Un Verano Sin Ti is Bad Bunny’s no skips album made for summer with its breezy Caribbean vibe — and it just broke Spotify’s all-time record for most streams in its first month. Since its release in early May, the album racked up two billion streams on the platform — the first and only album to do so.
To dismiss it as just another pop album is a mistake. It is a love letter to his home country of Puerto Rican and the Afro-beats that shaped reggaeton. Bachata, merengue, and mambo are fused to get people dancing while also taking a stance against violence against women, anti-colonialism, and gentrification.
Benito brought in his contemporary hitmakers Tainy, Rauw Alejandro, and Jhay Cortez to fuel the summer anthems dominating cook-outs, clubs, and beach parties, while also creating space for the indie sounds of Bomba Estereo, The Marías, and Bucabulla to delight in the process of being Latino. It’s no surprise songs like “Party,” “Después de la Playa,” and “Me Porto Bonita,” are dominating social media platforms. Complete with lots of perreo.
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In promotion of the album, Benito has gone on record to say he makes music as if only Puerto Ricans are listening. “The best part of all my achievements is when people say ‘he’s from Puerto Rico,’” Benito shared. The pride in who he is, where he’s from, and how it has shaped him comes across in Un Verano Sin Ti.
For Bad Bunny fans, it’s no surprise he’s made Spotify history. Again. Other accolades on Spotify include Un Verano Sin Ti being the most-streamed album in 2022 so far and breaking the record for most streams for an album in one week globally on May 12 and most streamed artists in one week, also on May 12.