Latin superstar Bad Bunny is continuing to break boundaries as he’s announced as the cover star for this week’s issue of ‘TIME’.
For the first time ever, the text on the cover of the magazine is completely in Spanish. The cover story, written by Andrew Chow and Mariah Espada, delves into Bad Bunny’s refusal to compromise on anything as he makes a huge impact on global pop culture.
Accompanying the cover story is a full transcript in Spanish and English of ‘TIME’s wide-ranging interview with Bad Bunny, where he discusses being the first Latino to headline Coachella, his interest in acting, his recent Grammy performance (and the subtitles that read “non-English”), politics, and more.
Talking about whether he cares about staying in his position as the number one artist in the world, Bad Bunny tells ‘TIME’: “I always say no, but I think I lie. Because at the end of the day I’m very competitive… But in a good way…I like to see people have good music because it’ll make me better. If I see someone making a song that’s rompiendo (breaking or hitting the records), if there is someone who made a cabróna (badass) song, I am going to make a more cabróna (badass) song. I want to do something better. But not to overshadow them, but because I want to do something better. We can all win, we can all shine together.”
He also talks about his reaction to his viral Grammy performance, which saw subtitles appear on the screen stating ‘non-English’ rather the lyrics of the songs he was singing.
“In reality when I saw it…it didn’t capture the message. It didn’t say ‘in Spanish’… como que ‘non-english’… well, the system doesn’t work. It was porqueria (crap), that’s the only way I could put it.”
Bad Bunny made his acting debut in ‘Bullet Train’ and he will next be seen in ‘Cassandro’, the true story of the ”exotico” character created by Saúl Armendáriz a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso who rose to international stardom, opposite Gael Garcia Bernal.
In the film Bad Bunny shares his first on-screen kiss, which is with Bernal. He says: “It was cabrón (bad ass). My first kiss for a movie and it was with a man. That’s the penalty I get for being with so many women during my life. If you’re acting, you’re being someone you’re not. That’s the fun part. So when they asked me for that I said, ‘Yes, I’m here for whatever you want.’ I think it was very cool. I didn’t feel uncomfortable. It’s part of acting. It’s part of what I’m doing.”
Later this year Bad Bunny will make history as the first Latino to headline Coachella. Speaking to time about how he feels about it he shares: “A lot of people ask me that in the street. I’m like, ‘Am I supposed to feel something?’ I performed at Azteca. I performed at Yankee Stadium. I’ve performed every place. Coachella is going to be another f-cking performance to me. I felt more pressure at the Hiram Bithorn [Stadium in Puerto Rico] than I feel for Coachella. Obviously I’m excited. I want to do my best.”
The April 10 / April 17, 2022 double issue of ‘TIME’ goes on sale on Friday 31st March 2023. Read full interview transcript in Spanish and English.
