Growing up as a child of two Peruvian parents, music was a huge part of our household. Whether we were cleaning, cooking, or just hanging out, there was always some kind of salsa or bachata playing on our radio. Familiar sounds from Eddie Santiago, Shakira, Selena, Romeo Santos, and so many more (especially with newer artists like Bad Bunny).
I have vivid memories of the rhythms and melodies of these songs, and I’m sure if you grew up with Hispanic parents, you know what I’m talking about. During holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas, these songs would take over the household, and I always associate them with the warmth of my family and the experience of growing up in such a lively place.
I didn’t choose the songs, but they followed me everywhere throughout my childhood. I never knew the lyrics to any of these songs, but somehow found a way to sing along. I didn’t notice back then, but I was learning more than just pretending to be excited to dance with my mom.
Old Sounds, New Songs
You’ve probably heard of Bad Bunny and his rise to the top of the charts. He started in 2013, posting his music on SoundCloud. His latest album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, won Album of the Year, Best Música Urbana Album, and Best Global Music Performance for “EoO.” It became the first Spanish-language album to win Album of the Year. It also became the first album to win Album of the Year at both the Grammys and Latin Grammys.
What stood out to me when I first heard this album wasn’t the awards, but that it sounded like those holiday parties where I’d be up late with my family, or my dad pulling me from a very comfy spot to dance. As each song went by in this album, I knew I’d heard songs that sounded like home.
Bad Bunny wasn’t making completely new music, but was using our childhood sounds and rhythms to create new music that our generation could call our own. The song “NUEVAYoL” was actually sampled from the 1975 salsa classic, El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico’s “Un Verano en Nueva York.”
There was something so familiar, like my parents’ music and my music meeting in the middle, and I loved it. It was a whole new way of hearing hints of my parents’ music, and it was finally becoming a part of my own music taste.
More Than A Performance
The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the NFL in the U.S. The halftime show is a huge and very anticipated part of this game. Bad Bunny was chosen as the performer for the 2026 Super Bowl. This meant he would perform on one of the biggest stages in America.
During his exciting performance, filled with dancers and Lady Gaga, there is a moment where the camera pans to a kid asleep on some chairs pushed together. This is when the memories all came back to me. During family parties, there was always a cousin (or even me) asleep on some chairs while the adults partied all night listening to the very music that Bad Bunny was performing.
Seeing a Puerto Rican artist who started on SoundCloud bringing Latin music to a stage with a huge American audience felt like recognition for something that was always there. That’s how it felt when I was dancing to his halftime show with my family, feeling connected back to my childhood.
What Stays
Music is such an important part of culture; it doesn’t have to stay the same to have the same effect on us. It changes, new artists come out, and rhythms and melodies are tweaked to become part of what new generations listen to.
Bad Bunny took sounds we heard years ago and turned them into something we hear now. For Hispanic Heritage Month, Bad Bunny’s music connects us to our past and is a reminder to appreciate our ever-changing culture.
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