The pride of Puerto Rico took New York City by storm on January 13, when subway commuters were treated to a surprise Bad Bunny concert on the platform. Ahead of co-hosting The Tonight Show — and performing a song from his new album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS — the singer and rapper sang a Backstreet Boys classic before delivering a low-fi version of his “NUEVAYol” album opener.
You’ll have to wait until The Tonight Show unveils the full video tonight at 11:35/10:35 central to see his performance, but you can see exclusive photos of the stunt — which finds Bad Bunny whipping off a wig and fake beard to reveal himself — over at Billboard now.
The artist born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio had fans screaming, crying, shouting lyrics, and chanting “otra, otra!” to beg for more as he sang and rapped with Jimmy Fallon backing him on tambourine.
Bad Bunny’s connection to The Tonight Show dates back to September 2018, when he made his very first U.S. late-night appearance on the talk show as a Musical Guest. As of January 13 he’s returned six times since then, and joined Jimmy Fallon, Questlove, and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter for a colorful dance through the streets of Old San Juan to sing “Mia” in January 2019.
Bad Bunny sang “I Want It That Way” in disguise and “NUEVAyol” in the NYC subway: Photos
Bad Bunny and Fallon kicked things off with The Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” before revealing their true identities and delivering one of his album tracks.
RELATED: Watch Bad Bunny’s SNL Sketches and Monologue
Check out photos of Bad Bunny and Jimmy Fallon’s subway surprise below.
Bad Bunny and Fallon soon revealed themselves to the crowd:
And performed together as themselves:
The meaning of Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS album title
Released on January 5, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS is a musical tribute to Bad Bunny’s native Puerto Rico, spanning Latin genres including salsa, dembow, plena, and reggaeton.
Bad Bunny explained the album title’s meaning in a conversation with the New York Times. He also released a short film — starring an old man and a talking coquí frog — by the same name that brings the release’s overarching themes to life.
“The title of the album means ‘I Should Have Taken More Photos.’ I remember back in time photos used to be something very special. Today you can take a picture of everything,” Bad Bunny told the Times.
“Maybe sometimes I don’t want a picture with someone for many reasons: Maybe I’m not in my best mood. Sometimes I feel that maybe this person is not a real fan. And also because maybe I got used to it and it’s not a special moment for me,” he added. “But for them, maybe it is and the person wants to save that moment. So that’s the meaning of the title — you should appreciate more the moments and the people. It’s not an apology, it’s more like a reminder to myself.”
