Bad Bunny struggles with fame on Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana
Suzy Exposito reviews the Puerto Rican superstar’s surprise new album
Bad Bunny dropped his fifth solo studio album, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana, as a surprise to fans over the weekend. Now, it's already setting records.
LA Times critic Suzy Exposito tells guest host Amil Niazi about why this is perhaps Bad Bunny's most personal record yet, and what his global popularity and massive success means for Latin music and culture today.
We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow the Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud podcast, on your favourite podcast player.
Amil: Suzy, you reviewed the album for The L.A. Times. What is the vibe? Are you going to spend a lot of time with this record? Because it's pretty different from what we're used to from Bad Bunny.
Suzy: Oh, yeah. It's probably his most introspective record. From the opening track, he addresses it head on: he's struggling with fame. He's struggling with being the most listened-to artist in the world right now, and the exposure that comes with that; what he's had to give up in privacy and intimacy, he's gained in money and attention.
I think it's interesting because the Bad Bunny we've known in the past is someone who is always down for a good party. He also has been a super huge advocate of Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican cause…. We do get a little bit of party on this record, but we also get a lot of reflection. I guess like any artist of his caliber, he's struggled with the criticisms. He's struggled with having to counter narratives in the media or on social media. And so, he wanted to set the record straight with this album.
Amil: It's really moody and kind of sad. I was listening to it this morning and like you said, it's obviously contending with the loneliness that comes from fame. I mean, it makes sense; I think there's a lot of artists of that caliber that feel that, but don't always express it — and so early on in their career. Why do you think he's doing that now with this album?
Suzy: Oh. I mean, I think it's an interesting time for him. It is really isolating; he doesn't live in Puerto Rico full-time anymore. He moved to The Hills in Hollywood. He's dating Kendall Jenner. And, he's learning English. That's a huge thing; he never wanted to learn English before, but now — especially because he's been in a couple of movies — he's trying to really stretch the potential of his fame. He's living his life. As much of a bummer as this album is, at the same time it's flavored with this carpe diem attitude where he's like, "Okay, if I'm going to be this famous, I'm just going to enjoy it to its fullest." The question is whether he's actually enjoying it.
WATCH | Official visualizer for Nadie Sabe:
Amil: Yes, that's a good question…. Let's talk about the other side of the trappings of fame, and that's that you can release a surprise album. Fans want to hear it so much that it breaks records. Spotify says the new album is the most streamed album in a single day of the whole entire year. Can you talk about that rise to dominance in music, and why his appeal is so wide?
Suzy: I think a lot of it has to do with the increasing curiosity and open-mindedness of listeners today. I think especially millennials and Gen Z, they are so much more open to music in other languages. I think about K-Pop and how that has risen; even though most of the artists don't speak or sing in English, there's still a huge audience for them.
I think a lot of it, too, is just the talent, you know? Commercially, Latin music has been doing so well because it's something new. I think people are ready to hear something different. It's not like it was 20 years ago when to make it in the US, Shakira had to learn English just for anyone to listen to her, period. That's not really the case anymore. So I think that's a huge part of what has propelled Bad Bunny, but also he's got style. He's got swagger that's universally appealing.
Amil: It is very appealing. I love that pearl necklace. A while back, Bad Bunny said he was taking a break from music to focus on his health, and fans were kind of worried that he was going to actually retire. Obviously, he hasn't done that. Any clues on this album about what's next?
Suzy: God, I hope it's a vacation. I think it's so him that he hinted at retiring in his last album and ended up releasing an album a year later. That's so him. But I think if this album proved anything, it's that actually he could have used a longer break. It's 22 songs long. It's kind of a punisher, because some of these songs, it's like they echo on the same themes. He's been run ragged and I think he could use a little break.
You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.
Interview with Suzy Exposito produced by Danielle Graham.