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Bad Bunny is one of the few artists of modern times who sings Latin trap entirely in Spanish. The Puerto Rican singer is the most-listened-to Latin artist on Spotify, with more than 60 million monthly listeners. Bunny's first language is Spanish and speaks a little English. In an interview for Vogue's popular segment, 73 Questions, Bunny shared his experiences of being bilingual.
The I Like It singer gave the interview primarily in Spanish on April 29, 2024. He talked about his language preferences and said:
"I like speaking English in private. Not on camera or somewhere else."
He told the same publication that he is in the "learning" phase. Bad Bunny revealed that he does not speak in English as he experiences difficulty vocalizing his emotions.
In the October issue of Vanity Fair, Benito also revealed his plans to stick to Spanish for his songs. He said:
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“I am never going to [sing in English] just because someone says I need to do it to reach a certain audience."
"It’s not the same" — Bad Bunny on translating lyrics from Spanish to English
Bad Bunny was born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio and has grown up speaking in Spanish. On a few occasions, he has revealed the difficulties of speaking in English.
In 73 Questions with Vogue, Bunny elaborated on how challenging it is for him to translate words into English. In April 2024, he explained the "hardest part":
"I think that sometimes conveying feelings or what I’m truly thinking. Because I feel and think in Spanish, when I translate that feeling and thought into English, it’s not the same."
The three-time Grammy winner also joked that "all" English words are "hard to pronounce."
He appeared on the Carpool Karaoke segment of The Late Late Show with James Corden in March 2023. As he talked about his hometown, Bunny and show host Corden sang the chorus of Break Free by Ariana Grande.
After singing, Bunny added his experience of listening and singing songs in English. He said:
"I think this is the English song that I most know the lyrics. 'Cause I listen to English music, I like."
In another conversation with Vanity Fair in October 2023, Bad Bunny added that it is not that he "hates" English, rather it is because he feels more comfortable in my own language.
“I think in Spanish, I feel in Spanish, I eat in Spanish, I sing in Spanish.”
In the same interview, Benito shared his experience of performing at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards. Bad Bunny was frustrated to learn that the broadcast of his performance did not notably include closed captions. Instead, "singing in non-English" appeared on the screen. Bunny revealed his shock and said:
"It was like, wow, wait a minute, what the hell? Why don’t they have someone? Knowing that I was going to be there.”
The rapper added:
“I sing for those who want to listen to me and those who understand me.”
It appears from his statements that Bad Bunny is likely to stick to singing in Spanish in the foreseeable future. While he has explained that he does speak in English with specific people, but falls back on his mother tongue otherwise.
The rapper also believes that Spanish lets him communicate his emotions, rather than any other language. Undoubtedly, Bad Bunny has become one of the biggest Latin musicians of all time.
