SAO PAULO
Bad Bunny has conquered nearly every corner of the globe. But Brazil, with its fierce devotion to homegrown stars, has long been a stubborn holdout.
That may finally be changing.
The Puerto Rican superstar, born Benito Antonio MartÃnez Ocasio, kicks off his first-ever shows in Brazil this weekend with back-to-back concerts Friday and Saturday in Sao Paulo.
The performances come at the peak of his career, riding the massive wave of hype from his Super Bowl halftime show appearance and the success of his Grammy-winning album “Debà Tirar Más Fotos.”
“It’s the best time to try and unlock a country like Brazil, at a time when he’s managed to dominate practically the entire world,” said Felipe Maia, an ethnomusicologist and doctoral candidate at Paris Nanterre University.
For years, Bad Bunny has been one of the most-streamed artists on the planet. Brazil, notoriously insular in its musical tastes, has remained one of the few frontiers he has yet to fully conquer.
That may be about to change.
By James Kisoo
