Bad Bunny Brings Puerto Rico to the Grammy Stage

Another award show has gone by, and yet another showstopping performance from Bad Bunny. The Latin sensation put on an exceptional and personable opening performance of “Después de la Playa” at the 65 Grammy Awards.

Bad Bunny presented al mundo los cabezudos, or “the world of big heads,” a Puerto Rican custom that honors those who made significant contributions to culture, arts, music, and sports. Of the eight figures, baseball player Roberto Clemente, artist Ismael Maelo Rivera, poet Julia de Burgos, and composer Tite Curet Alonso were highlighted.

After a glowing intro from the night’s host, Trevor Noah, Bad Bunny comes down the center aisle of the auditorium with said figures and a group of dancers. As the bomba music and dancing intensify, the crowd becomes seemingly more interested. Once he makes his way to the main stage, it is evident that Bad Bunny has the crowd in the palm of his hand, and he’s ready to give a performance reminiscent of any Puerto Rican get-together.

The curtain rise reveals another group of dancers who bust out in merengue dancing, corresponding to the beat drop in “Después de la Playa” that went viral mid-2022. It’s now a party full of color, dance, and smiles. While the camera pans from the new dance crew, viewers at home can’t get enough of the crowd’s reaction. Even though the floor is crowded with dancing, the camera couldn’t help but catch Taylor Swift and Jack Harlow clapping along and having the time of their lives.

Taylor Swift dances during Bad Bunny's #Grammys performance. https://t.co/yom28xGdvk pic.twitter.com/eL0gKfrLhf

— Variety (@Variety) February 6, 2023

Jack Harlow was into bad bunny #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/nAvONFyCF1

— rudy (@kingRudy69) February 6, 2023

For the next few minutes, the audience got a slight taste of Puerto Rico, and for both guests and viewers at home, there was no better way to kick off the night.

The honor for Bad Bunny didn’t stop there as he received the Grammy for Música Urbana Album for Un Verano Sin Ti. Bad Bunny graciously revived the award presented by SZA and reminisced on making the album. He stated, “Gracias. This is really easy. Humble. It’s easy because I just made this album with love and passion, nothing else. And when you do things with love and passion, everything is easier; the life is easier. I want to thank everyone who listens to my music.”

“Gracias a todos los Latinos en el mundo entero en Estados Unidos y en el mundo entero. Gracias a todos los artistas que trabajaron en este álbum, a los productores, Beto, Tainy… Este premio se lo dedico… I want to dedicate this award to Puerto Rico, la cuna y la capital del reggeaton en el mundo entero. Se lo quiero dedicar a todas las leyendas y especialmente también a los nuevos, no solo a las leyendas si no a los nuevos que mantienen vivo y refrescando el movimiento. Así que a todos los nuevos talentos, sigamos llevando este género a otro nivel. Los quiero, gracias,” Bad Bunny continued.

benito the man that you are … pic.twitter.com/kEy76nrCJD

— joana (@lillacraa) February 6, 2023

(Translation: Thank you to all the Latinos in the world, in the United States, and the whole world. Thank you to all the artists that worked on this album, to the producers, Beto, Tainy… I dedicate this award… I want to dedicate this award to Puerto Rico, the capital of reggeaton in the world. I want to dedicate the award to all the legends and especially all the new artists, not just the legends but also the new ones that are keeping this movement alive and refreshing it. To all the new talent, let’s continue taking this genre to the next level. Love you, thank you.”)

Although Bad Bunny did not take home the Album of the Year award, it is a tremendous honor to be nominated as Un Verano Sin Ti was the first all-non-English album in the category. Not to mention the honor for both him and his fans to bring Puerto Rican culture to a mainstream stage that does not always highlight Latin music, and that is a win for the culture.

“The Grammys ignored Latin music for years. Bad Bunny made them listen” pic.twitter.com/8vj6B0DBZX

— liz (@eddiesbeauty) February 6, 2023

Relive the magic of Bad Bunny’s opening performance and the other exceptional moments from this year’s Grammys on Paramount+.