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Ignacio Piñero Septeto Nacional has played an important role in Cuba’s music for more than seven decades

Founded by Havana-born bassist and vocalist Ignacio Piñero in 1927, the Septeto Nacional De Ignacio Piñero has played an important role in Cuba’s music for more than seven decades.

Fundado por el bajista y vocalista nacido en La Habana Ignacio Piñero en 1927

Pioneers of son, a rhythmic blend of African and Cuban music that evolved into salsa, mambo and Latin jazz, the group was the first son band to incorporate the trumpet as the main instrument.

Ignacio Piñero’s Septeto Nacional gained worldwide recognition with its performance at the 1928 Universal Exposition in Seville, and was reportedly the first group to mention “Salsa” in a song “Echale Salsita” recorded in 1933. The song composed by Piñero, was adapted by George Gershwin for the opening theme of his “Cuban Overture”.

Since Piñero’s death in 1968, after 41 years at the helm of the band, the Septeto Nacional De Ignacio Piñero has been led by a series of leaders.

Guitarist and composer Rafael Ortiz, who took over after Piñero’s death, bequeathed the position to vocalist Carlos Embale in 1982.

After leaving the group due to illness in 1998 Embale’s leadership was inherited by guitarist Richard Aymee Castro. True to their original musical roots, Ignacio Piñero’s Septeto Nacional continues to offer a danceable blend of montano, merengue, bolero, rumba and cha cha cha. Craig Harris.

Ignacio Piñero was one of the Pioneers of Son Cubano

In 1906 he already knew and had assimilated the different toques of the African cabildos that existed in the neighborhood of Pueblo Nuevo, which he later incorporated into some of his creations.

He began his artistic career with the group claves and guaguancó El Timbre de Oro, later he directed Los Roncos de Pueblo Nuevo, in which he developed as a decimist and director, at the same time he took his first steps as a composer.

From this stage are: Cuando tú, tu desengaño veas, Dónde estabas anoche, El Edén de Los Roncos, Mañana te espero, niña. Later he joined the group Renacimiento de Pueblo Nuevo.

To the folkloric values that Piñeiro cultivated in these groups, he contributed a wider melodic-harmonic development and a greater depth and poetic flight.

In 1926 he was one of the founders, together with María Teresa Vera, of the Sexteto Occidente, with which he made his first tour to the United States in order to record an album with this group.

In 1927 he founded the Sexteto Nacional, formed by Ignacio Piñeiro, director and double bass; Alberto Villalón, guitar; Francisco González Solares, tres; Abelardo Barroso, lead vocals; Juan de la Cruz, tenor; Bienvenido León, baritone and maracas, and José Manuel Carrera Incharte (El Chino), bongo; that same year trumpeter Lázaro Herrera joined the group. With this septet he traveled to New York, where he recorded his first works.

In 1929 he participated with the Septeto Nacional in the Fair-Exposition of Seville, Spain; in that country they were hired as exclusive artists by the company SEDECA, and toured other cities of that country: Vigo, La Coruña, Santander, Madrid and Valladolid; in addition, they performed in the theaters Torero, Jovellanos, the Cine-Teatro Grado, and the cabaret Maicú, all in Madrid. In 1930 he was one of the founders of the National Association of Cuban Soneros.

Pioneros del son, una mezcla rítmica de música africana y cubana

They performed at the Sans-Souci cabaret (1930); in 1931 they performed at the Lavín and CMCG radio stations; in 1932, at the Dos Hermanos Hotel, he premiered Buey viejo; that same year the American composer George Gershwin came to Havana, at the CMCJ radio station he listened to Piñeiro’s son Échale salsita, from which he later used the theme played on the trumpet in his Cuban Overture.

In 1933 he performed at the Fair-Exhibition A Century of Progress, held in Chicago, United States.

In 1934 Piñeiro retired from the septet, which from 1935 was directed by trumpeter Lázaro Herrera. In 1954, Piñeiro reappeared as leader of the septet, with which he appeared on the television program Música de Ayer y de Hoy.

As a composer, Ignacio Piñeiro broke, although he took elements from the form of the oriental son, in which its creators used the quatrain and the tenth; an example of this break is his son Buey viejo, from 1932:

Carretero no maltrates a ese pobre buey tan viejo, que ya doblbla la cabeza por el peso de los tarros, y por senda de guijarros va tirando la carreta, y nunca llega a la meta, término de su dolor.

Piñeiro was one of those synthesis cases that managed to capture, develop and express the full richness of the son.

The structural modifications, the cadence, the rhythm and the use of refined melodies and lyrics, achieved by this creator and interpreted by the Septeto Nacional, make it possible to say that the work of this singular artist, although he did not mark the boundaries of son (which corresponded to the Sexteto Habanero), he did turn it into a son that today we can call classic, which became a model for its further development.

When Ignacio Piñeiro founded the Septeto Nacional, his purpose was to be a high exponent of the Cuban son and its various variants, he himself made use of those variants, composing guajira-son, canción-son, afro-son, so he worked with the elements offered by the oriental son, to which he gave a broader treatment, both musically and literary.

According to Miriam Villa: “If we analyze the organization of the literary text, we observe in his work the formal use of metrically heterogeneous links subjected to rhythm, characterized by the presence of accented and unaccented elements within the system of units that are repeated at intervals between them.

Piñeiro must not have been concerned about the meter in the text as a pattern, since through the rhythm of the composition he achieves the contrast relations, making the change of meter express a change in the thematic movement, either from intermittences or accentuations or sometimes both, which give it different semantic nuances and alternations of tensions and distensions.

And elsewhere Villa states: “Another aspect that in relation to the literary text is reflected in Piñeiro’s creative work is that of the thematic contents; these are shown from a diversification with greater scope in relation to his contemporaries.

His work can be divided into multiple themes among which are love, homeland, philosophical reflection, politics, the bucolic, the infantile, expressed in a variety of forms: satirical, apologetic, humorous and with greater depth than in the sonorous production that preceded him and even with which he shared.

With the Septeto Nacional, Piñeiro appears in the musical short El frutero, and in the film Nosotros la música, by director Rogelio París.

Ignacio Piñeiro Septeto Nacional

Septeto Nacional de Ignacio Piñero El Son de Altura

El Son de Altura (1998)

Tracks:

Mayeya – No Juegues Con Los Santos (Son) (I. Piñeiro)
Bardo (Bolero-son) (I. Piñeiro)
Lejana Campiña (Guajira-son) (I. Piñeiro)
Canta La Vueltabajera (Guajira-son) (I. Piñeiro)
Guanajo Relleno (Guaracha-son) (I. Piñeiro)
Esas No Son Cubanas (Son) (I. Piñeiro)
Suavecito (Son) (I. Piñeiro)
Alma Guajira (Guajira-son) (I. Piñeiro)
Castigador (Son) (I. Piñeiro)
Échale Salsita (Son-pregón) (I. Piñeiro)
EI Viandero (Son-pregón) (Ernesto Muñoz)
Son De La Loma (Son) (Miguel MGllamoros)
Trompeta Querida (Boleró-son) (Lózoro Herrera)
La Mujer De Antonio (Son) (Miguel Matamoros)
La Cachimba De San Juan (Son) (l. Plñeiro)
EI Alfiler (Son) (l. Plñeiro)
Noche De Conga (Son) (l. Plñeiro)
EI Paralitico (Son) (Miguel Matamoros)

By:

EcuRed

Dj. Augusto Felibertt

L’Òstia Latin Jazz

Also Read: From Cuba El Septeto Son de Nipe vienen Abriendo Caminos

Ismael ‘Pat’ Quintana, born in Ponce Puerto Rico, began his musical career in 1961 alongside Eddie Palmieri and La Perfecta

Ismael ‘Pat’ Quintana, born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, began his musical career in 1961 alongside Eddie Palmieri and La Perfecta

Commemorating one more anniversary of the departure of the Maestro: Ismael Quintana (Ponce, June 3, 1937-Colorado, April 16, 2016) was a Puerto Rican singer and composer of salsa, bolero and other genres of Caribbean music.

He began his musical career in 1961 alongside Eddie Palmieri and La Perfecta, and later continued as a solo singer.

In 1970, he signed with Fania Records and joined the Fania All Stars, in addition to recording more solo albums.

By 2012, his health condition prevented him from continuing to perform and he stopped giving concerts.

In April 2016, he died of a heart attack at his residence in Colorado in the United States at 78 years of age and paid the first tributes.

Quintana was the singer who gave the name salsa to Afro-Caribbean music, after having heard it in Venezuela.

Ismael ‘Pat’ Quintana, born in Ponce, a town rich in culture on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, moved to New York when he was very young. It was in the South Bronx that he fell in love with Latin music.

During these early years, he played percussion with a variety of bands throughout New York City.

He persevered and eventually joined Angel Natel’s orchestra as a teenage bongosero.

During one memorable night in 1959, the band was asked to play a particular number for one of the club’s dancers.

Natel’s singer was not familiar with the song, but Ismael was. He stepped up to the microphone, performed the song and in the process electrified the crowd with his talented voice. That night launched a magnificent career, a career that would eventually position Quintana as one of the most prominent vocalists in Latin music.

In 1961, visionary keyboardist Eddie Palmieri decided to leave the sanctuary of Tito Rodriguez’s eminent orchestra to pursue the dream of forming his own band.

Eddie was present when Quintana auditioned for Orlando Marin’s popular orchestra.

The pianist would eventually track him down and offer him the opportunity to become the lead singer of his new orchestra, La Perfecta.

This proved to be a vital move in Eddie’s quest to become one of the top Latin music bandleaders. Their alliance would last 12 years.

Together, Quintana and Palmieri pushed the boundaries of progressive salsa, creating dissonant improvisations that fused the raw tradition of Afro-Caribbean music (exemplified by the singer’s hardcore sonics) with a relentless desire to experiment (illustrated by Palmieri’s choice of electronic keyboards, use of structures borrowed from other musical formats, as well as meandering solos that had their own idiosyncratic logic).

Quintana inició su carrera musical en 1961 al lado de Eddie Palmieri y La Perfecta

The 1965 album Azúcar Pa’Tí is probably the aesthetic pinnacle of their collaboration. It featured classic salsa anthems such as “Oyelo Que Te Conviene”, included here for your listening pleasure.

Another unforgettable moment was Eddie’s decision to record a double LP set in the Sing Sing penitentiary.

Quintana’s voice sounds appropriately impassioned on that socially significant 1972 concert recording.

By 1973, Quintana had decided to embark on a solo career. He signed a contract with UA Latino Records and recorded two albums of excellent quality.

Quintana En 1970, firma con el sello Fania Records

The second of these two releases gave him the opportunity to sing tangos and ballads, backed by a spectacular orchestra led by South American arrangers Héctor Garrido and Jorge Calandrelli.

Surprisingly, the singer has stated in interviews that he prefers to dance ballads and boleros rather than sing more fast-paced material.

Quintana’s first work for Vaya Records was recorded in 1974, It included the hit “La Blusita Colorá”, which is featured in this collection.

The singer also collaborated with keyboardist and bandleader of La Sonora Ponceña Papo Lucca, as well as Ricardo Marrero.

In 1975, Quintana was invited to join the legendary Fania All-Stars as one of their lead vocalists.

He appeared in the movie Salsa and participated in many of the combo’s historic performances, delivering a blistering version of the self-written “Mi Debilidad” at Yankee Stadium.

When not traveling the world with the All-Stars, Quintana could be found in the recording studio, working on material that appeared on his albums for Vaya Records.

Ismael Quintana’s name appears on many classic albums from the salsa explosion of the 1970s, both as a background singer and as a percussionist.

His phenomenal vocal abilities have obscured the fact that he is one of the most exciting maracas players in the genre.

He is also an innovative composer, having written many of the songs that make up Eddie Palmieri’s seminal albums of that era.

Quintana is also known as one of the nicest guys in the Latin music business.

A true professional who is never late for his concerts and a devoted family man who doesn’t smoke or drink.

Ponce in Puerto Rico has given birth to several legendary Latin singers, from Héctor Lavoé and Cheo Feliciano to Ednita Nazario and Pete ‘El Conde’ Rodríguez. Ismael Quintana is yet another luminary from that region.

This Latin Heritage compilation is a well-deserved tribute to one of salsa’s best. Fania All Stars.

By:

Marino Del Jesus

Historia Salsera

Dj. Augusto Felibertt

Also Read: The Royalty of our Latin Music Pete “El Conde” Rodríguez first singer signed by Fania Records label

This is Indiana composer, arranger, music teacher, and trumpet player David Hardiman

Our interviewee today is very special because of the talent and the enormous academic background he has, so we are very pleased to have been able to talk with him. We are talking about the arranger, composer, trumpeter, pianist and music teacher David Hardiman, whom we welcome to International Salsa Magazine.

This is David Hardiman — Music teacher and musician David Hardiman holding his trumpet

A little bit of David’s story

The artist from Indianapolis, Indiana, began his tale telling us a little bit about how he started getting interested in music, which was when he was in fourth grade. That is when he started learning to play the trumpet and piano, taking advantage of the fact that he had one at home.

Unlike other children and young people who find other interests and hobbies besides music, David never stopped and kept playing the trumpet until high school, during which time he played in the marching band, the orchestra, the jazz band and the concert band of the institution.

Years later, he attended Indiana University where he also played in the marching band and concert band. He received his bachelor of music education through which he obtained a lot of classical training that he would later apply to his artistic career, but he did not stop there, as he also began to participate in ensembles with which he played R&B and jazz.

When he returned to his hometown Indianapolis, he was hired by a band with which he started playing blues, tap and jazz at parties, weddings and other events of this type.

In addition to that, he also taught instrumental music for over 11 years at the elementary level. He also taught flute at the fourth grade level and prepared children of those ages to be introduced to instruments until their formation in high school, something very similar to his case when he got started in this world.

The young musician already wanted to expand his horizons and thought about leaving the nest and moving from his home state to try his luck elsewhere, but first he obtained his master’s degree in music education in 1970. This was the final step that would make him realize that he was ready to take flight farther away from home.

David playing the trumpet — David Hardiman playing the trumpet live

Berkeley

In 1971, David went to Berkeley, California, where he began to teach at King Junior High School, which he describes as an excellent experience that taught him a lot about music at the educational and practical level. His teaching specialized in the orchestral and symphonic part of classical-oriented music. At the same time, he spent much of his time playing for clubs and private parties with various orchestras and bands.

One of his fellow teachers at King Junior High School named Grey Gomez taught at the elementary level and was a trombone player. Gomez told David that he needed a trumpet player for a group called ‘’The Aliens’’, so he proposed him to join the band and play with him at The New Yorker club. This would be the first time the musician played Latin music, more specifically salsa.

Introduction to Latin music in San Francisco

By then, David was looking for new challenges, so he decided that he could not teach at low levels at King Junior High School for life, so he began working part-time at the City College of San Francisco. Parallel to this, he played with another band for various basketball and soccer games during breaks.

Soon after, the musician began directing the big band in the aforementioned institution and teaching at the middle college level outside of San Francisco. When he became a full-time professor at the City College, he was much more exposed to Latin music and genres, which was contrasted with his hometown, as Indiana is not known for its large number of Latin orchestras and musicians.

David at 12 years old — Young David Hardiman playing the trumpet at 12 years old

In the Bay Area, he began to have much more contact with people from other nationalities and cultures, especially Latinos, which made him listen to various Latin music groups and play with others. He even opened up for great artists such as Celia Cruz and the Fania All Stars.

He also played with the group Café Canela, whose genres are a very interesting combination of salsa, chá chá chá and many more.

San Francisco All Star Big Band

About 50 years ago, parallel to what he did with other orchestras, he created his own big band named San Francisco All Star Big Band, with which he has played for all kinds of events such as festivals, university parties, religious services, weddings, birthdays, charity balls, nightclubs, among others.

With this orchestra, he has a few albums which can be found on YouTube and other similar platforms and they are ‘’It’ll be alright’’, ‘’Portrait of David Hardiman’’, and ‘’Music Around The World’’.

Cover of the album ”Portrait of David Hardiman”

Producer, composer, and guitarist Oscar Almonte innovates with Dominican music

The United States is and will remain the land of opportunities for artists from all over Latin America, and Dominican producer, composer, and guitarist Oscar Almonte is one more of those examples of what effort and discipline can achieve on fertile ground. We could talk exclusively with Mr. Almonte about the most important aspects of his prolific career, and we want to make them known to our readers, who always honor us by visiting to our content each month.

Oscar posing for the camera — Oscar Almonte with his guitar posing for the camera

What drew Oscar’s Attention to Music

Oscar began telling us that music as such has drawn his attention since he was very little, more specifically, the ones he was listening to at home and that some relatives played, as several of them are professional and amateur musicians. That mix of rhythms and melodies always intrigued him, especially those from Cuban music, which was very popular at that time.

Family parties were the perfect occasion for the young man to show his strong interest in music, as it was not uncommon for one of his uncles to bring out his guitar, play, and sing to lighten the mood. This was one of the things that led Oscar to learn to play as he saw adults do it.

Not to mention that Caleo López, his grandfather, was a guitar maker and played them as well.

Academic Training in Music

Oscar’s primary education in music was given in a self-taught way, In fact, their parents bought him his first guitar at just nine years of age, and he took some classes with this instrument. He stopped for a while and resumed his interest in the guitar at age 14, which is when he learned his first chords and memorized some rock songs he liked to play them.

When he had the right age, he began studying music at the Culture and Art Institute in his hometown, Santiago de Los Caballeros, where he completed a bachelor’s degree in classical guitar.

Move to New Jersey

Today, Oscar is based in New Jersey City, where he moved for the purpose of seeking new horizons personally and professionally. He wanted to soak up the musical culture that exists in the New York area, which is very close to where he is now.

When asked about the job opportunities he had upon arrival, he told us that he had the fortune of having contacts and friends with whom he had already traveled to the country, which allowed him to play with some bands he knew. However, he does admit that it took him a while to find a balance in his economy, so he had to work in family automotive businesses while his situation stabilized. He was working in that until he could devote himself exclusively to music, just as he did in his country.

Oscar performing at SOB’s — Oscar Almonte performing at SOB’s (Sounds of Brazil) in Nueva York

The main difference he noticed between the music scene in New Jersey and the Dominican Republic is that, in his home country, it is easier to live exclusively from music as a simple artist. There are things that are easier to do because the budget allows it, and certain places where musicians play cover some elements such as sound engineers and show producers. When he arrived to his new destination, he had to learn many of these things to be able to do them himself and not have to spend what he did not have.

Projects Oscar Has Been Involved In

Just as Oscar has taken great pains to make his own project, he has also been involved in others belonging to artists such as Pavel Nuñez, Felle Vega and La Orquesta de Las Danzas Mezcladas, Xiomara Fortuna, Irka Mateo, El Prodigio, and many others.

He has managed to make contact with several of them because they live in the same city as him. It also happens that he played with several jazz musicians through whom he got to know others, something which took advantage to develop contacts and friendships with whom he could work in the future.

Among the most important things he learned from them, one is audience management, repertoire management, certain vocal techniques that he did not know and, mainly, everything that has to do with the responsibilities an artist who is already the head of his own project should have.

Soberano Awards Nomination

The artist has also been nominated for the famous Soberano Awards in the category of Merengue of the year in 2012 thanks to the song ”Levántate”, which was recorded by Héctor Acosta ”El Torito”. An interesting aspect of this piece is that Oscar wrote it with the purpose of showing it to Ricky Martin so that he would finally record it, but unfortunately it was not possible to make contact with the Puerto Rican.

Oscar and Daddy Yankee — Oscar Belmonte next to Puerto Rican reggaeton singer Daddy Yankee

Over time, he learned that Héctor was looking for songs to add to his new album ”Corazón Abierto”, so Oscar got down to business and contacted his musical director to see if Acosta would be interested. Fortunately, he was and the song enjoyed very acceptance among the public, so he managed to get the nomination at that time.

Debut as a singer-songwriter

Finally, in the year 2020, Oscar was ready for his debut as a singer-songwriter and, at finally, to do things other than what a simple musician does. Although he was writing since he was 14 years old, always thinking for other artists, he decided to change his approach and focus on himself and his career.

It is then when he made his debut in this facet with the song ”Mi Tierra”, in which he describes his hometown Santiago de Los Caballeros as the title indicates. Something interesting about ”Mi Tierra” is that it fuses rhythms from many parts of the world with Dominican pambiche.

Oscar defines pambiche as one of the sounds of merengue, but softer and calmer when compared with the more lively merengue.

As for the rest of the colors it has, the artist used elements of African music and very different tempos to those often used in merengue.

He is also promoting the song ”Bermudas” with the young singer Carolyn Rodriguez. A mutual friend introduced them and thought that their voices would work well together, so they gathered and made a romantic song based on urban bachata with hints of reggae and some electronic touches.

Oscar and Carolyn — Oscar Belmonte singing ”Bermudas” next to Carolyn Rodríguez live

“DeBÍ Tirar Más Fotos” is not just an album; it is an invitation to reimagine music and the cultural impact it can have in an increasingly interconnected world

Bad Bunny was born as Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on March 10, 1994. He is a composer and singer of urban music, especially trap and reggaeton.

Although he never took formal music classes or studied any instrument, he is a singer, composer and creator of his own songs. The first samples of his art were seen on YouTube, where he slowly began to gain fans.

In mid-2016, Bad Bunny joined Hear This Music, a label created by DJ Luian and Los Mambo Kingz, presenting the hit “La Ocasión,” an anthem of trap music. There he also recorded singles such as “Diles,” “Soy Peor,” and “Tú No Vives Así.”

Bad Bunny has also participated in songs with numerous artists, such as Farruko, De La Ghetto, J Balvin, Maluma, Nicky Jam and Ozuna, among other urban music stars.

In 2017 he conquered Europe, touring with more than 20 concerts in 20 days. Upon his return he sang “Si Tu Novio Te Deja Sola” at the 2017 Billboard Latin Music Awards with J Balvin.

In addition, he sold out concerts at the Luna Park in Buenos Aires on September 8 and 9. In November he released “Sensualidad” with Prince Royce and J Balvin.

The year 2018 began with great success.

On January 12, he released “El Baño”, a collaboration he recorded with Enrique Iglesias.

On February 6, he released “Salimos A Buscarte”.

On the 9th, he presented “Fantasía”, with Alex Sensation.

On the 14th, she released a version of the hit “Báilame” by Nacho, together with Luis Fonsi, Yandel and Daddy Yankee.

On the 15th, she released “Amorfoda”, a new single in which she says “no” to love.

She didn’t wait and on the 22nd, she released “Dime Si Te Acuerdas”.

On March 16, she released a song with Khea, Düki and Cazzu, titled “Loca”.

On the 23rd of that month, “Dime” was released, recorded with Revol, J Balvin, Arcángel and De La Ghetto.

On April 1, she presented “Me Rolié”. In the same month, she released: “Te Boté”, with Ozuna, Nicky Jam, Nio García, Darell and Casper Mágico; and “Explícale”, with Yandel, Noriel Cosculluela and Brytiago.

On May 5, she recorded “Contigo”.

Bad Bunny nació como Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio

On the 12th, 13th and 14th she presents her songs live, again at Luna Park. In between these concerts she releases “Sólo Avísame”. Then she releases “Quiere Verme”, together with Anuel Aa and “Diles”, with Ledy Medina.

On June 22nd she releases “I Like It”, recorded with Cardi B and J Balvin. On the 28th of the same month she releases the single “Estamos Bien”. She participates in Marc Anthony’s song “Está Rico”, together with Will Smith. On October 11th she releases “Mía”, in a spectacular collaboration with Drake singing in Spanish. On December 8th she releases the hit “Desde el Corazón” and on the 14th of the same month she presents “Sólo de Mí”, whose video reflects gender violence. On the 23rd her debut album goes on sale, under the name “X100Pre”.

On June 28, Bad Bunny & J Balvin present the eight-song album “Oasis” with the first single, “Qué Pretendes” (with special appearances by Mr. Eazi and Marciano Cantero of Enanitos Verdes)

Following the death of basketball player Kobe Bryant, Bad Bunny paid tribute to him with an emotional song titled “6 Rings.”

YHLQMDLG was released by the artist at midnight on February 29, 2020. The title means “I do what I want” and features collaborations with Daddy Yankee, Yaviah, Jowell & Randy, and Ñengo Flow. The album is a tribute to the marquesinas (garage parties) that Bad Bunny grew up attending, and features many nods to reggaeton from the early and mid-2000s

On May 10, 2020, he released his third studio album “Las que no iban a salir,” which features the participation of Don Omar, Zion & Lennox, Nicky Jam, Yandel, among others.

In July, after being the first Latin urban artist to be on the cover of Rolling Stones magazine, El Conejo Malo becomes the protagonist of the first digital cover of the legendary Playboy magazine.

On July 25, he releases the song and video: “Un día (One Day)” with Dua Lipa, J Balvin and Tainy.

On January 3, 2021, he releases the video for his song “Booker T”. That same year, he releases the single and video clip “Lo sentir BB” with Julieta Venegas and Tainy.

Throughout the year, he publishes several singles and video clips.

On May 5, 2022, he releases the album “Un verano sin ti”.

On June 2, he releases the video clip for the song “Tití mepregunta”.

On November 30, he releases the single “La Jumpa” with the video clip.

On December 22, he released the single “Gato de noche” with Ñengo Flow.

On February 15, 2023, he released the video for “Ojitos lindos” with Bomba Estéreo.

On May 18, he released the single “Where she goes” along with its video.

On July 21, he collaborated with Travis Scott on the single “K-Pop” with The Weeknd.

On September 25, he released the single and video “Un preview”.

On October 13, he released the album “Nadie sabe lo que va a pasará mañana” becoming a hit single.

Becoming the most listened to album of the year in a single day.

“What are we overlooking in Bad Bunny’s ‘DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS’? Beyond reggaeton, a lesson in artistic evolution.”

While social media is boiling with divided opinions about Bad Bunny’s new album, it is worth moving away from the extremes and analyzing “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” from a broader perspective.

Beyond being a reggaeton album, this work is an artistic, cultural and strategic manifesto that leaves valuable lessons for all musical genres, including salsa.

Bad Bunny has used his position as a global artist to fuse elements such as salsa with urban rhythms, achieving a musical dialogue that transcends generations and tastes. However, the impact of this project does not stop there.

I’d like to share five key aspects that other artists could learn from this release to innovate and connect more deeply with their audiences.

The power of nostalgia: plastic chairs as a universal symbol

The album cover, with the humble plastic chairs, connects directly with the everyday life of Latin American neighborhoods. These common objects evoke memories of family gatherings, celebrations, and moments of community. The message is powerful: simplicity can be deeply meaningful and resonate globally.

Exclusivity that generates value: “Residencia” concerts

Instead of a world tour, Bad Bunny is betting on “Residencia,” a series of exclusive concerts in Puerto Rico. With this strategy, he not only boosts tourism and the local economy, but creates a “FOMO” (fear of missing out) phenomenon in his fans. This generates massive advance reservations on hotels and flights.

QR codes: intelligent digital interaction

Integrating technology with music is something that Bad Bunny has done masterfully. QR codes in Puerto Rico allow fans to interact with the album in innovative ways, unlocking exclusive content and creating a bridge between the physical and the digital.

Incorporating traditional genres and sounds

Bad Bunny is not afraid to mix salsa with reggaeton, betting on musical arrangements that celebrate his cultural heritage. This shows that genres are not compartments or “silos”, but platforms for dialogue

Expectation and release strategy

From the announcement of the title to the release date, passing through a short film full of cultural references, everything in this project has been designed to create a narrative that maintains the interest of the public. The lesson here is clear: music is not just released, it is experienced as a complete cultural event.

Final thoughts: innovation and evolution

In a world dominated by technology, staying traditional is not an option for artists who want to grow. Tools like Web 3.0, Blockchain, NFTs to offer immersive experiences and AI are revolutionizing the way musicians interact with their audiences and generate income.

While some lose themselves in criticism, others take advantage of these tools to redefine their art and project themselves globally. The lesson is clear: you have to look ahead and dare to evolve.

“DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” is not just an album; it is an invitation to reimagine music and the cultural impact it can have in an increasingly interconnected world.

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