Ricky Martin pens tribute to Bad Bunny after his historic Grammy win

Following Bad Bunny’s landmark medium of the twelvemonth triumph astatine the 68th Grammy Awards for “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” Ricky Martin penned a missive of appreciation to commemorate the moment.

In an sentiment portion for the Puerto Rican paper El Nuevo Día published Tuesday, the Boricua hitmaker said Bad Bunny’s accomplishment stirred heavy feelings wrong him.

“Benito, brother, seeing you triumph 3 Grammy Awards, 1 of them for medium of the year, with a accumulation wholly successful Spanish, touched maine deeply,” Martin wrote. “Not lone arsenic an artist, but arsenic a Puerto Rican who has walked stages astir the satellite carrying his language, his accent and his history.”

In summation to becoming the archetypal all-Spanish medium of the twelvemonth winner, the “Nuevayol” creator took location the Grammy Awards for música urbana medium and planetary euphony show for the way “EoO” connected Sunday.

Martin further called Bad Bunny’s accomplishment a “human” and “cultural” win, lauding him for not bending to the volition of anyone who tried to alteration his dependable successful immoderate way.

“You won without changing the colour of your voice. You won without erasing your roots. You won by staying existent to Puerto Rico,” Martin wrote. “You stayed existent to your language, your rhythms and your authentic narrative.”

Martin, who archetypal broke retired arsenic a solo philharmonic enactment successful the mid-’90s, became an planetary superstar disconnected the backmost of his Spanish-language hits including 1995’s “María,” 1998’s “Vuelve” and “Perdido Sin Ti.”

He reached a caller strata of stardom aft his way “La Copa de Vida” was utilized arsenic the authoritative anthem for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. That opus charted successful implicit 60 countries and was translated into English. He landed his biggest deed with “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” which was the pb azygous from his 1999 self-titled English album.

When accepting his medium of the twelvemonth grant Sunday night, Bad Bunny addressed the assemblage predominantly successful Spanish and spoke of the strugglesof the migrant experience.

“I privation to dedicate this grant to each the radical who had to permission their homeland, their country, to travel their dreams,” helium said successful English.

“Puerto Rico, judge maine erstwhile I accidental that we are truthful overmuch bigger than 100 by 35 and determination is thing that exists that we can’t accomplish,” the “Dakiti” creator said successful Spanish. “Thank God, convey you to the academy, convey you to each the radical who person believed successful maine passim my full career. To each the radical who worked connected this album. Thank you, Mami, for giving commencement to maine successful Puerto Rico. I emotion you.”

The 54-year-old vocalist besides showed emotion to Bad Bunny for utilizing his level to amusement solidarity for susceptible communities.

“What touched maine astir astir seeing you connected the Grammys signifier was the audience’s soundlessness erstwhile you spoke,” Martin wrote. “When you defended the migrant community, erstwhile you called retired a strategy that persecutes and separates, you spoke from a spot I cognize precise good wherever fearfulness and anticipation coexist, wherever millions unrecorded betwixt languages, borders and deferred dreams.”

Martin concluded his missive by thanking Bad Bunny for reminding him and showing different Puerto Ricans that determination is powerfulness successful being existent and authentic to yourself.

“This accomplishment is for a procreation to whom you taught that their individuality is non-negotiable and that occurrence is not astatine likelihood with authenticity,” Martin wrote.

“This was for Puerto Ricans, for each our Latino brothers and sisters who imagination successful Spanish, for those crossing seas and borders wearing their cultures similar a flag. From the heart, from 1 Boricua to another, with respect and love, I convey you for reminding america that erstwhile 1 of ours succeeds, we each succeed.”