On Una Velita,’ Bad Bunny talks about the devastating effects Hurricane Maria has had on his native Puerto Rico and the rest of the Caribbean in 2017.
Supported by a seductive guitar line, a choir, and a percussion section, the song’s visualizer video reflects the lyric’s somber mood lit by candles within a dark room during a blackout.
Translated to “a little candle,” the Spanish lyrics, describe the start of rain and how “a storm is coming,” and at the end of his first verse, the Latin superstar asks, “Quién nos va a salvar?” as he asks, “Who’s going to save us?” A portion of the lyrics reference a palm tree, which is also the emblem for the New Progressive Party on the island. The tempest crescendos and subsides, and Bad Bunny ends the song with a helium-high voice expressing hope for the sun to rise.
Pitchfork notes that the song arrives a few weeks ahead of Election Day in November when Puerto Ricans vote for a new governor. Bad Bunny has been active in encouraging Puerto Ricans to vote. For his concerts on the island in June, he offered two-for-one tickets to fans who purchased admission while showing their voter registrations, according to Remezcla.
Bad Bunny previously released a song about Hurricane Maria, “El Apagon,” in 2022. He told Rolling Stone that the song came to him while hanging out with friends on the beach. “I was at the beach with my friends, a great, drunken party,” he said. “And suddenly, I was watching the beach, the waves, and I started to go, ‘Diablo, Puerto Rico en verdad que Puerto Rico esta bien cabron. On my next album, I want to make a song about Puerto Rico, and I want it to be beautiful.’”
Keep up with the latest trending music news by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Edermarco