grammys. However, the exclusion of Latin artists from
the Grammys caused several Latin acts to not show up. The result of a gradual accumulation of
small milestones, the first-ever opening performance of a Hispanic artist was highlighted this
year, according to Billboard.
Bad Bunny’s 2023 performance at the 65th-annual Grammy Award ceremony was a huge
success and milestone for the Latin community. Through the amazing audience reaction and
winning of an award, Bad Bunny represented the Latin community proudly with love and
passion.
Leave a Reply