‘I Don’t Want to Leave’

Bad Bunny is continuing to embrace his love for his native island of Puerto Rico. On Wednesday, the reggaeton icon graced the cover of Variety and opened up about the importance of his Puerto Rico residency, No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí, for the island.

“Before the residency, my fantasy for the longest time was to do a massive free show in Puerto Rico that could be locals only,” Bad Bunny told the outlet. “And if it were up to me, all of the shows for the locals would be free, but what we’ve got planned now is next level.” 

In the interview, the singer stated that he continues to reside in Puerto Rico and finds it essential to highlight the island — and its intricacies and challenges — in what he does, especially on his latest album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos.

“It’s not like I’m living a detached reality — I still live on the island. Of course, there’s a line you hit in terms of relatability when you become famous,” Bad Bunny said. “But Puerto Rico has a very rough and real duality to it: One moment you can say, ‘I love living here; I’m proud to be from here,’ and other times, you’re like, ‘Fuck, man, pa’l carajo, todo’ [‘To hell with everything’].”

He added, “That’s why I chose to call this [residency] ‘I Don’t Want to Leave Here.’ It’s not always paradise, but it’s also a place that requires you to exercise enough resistance to say, ‘I don’t want to leave, and no one can make me.’ It’s a phrase that comes from pride, pain and love.”

In the Variety interview, the reggaetonero also shared new details about what’s to come for the show, including the fact that the residency will be mostly focused on songs from Debí Tirar Más Fotos, rather than an Eras Tour-like spectacle.

“First of all, I’m not Taylor Swift,” he said. “I want to clarify now so that they don’t get so excited: It’s not going to be organized that way. It’s still very much a tour for ‘Debi,’ with some older songs sprinkled in.”