In a new interview with Rolling Stone, international Latin trap star Bad Bunny opened up about donning drag in his latest music video and why he supports the LGBTQ+ community.
Back in March, the rapper dropped the music video for "Yo Perreo Sola" and quickly broke the internet with images of the 26-year-old in full drag. The video featured Bunny in not one, not two, but three different fierce feminine looks.
The song title translates to "I Twerk Alone" and several feminist statements were scattered throughout the video, including a sign that read "Ni Una Menos (Not One [Woman] Less)" and a disclaimer at the end that reads "Si no quiere bailar contigo, respeta. Ella perrea sola (If she doesn't want to dance with you, respect her. She twerks alone)."
"I wrote [the song] from the perspective of a woman," Bunny revealed, which is why musician Nesi sings the chorus. "I wanted a woman to sing it, because it doesn’t mean the same thing when a man sings it. But I do feel like that woman sometimes."
It seems doing drag impacted his own gender expression, comparing it to the "gender theater" of professional wrestlers he loves, and how a cousin introduced him to drag by enlisting him for Lady Gaga club mixes to perform to.
"I have always felt like there [was] a part of me that is very feminine. But I never felt as masculine as I did the day I dressed up like a drag queen."
It's a risky move in a music genre typically known for its machismo, but a no brainer for Bunny. After all, his album title literally translates to "I Do Whatever I Want."
The vocal LGBTQ+ ally says he dragged himself up to "show support to those who need it. I may not be gay, but I’m a human who cares.”
Bad Bunny also revealed that he mentally prepared himself for an onslaught of hate, but it seems like the supportive comments outweighed whatever bad he might've received. "I knew there were going to be comments saying, 'F—-t! Gay! Bad Bunny is over.'"
But both fans and celebrities spoke publically about their love for the message. "I love the video," openly gay Latinx icon Ricky Martin said. "[It’s] fun, sexy, and if it’s done by Bad Bunny, it has to be provocative."
He goes on to call Bunny a leader in the community.
"The truth is, he has become an icon for the Latin queer community," Martin continued. "He resonates with a generation that is, at the moment, discovering who they really are. It is very refreshing to witness in an industry known for its machismo."
Bunny's outspokenness is challenging norms, and his advocacy doesn't go unappreciated. Earlier this year, he showed support of a murdered Puerto Rican trans woman by wearing a shirt with her name on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. "They killed Alexa, not a man in a skirt," it read.
“I feel a big commitment to the community,” he concluded. "Now that we are in quarantine, 108 cases of gender-based violence [have been reported] in Puerto Rico. As a human being, violence against women affects me. So I am going to do what is within my reach to [work] against that. … My message shouldn’t be a feminist message. It’s a universal message."
Preach Benito! We will continue to stan!
