On Thursday night, Latin superstar Bad Bunny released “Una Velita” to remember the victims of Hurricane Maria and expose the lack of help Puerto Rico has received to deal with the aftermath. In his song, he stresses the fear of another hurricane hurting his country while encouraging people to stick together and take action.
In the chorus, Bad Bunny sings, “Por ahí viene tormenta / Quién nos va a salvar?” before calling out the ways the government has not aided the working class of Puerto Rico with the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. He declares that it’s up to Puerto Ricans to save themselves when he sings “Recuerden que to’ somos de aquí / Al pueblo el pueblo le toca salvar ” in his second verse.
The rest of his song is hopeful as he continues his message of sticking together to protect Puerto Rico and its people from natural disasters. However, he is emotional when he talks about enduring a storm with someone, especially when he sings “Prende una velita para ver tu carita” in the bridge. The lyrics not only make listeners feel sad but also bring to light Puerto Rico’s electricity issues. The song, produced by fellow Puerto Rican producer Tainy and La Pacienca, ends with an outro of a high-pitched voice saying that they’re waiting for the sun to come out with strings being plucked in the background.
This isn’t the first time Bad Bunny has written a song commenting on his home country. In fact, it’s part of the artist’s brand to produce Puerto Rican anthems while highlighting his concerns and is what makes him stick out. Lately, he has been using his voice to encourage people to vote ahead of Puerto Rico’s election for a new governor. In 2022, he took the opportunity to turn his music video for “El Apagon,” his song from Un Verano Sin Ti, into a mini-documentary about Puerto Rico’s infrastructure. It was nominated for VMAs Video for Good award back in 2023.
This year, Bad Bunny wrapped up his Most Wanted tour in Puerto Rico in June. Recently, he has tied with Karol G for second-most nominated at the Billboard Latin Music Awards set to air on Oct. 20 on Telemundo. He is up for Artist of the Year, Tour of the Year, and other awards.
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