San Benito, most commonly known as Bad Bunny, brought a little spice to the 2023 Grammy’s stage on Feb. 5 as he opened the show with a medley of songs from his critically acclaimed album Un Verano Sin Ti. The atmosphere of the room was instantly swept away by a lively performance of irresistible Latin pride that had everyone — T-Swizzle and Jack Harlow included — up on their feet dancing.
It goes without saying that Bad Bunny delivered a phenomenal and refreshing performance that, as a person of the Latin community, made me proud of my culture and heritage. Sadly, controversy stained the magic moment and made a clear statement about the presence of Latin artists in mainstream media. As fans watched from home, they noticed the closed captions provided for the Spanish-lyric songs were translated to “[speaking in non-english] [singing in non-english].”
*Sigh*
Are Latin Artists Being Disrespected?
Understandably, fans were disappointed, and the internet soon caught on. The artist himself uploaded a screenshot of the captions to his Instagram, thanking the ones that understand him “and the ones who don’t too,” and Spotify even made a Bad Bunny x Taylor Swift playlist titled “[speaking in non-english].” Humor aside, the uproar created a conversation about the disrespect that Latin artists are still facing in the music industry.
As the most-streamed artist with the most-streamed album in the world, Bad Bunny has made his mark not only in the Latin community but as one of the biggest artists across the globe today. He was the only Latin artist nominated at this year’s Grammys for the biggest category of the night, Album of the Year, and managed to snag the award for Best Música Urbana Album. Despite these accomplishments, the lack of effort to translate Bad Bunny’s lyrics paints a clear message from the industry: if your lyrics aren’t in English, they aren’t worth recognizing or understanding.
A Tribute To Puerto Rico
What is especially disheartening about this incident is that the songs Bad Bunny chose to perform were not only representative of the Latin culture, but also significant to his Puerto Rican heritage. “El Apagón” — translated into English as “The Blackout” — is a powerful tribute to the island that comments on the displacement of its native people and other injustices from which the country suffers. “Después de La Playa”, though not as crucial in its lyricism, is notable for its use of the Latin-originated merengue and mambo rhythm.
Instead of choosing songs that would appeal to a predominantly western audience such as the Grammys, Bad Bunny prioritized the culture, identity, and voice of his people, sending the same message he did back in 2020 during his interview on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah: “Why [do] I have to change? This is who I am. This is my music. This is my culture.” English should not be considered the default language for the music industry. In fact, Benito said it best himself: les falta sazón! As Latin artists — and other “non-English speaking” artists — continue to top the charts, break records, and gain popularity, mainstream media has to start making proper adjustments that will not only welcome these successes but respect the people behind them.