Bad Bunny may have lost his voice, but he sure has a lot to say.
The singer says he did indeed lose his voice while performing at a sold-out show for 40,000 people in Buenos Aires, Argentina, last month.
“It was all of a sudden, like a click,” he told Billboard. “Like the temperature or something. Seems like one of my vocal cords was suffering, and boom, it happened. And I’m thinking, ‘This can’t be happening. These people are giving me the most cabrón energy. It’s the most euphoric audience I’ve had all tour, and I’m going to lose my voice? It’s not possible.’”
The "Me Porto Bonito" singer soldiered on through the ordeal, walking offstage for a short time to have some warm tea and perform vocal exercises to allow his voice to come back before he resumed his show without anyone knowing. He then rested his voice for two days.
The incident is all the more amazing, considering that his concerts last nearly three hours.
“It could also be longer,” he said, while noting he doesn’t perform a lot of songs from his previous "El Último" tour.
“But yeah, in terms of vocals, it’s me performing because I don’t have backup singers,” he added. “The show is long because the hits pile up. I sing practically the entire (album) ‘Un Verano Sin Ti.’ I just get up there, I go out to have fun, and if the audience is with me, I could sing all night.”
Bad Bunny has had a whirlwind 2022. He was Spotify’s most-streamed global artist for the third year in a row and was named Apple Music’s 2022 Artist of the Year, making him the first Latin artist to earn the honor. His album “Un Verano Sin Ti” also snagged a pair of Grammy nominations, including one for album of the year, the first time a Spanish-language album has ever been nominated in the field.
With his career in overdrive, Bad Bunny says he has managed to keep his cool in the face of pressure that accompanies being a star.
“I feel in control,” he said. “I’ve been doing this five, six years, and I’ve been acquiring experience. Yes, six years is nothing. But we’re living in a digital era, where everybody can upload their music and if you explode, you explode, and suddenly, you’re huge with a single hit and you have no experience. You haven’t crashed against anything.
“I’d say I’ve acquired that experience little by little. I’ve been able to overcome and heal many things in my life, and now I feel that security. I’ve never felt as centered in both my life and my career. I’m clear on what I am and who I am in terms of the music industry.”
Bad Bunny says he’s in a good place at the moment, but he plans to take a step back next year.
“I’m taking a break. 2023 is for me, for my physical health, my emotional health to breathe, enjoy my achievements,” he said. “We’re going to celebrate. Let’s go here, let’s go there, let’s go on the boat. I have a couple of sporadic commitments, and I’ll go to the studio, but there’s no pressure. Remember yourself, cabrón. You’ve worked your ass off.”