How Standing Up For Social Causes Helped Bad Bunny Become Spotify’s Most Streamed Artist In 2020

Puerto Rican musician Bad Bunny was the most streamed artist globally on Spotify in 2020 with 8.3 billion streams and the top album this year, YHLQMDLG, raking in 3.3 billion streams on its own. In good company with Latin crossover J Balvin who is from Colombia – two of the five most streamed artists this year on Spotify make music in Spanish. Latin music has seen double digit growth in the US for the past four years, in part due to easier access to technology with streaming revenues accounting for over 90% of the Latin music market. According to a recent report from the RIAA, revenues from paid subscriptions grew 27.6% to $196.2 million – accounting for more than two thirds of the Latin music streaming market in the first half of 2020.

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Followed up by Drake, J Balvin, Juice WRLD, and The Weeknd, Bad Bunny maintained his digital reach and visibility through a substantial and collaborative catalog with consistent output, but how much of his popularity has been driven by deeper messages of vulnerability, transparency, and gender fluidity? “We don’t deserve Bad Bunny,” says rapper-entrepreneur Anik Khan, “he is transcendent.” In a year of challenging the status quo – locally, globally, politically, and internally while most who had the privilege to, hid from a virus inside, issues of identity, acceptance, and advocacy came front and center. As music tends to be an escape for many, the ability to relate on a deeper level with words and sounds became a reality making artists who stand for something more attractive than ever. 

Twenty seven year old Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio who goes by his stage name Bad Bunny, has been a bright light for youth culture and a challenger of identity politics, leading by example through his own experiences as a self-proclaimed “outsider.” Confronting the norms embedded into Latinx culture around sexuality, gender – even fashion, Bad Bunny opened up important conversations this year worldwide. In February, Bad Bunny performed on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” broadcasting to over 1 million live viewers, wearing a t-shirt with the words [in Spanish] “They killed Alexa, not a man in a skirt,” to bring visibility to Alexa Negrón Luciano, a homeless transgender woman who was murdered in Puerto Rico, elevating the conversation of transphobia in Latin America. 

Leveraging his platform (reaching over 20 million on Instagram alone), to communicate meaningful messages, removes somewhat of an inauthentic social veneer often associated with stardom in the digital age, creating sticking points for fans and listeners to relate to. In an Instagram post on August 20, 2020, Bad Bunny, in a white Adidas crewneck, gold chains and handlebar mustache, pleaded with his followers to register to vote in the upcoming election calling out specifically the “young people of Puerto Rico.” The post which called for people to engage in politics “without fear” received over 3.5 million likes and 40,000+ comments.

While Bad Bunny makes social issues effortlessly cool, his music style and production is equally as innovative. Working with a bevy of producers who have been able to fuse reggaeton sounds with elements of trap, hip hop and more recently hints of rock reminiscent of early Red Hot Chili Peppers, on songs like “YO VISTO ASÍ,” Bad Bunny’s versatility and sonic openness creates multiple entry points for different types of listeners. Album length may also play into not only Bad Bunny’s cohesive storytelling but also his streaming successes. His last two albums both contained more than 15 songs – EL ÚLTIMO TOUR DEL MUNDO has 16 songs and YHLQMDLG has nearly 20.

Collaboration also comes into play in the global cultural landscape – an area Bad Bunny has proven to be successful in musically with fashion up next. 2020 saw Bad Bunny partner with Crocs
CROX
, the ultracomfort shoe brand popularized in food service and hospitality, with a newly announced Adidas sneaker collaboration on the way next year.

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While creating and distributing high quality music to the masses during a global pandemic, Bad Bunny also prioritized his messaging and took corresponding actions around social issues, ultimately driving deeper connections with his community, cementing himself in authenticity.


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