Lucas Shaw (
Bloomberg) says, “Bad Bunny ended 2020 just as he started it: the biggest pop star in the world.”
The 26-year-old Puerto Rican rapper released three different albums last year, a stretch of productivity that made him the most listened-to act in the world on both Spotify and YouTube, the two biggest music services.
Bad Bunny’s reign might surprise those who view the U.S. and U.K. (and English-speaking artists) as the center of the music world. Taylor Swift, the best-selling artist of the last decade, released not one but two albums last year. Dua Lipa, named best new artist at the Grammys last January, released a dazzling sophomore record at the start of the lockdown. Lil Baby, Pop Smoke, Juice WRLD and Roddy Ricch established themselves as the new kings of hip-hop.