By ITZEL LUNA
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bad Bunny’s residency in Puerto Rico has boosted the island’s economy and stoked conversations about its identity and struggles. Now, fans from around the world will have a chance to tune in.
The Puerto Rican singer’s final show of his “No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí” (“I Don’t Want to Leave Here”) residency on Sept. 20 will be livestreamed by Amazon, “giving fans everywhere front-row access to this historic concert,” the company announced Monday.
The show is a surprise addition to Bad Bunny’s 30-show residency in Puerto Rico that began in July, nine of which were exclusively for the island’s residents. The last concert will also be exclusively for locals and will commemorate the eighth anniversary of Hurricane Maria, which struck the island in 2017 and forced the relocation of more than 100,000 people.
The concert will be streamed for free on the Amazon Music app, Prime Video and Twitch starting at 8:30 p.m. ET, the streaming service announced.
Bad Bunny’s career, and latest album, highlight the centuries of turmoil faced by the island, which has long denounced its territorial status while battling chronic power outages and a fragile economy.
In addition to the concert, Amazon announced further collaborations with Bad Bunny to help strengthen the Puerto Rican community, including a storefront called “comPRa Local” on the Amazon website that will feature Puerto Rican products. Other initiatives center on education and technology for students and teachers and food and agriculture support.
“We are incredibly proud of this multi-year collaboration, which turns the power of music into meaningful and lasting progress for the island,” Rocío Guerrero, director of music, Latin-Iberia, Amazon Music wrote in the news release announcing the collaboration.
Thousands have flocked to Puerto Rico for the rest of his residency that was open to tourists living outside of the island. Bad Bunny has been joined by scores of successful Latin American artists, including other Puerto Rican stars like Rauw Alejandro.
The concert is a celebration of Bad Bunny’s success, with a particular focus on his most recent album, “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,” which translates to “I Should Have Taken More Photos.” The singer has long championed the region’s traditional music and denounced the island’s political status as a U.S. territory and increased vulnerability to gentrification.
The residency will be followed by a world tour starting in November. Bad Bunny will reach cities across Europe, Latin America and Asia, notably skipping the United States. In an interview earlier this month with i-D magazine, the singer said immigration enforcement across the U.S. was a primary concern.
