Bad Bunny Reflects on 10 Years in Music: ‘Sometimes I Feel That I’m a Rookie’

Bad Bunny may be a global hitmaker, but at times, he still feels like a rookie. That’s what the Puerto Rican superstar (real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe during an interview in which he spoke about his latest album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, and how he’s been reflecting on his own career and life now that he’s been in the industry for a decade.

“I’ve been reflecting about my whole life, my history, and also about my career, when I’ve been doing all these years, I’m about to turn 10 years in the industry,” he told Lowe. “And that’s f–king crazy because sometimes I feel that I’m a rookie, this is my first year! This is my first album to me.”

Debí is Bad Bunny’s sixth studio album, and it’s a celebration of Puerto Rico and the sonic heritage that has influenced his music. The 17-track album, released Sunday (Jan. 5), includes collaborative efforts with Chuwi, Dei V, Omar Courtz, Pleneros de la Cresta and RaiNao — all Puerto Rican acts. Throughout, he takes traditional Afro-Puerto Rican styles such as plena and jíbara, and fuses them with contemporary reggaetón and synths.

During the interview, he also revealed that his favorite track is the third one on the set, titled “Baile Inolvidable,” which was recorded with young musicians from Escuela Libre de Música. “It’s a song that I have in my mind for maybe two years. The whole composition, the whole song, it was in my mind way before the song was created,” he expressed.

Benito also spoke about aging, and recalled a dark moment in his life. He shared that in his 20s, he felt depressed.

“I remember when I turned 20, I was depressed. I thought that I was I was going to die. It was the end of my life. I was, Oh, my God, I’m 20! I’m a f–king old man! I’m about to die! This is the end! I remember,” he said. “I’m just learning not to think too much and just trust in the life and God and the process and everything and enjoy the moment. But now I’m 30, people start to ask you, ‘Are you going to marry? Are you going to have kids?’ You start to think, ‘Am I wrong?’”

Check out the full interview above, in which Bad Bunny also reveals whether he’ll be touring in Europe this year.