How Bad Bunny became a voice of Puerto Rican resistance

Plus, remembering David Crosby; boygenius returns

View this email online Jan. 21, 2023 by Marissa Lorusso This week, we’re remembering David Crosby; plus, we’re sharing a Code Switch episode about Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny. Getty Images At the end of last year, the NPR Music team spent a lot of time thinking about Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny. His album Un Verano Sin Ti was one of our very favorites of the year (and one of the top records for All Songs Considered listeners, too) and “El Apagón,” a love letter to his island, was one of our favorite songs. I was fascinated by writer Isabelia Herrera’s year-end essay about the massive year Bad Bunny had — whether you measure that in streaming numbers, sold-out shows in venues like Yankee Stadium or his sheer impact in the pop landscape — and his simultaneous refusal to temper his political provocations or move to U.S. pop's center. Christina Cala, senior producer for the NPR podcast Code Switch, has been thinking about Bad Bunny a lot, too. “I’ve been a Bad Bunny fan for a while,” she says. “He makes all the bangers. He defies norms and he is unapologetically himself.” Despite her fandom, though, Christina says she “hadn’t fully thought about what he means to Puerto Rico and how Puerto Rico really formed him” — until Code Switch started working on a new episode about Bad Bunny’s career, his music and how he has provided a global megaphone for Puerto Rican discontent. The episode digs into how the political tumult and catastrophic natural disasters on the island, which have run parallel to Bad Bunny's rise to mega-stardom, have shaped his career. “Music can be such a potent tool for processing and catharsis,” Christina says. “Hopefully this episode helps people listen to him on another level; I know it helped us.” Newsletter continues after sponsor message More to read, watch and hear Crosby, Stills & Nash co-founder David Crosby died this week at age 81. A prominent figure of the free-spirited 1970s Laurel Canyon scene who helped make folk-rock mainstream, Crosby also had a creative hot streak in recent years. He added five solo albums to his catalog between 2014 and 2021 and toured frequently with the Lighthouse Band (with whom he played a wonderful Tiny Desk concert in 2019) and the Sky Trails Band. This week, boygenius — the supergroup featuring our faves Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus — returned with three new songs and the announcement of a forthcoming record. We covered each of the tracks (“True Blue,” “Emily I’m Sorry” and “$20”) on the #NowPlaying blog, along with a jazz standard from Rickie Lee Jones, a shoegaze-meets-country song from Wednesday and a remastered track from the fiercely unique band Beauty Pill.  “I wanted this album to be feral and free,” Margo Price says about Strays, her new record. She talked to Morning Edition’s Leila Fadel about the self-reflection, vulnerability and hallucinogenic mushrooms that helped her write this new set of songs. Presented in person for the first time since the start of the pandemic era, the 2023 edition of Winter Jazzfest found familiar purpose and renewed conviction in delirious overabundance. WRTI’s Nate Chinen attended the festival, and writes that the wondrous performances he saw “spoke to a belief that improvised music is alive and thriving — in the face of ongoing economic insecurities, cultural inequities, and epidemiological hazards.” I’ve been a fan of Mexican-American musician and activist Fabi Reyna since she launched She Shreds, a magazine dedicated to women and gender-nonconforming guitarists. So I loved the conversation she had with Alt.Latino host Anamaria Sayre about how she got started as a guitarist, her collaborative process in the group Reyna Tropical and the way she remains guided by her intuition. Tiny Desk NPR Soccer Mommy was originally scheduled to play a Tiny Desk concert on March 30, 2020. Sophie Allison’s  performance was one of the first of many in-person Tiny Desks to get canceled — and she was the very first artist to perform a Tiny Desk (home) concert that month instead. But now, she’s finally come to NPR HQ to perform behind Bob’s actual desk. She and her band performed a beautiful set with work from each era of Soccer Mommy's catalog. One More Thing From Life Kit: six tips to have a meaningful connection when looking at art Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WUFT 89.1 (edit station). Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on Spotify and Apple Music What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprmusic@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Books, Pop Culture, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to NPR Music emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy