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Bad Bunny Marks the Seventh Anniversary of Hurricane Maria’s Darkness with Powerful Song ‘Una Velita’ 

Bad Bunny Marks the Seventh Anniversary of Hurricane Maria’s Darkness with Powerful Song ‘Una Velita’ 
Credit: YouTube/ Bad Bunny

Seven years after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny has released a new song, “Una velita,” that brings to light the island’s ongoing struggle with unreliable energy, a problem that has persisted since the storm. The hurricane, one of the deadliest and most destructive in Puerto Rico’s history, plunged the entire island into darkness, leaving communities without power for months — some, in the most remote areas, for nearly a year. The storm claimed thousands of lives and exposed a woefully underprepared infrastructure. 

Bad Bunny Uses ‘Una Velita’ to Express His Feelings About Puerto Rico

Benito Martínez Ocasio, commonly known as Bad Bunny, used his platform to remind Puerto Ricans of this dark chapter. On September 19, the same day Maria’s first winds began battering the island, Bad Bunny released “Una velita,” marking the anniversary by focusing on the power failures that have plagued the island ever since. “Ey, ‘tá empezando a llover, otra ve’ va a pasar. Por ahí viene tormenta, viene temporal,” the song begins. The rough translation is: “Hey, it’s starting to rain; it’s going to happen again. A storm is coming, a storm is coming.” 

Hurricane Maria left a deep scar on Puerto Rico, obliterating infrastructure, homes, and lives. The prolonged blackout — unlike anything seen in modern history — became a symbol of the island’s abandonment.  

Thousands perished, and government aid proved ineffectual – this was proven. In “Una velita, Bad Bunny recalls this grim reality, calling out not just the catastrophe of the hurricane, but the failures that followed. “Obviously, the lights will go out, God knows if they’ll ever come back,” he sings, painting a picture of the despair that comes with the endless outages that still affect the island. 

Becoming the Voice of a New Generation

Bad Bunny doesn’t shy away from criticizing those in power. His song also addresses the political opportunism that surfaced after Maria, when leaders and politicians were more focused on photo opportunities than real help. “They go to the streets for photos only. For me, they can all go to hell,” he claims in “Velita.” Thus, making it clear that he has no faith in those who have governed Puerto Rico since the storm. 

Beyond his scathing social and political commentary, Bad Bunny’s message is also one of empowerment. He calls on Puerto Rico’s youth to take action, urging them to register to vote before the deadline of September 21, 2024, and to make their voices heard in the upcoming November elections.  

With “Una velita,” Bad Bunny stands once again as the voice of a generation fed up with broken promises and systemic neglect, a reminder that, even as the lights flicker, hope lies in the hands of the people. 

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