I don't really care about football but I've been watching the Super Bowl for the last few years because of the half time shows. This year, I'm hosting a party for what I'm referring to as "The Bunny Bowl" because I'm hyped up about this year's show.

It took me a long time to become a Bad Bunny fan but his most recent album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, solidified my love for his music. I feel like it came at just the right time for so many of us. The songs, the music videos, his residency in Puerto Rico, his tour, and the Super Bowl combine to send a message: we have lost a lot and we should never forget that but we are better together...

And, of course, "I LOVE PUERTO RICO!!!"

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is still being felt in our collective feelings of disconnect and Bad Bunny's work seeks to give us the community we crave, which seems to be working. My brother lives on the other side of the country but we decided to buddy read Puerto Rico: A National History by Jorell Meléndez-Badillo early last year. Together, began to understand our maternal grandmother and our family history a lot more. We recognized patterns in our familial stories. I think it brought us closer together.

Then Debí Tirar Más Fotos came out and we had another connection to Puerto Rico and each other. We watched "No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí: Una Más," the finale of Bad Bunny's 2025 Puerto Rico residency, on streaming and cried. It turns out, the author of Puerto Rico: A National History helped Bad Bunny with the album and concert. I could feel it. The visuals overwelmed me with a sense of longing and pride. Listening to the songs brings back memories of our family’s parties where my grandma would make us dance with our cousins to hits by Marc Anthony and Elvis Crespo.

I've listened to the album numerous times since it came out and my love has only grown stronger. NUEVAYoL reminds me of the stories that my mom, aunts, and uncles told me about growing up in Brooklyn and Queens. They reminisced about participating in the Puerto Rican Day Parade, the blackout, block parties, and more.

Even though many of the songs on this album are about romance and break-ups, the emotions of it feel universal. BAILE INoLVIDABLE, a song about heartbreak and a love you can't forget, feels like an ode to the world of my maternal grandparents; salsa music blasting and couples passionately dancing in their finest clothes.

The song that hit the hardest was DtMF. Bad Bunny sings about being home, grief, regret, and never wanting to lose his people. The lines that make me tear up the most are:

Otro sunset bonito que veo en San Juan

Disfrutando de todas esas cosas que extrañan los que se van

Disfrutando de noche' de esas que ya no se dan

Que ya no se dan

Pero queriendo volver a la última vez

~

Another beautiful sunset I see in San Juan

Enjoying everything that the departed are missing out on

Enjoying nights like those that don't come often

That don't come often

But wanting to go back to the last time

And the chorus has stuck with me ever since...

Debí tirar más fotos de cuando te tuve

Debí darte más beso' y abrazo' las vece' que pude

~

I should've taken more pictures when I had you

I should've given you more kisses and hugs whenever I could

Grandma had often said she wanted to go back home to Puerto Rico, in the last few years of her life but we never got that chance. We couldn’t afford it. Then the pandemic started, I realized that hugging them at my cousin’s sweet 16 was the last time I’d get to do so. It was heartbreaking. I knew her health was declining and all I could do was celebrate her birthday over Zoom. I still haven't had a chance to visit the island and our family's hometown, Vega Alta, but Bad Bunny's album helps me feel close to my family and culture.

Despite the fact that Spanish was my maternal family's primary language, I'm not fluent. Regardless, Debí Tirar Más Fotos feeds the soul and I think that's why I'm incredibly happy that Bad Bunny won album of the year at the Grammys this year! In fact, it's the first Spanish-language album to win album of the year.

You don't need to know the language to enjoy his performance this Sunday, but I think understanding his impact might help. Let's dance, sing, and be together.

Pa'lante