During his opening performance last night (Feb. 5) at the 2023 Grammy Awards, Bad Bunny proudly represented the music of the Caribbean. The Puerto Rican superstar also highlighted cabezudos culture, featuring a few icons from his homeland.
Bad Bunny opened his performance on a proud Puerto Rican note when he sang a few lines from “El Apagón,” an anthem for his homeland. His procession to the stage included bomba y plena dancers and the cabezudos, the big-headed figures usually part of Puerto Rican festivals.
The group Agua, Sol y Sereno was behind the cabezudos, and they expressed their gratitude to Bad Bunny for sharing the stage with them. “For us, it represents immense pride the opportunity to be able to bring the spirit of the San Sebastian Street Festivals to the Grammy Awards stage, where we celebrate our idiosyncrasy and cultural identity and honor with heads of the women and men who enrich it,” the group wrote in an Instagram post. “Benito was committed to a representation of Puerto Rican culture by recognizing and including the heads of Agua, Sol y Sereno.”
The cabezudos that joined Bad Bunny during the performance featured the heads of Puerto Rican icons throughout history. Among the music stars that were celebrated were Tego Calderón, Ismael Maelo Rivera, Tite Curet Alonso, and Andy Montañez. Writer Lola Rodríguez de Tió, poet Julia de Burgos, and Doña Fela also were honored with cabezudos. Baseball player Roberto Clemente was celebrated as well.
Bad Bunny’s performance also honored the music of the Dominican Republic. During “Después De La Playa,” he was joined onstage by Dahian El Apechao and his band. Dahian composed the merengue parts of the genre-bending hit. Taylor Swift and Jack Harlow were spotted dancing to the merengue rhythms during the performance.
Bad Bunny won his third overall Grammy Award. Un Verano Sin Ti won in the category for Best Música Urbana Album. He lost in the Album of the Year category to Harry Styles’ Harry’s House LP.
