Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny debuted in Asia with a special concert in Tokyo, where for an hour and a half he offered an intimate show for hundreds of his most devoted followers in the archipelago, who sang along to the singer's greatest hits. "It's a dream to be here and see an artist like him singing in Spanish," Naomi Uehara, a young woman born in Peru who moved to the Asian country when she was just one year old, told EFE. The Tipstar Dome velodrome in Chiba went dark a few seconds before half past seven in the evening to kick off the first chords of 'EoO', the song that opens every concert of the artist's tour this year. After that, the melody changed tone and seamlessly transitioned into 'Me Porto Bonito', causing the first jumps on a floor filled with Japanese and Latin American fans who didn't hesitate to sing every verse. Then came 'Safaera', which included a surprise appearance from Arcángel and Ñengo Flow, unleashing euphoria in the venue. The Puerto Rican, at 31 years old, has over two dozen songs with more than a billion streams. His recent hit 'Nueva York' was also performed. "When I wrote it, I imagined it right here, in Japan," explained the Puerto Rican as the first chords of 'Yonaguni' began to play in the background. The title refers to a small Japanese island located at the westernmost point of the country, and the song includes a final segment in Japanese that the audience knew word for word. "At first I couldn't believe it." It was the artist's first visit to the continent, promising to be a special concert within the 'Spotify Billions Club Live' series, conceived to celebrate singers capable of accumulating songs with over a billion streams. "This song is very special to me. I know you still have a lot of energy, and I want that to show in this song," the artist said before launching into 'Dakiti' and 'Titi Me Preguntó'. To the beat of the drums, the singer removed his vest and threw it into the audience before changing into a tuxedo whose lining, with brilliant studs, displayed the kanji for the city of Tokyo. The next surprise came with a version of 'Mía', reinterpreted exclusively in the Japanese capital and accompanied by drums, timbales, bongós, and small percussion instruments that turned the melody into a mix of salsa and Latin rhythm. "We've danced reggaeton all night, now it's time for some salsa," Benito said before asking the audience to show "their best moves." "Tokio dances without fear," the artist urged as he brought the microphone closer to the fans filling the venue. At that moment, the artist put down the microphone, opened his arms to the sky, and listened as the audience finished the line. The concert then returned to the reggaeton beat with 'Callaíta'. "That's it, it's over," warned the Puerto Rican, but the audience knew there was still one last song. The final melody was 'Debí Tirar Más Fotos', the title track of his latest album, with which the artist has paid homage to the culture of his native Puerto Rico and which recently earned him a Grammy for Album of the Year, the first ever awarded to a fully Spanish-language production. "You are the ones who brought me to Japan, something I never imagined," the singer said before asking the audience for one last thing: "Put your mobile phones away and enjoy it, because as the song says, while one is alive, one has to love as much as one can," the artist declared as the lights went out to sing the last melody in an unforgettable night for the Japanese capital.
