Tonight, Bad Bunny took home Album of the Year for Debí Tirar Más Fotos, his sixth record. The Recording Academy, an institution well-known for rarely making the correct choice in any category, got it right for two reasons: Debí Tirar Más Fotos is wonderful, and it’s about time a Spanish-language album won the top prize at “music’s biggest night.” I didn’t expect the Recording Academy’s voting body to rally behind its community with such a warm gesture, especially in the wake of this country’s conservative base carrying out inhumane anti-immigration enforcement, but this was a joyous decision.
Last year, Bad Bunny was announced as the Super Bowl halftime headliner, a decision that was immediately politicized by right-wing zealots. Conservative activists called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to revoke Bunny’s visa (which he doesn’t need, because he’s a U.S. citizen), DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced that there will be ICE presence at the game, and Turning Point USA is promoting a competing “All-American Halftime Show” because of course. As Casey Epstein-Gross reported last week, “The reaction has only amplified the cultural stakes of Bad Bunny’s performance. His halftime teaser shattered records for engagement, and the artist has remained unapologetic about performing entirely in Spanish, even as critics have framed that choice as divisive. The show will also be one of his only appearances on U.S. soil this year, after largely avoiding touring in the country amid concerns about immigration enforcement targeting Latino communities.”
After presenter Harry Styles (who beat Bad Bunny for AOTY in 2023, when Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti was the first-ever Spanish-language album nominated in the category) announced Bad Bunny as the winner, the Puerto Rican superstar sat silently in his chair. The coolest guy of all time needing a moment… that’s what it’s all about. Writing about DeBí TiRAR MáS FOToS last year, Paste contributor Tatiana Tenreyro said: “Bad Bunny thrives best when the album’s focus is close to his heart. After his 2023 record nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana, I worried that the Puerto Rican trap star had been lost to Hollywood. He was dating a Jenner sister and making songs about fame, losing his relatable touch. But with DeBí TiRAR MáS FOToS, we get to know the real Benito: the one who declared as a kid that he was a ‘salsero’ before becoming enamored with reggaeton. He’s a wistful and sensitive soul who acknowledges that with his new life as a megastar comes some sacrifices, such as losing his longtime partner, and is learning to not lose touch with the things that truly matter.”
Earlier in the night, while accepting an award for Best Música Urbana Album, Bunny condemned the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. “Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say ICE out,” he said. “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans.” Bunny gave most of his Album of the Year speech in Spanish, thanking Puerto Rico, his mother, everyone who believed in him, and everyone who worked on the record. Then he spoke in English. “I want to dedicate this award to all the people who had to leave their homeland to follow their dreams.”
