Una Velita: The blend of emotion, anger, helplessness, and the urgent need for change

Editor’s note: Bad Bunny is not just a global music star; he is a cultural and political force whose work reflects how many Puerto Ricans experience identity, migration, power, and belonging. In light of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance, Pasquines is publishing a short series of essays, explaining songs like Una Velita from across his discography for audiences who may be encountering his music — and its meaning — for the first time. We will be unpacking individual songs and what they mean to the writers who live with their echoes — on the islands and in the diaspora. Through music, memory, and context, these pieces explore Puerto Rico as lived reality, not metaphor.

For me, Una Velita is Bad Bunny’s way of blending emotion, anger, helplessness, and the urgent need for change into a single song. Released just weeks before Puerto Rico’s general election, and on the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Maria, the song strikes a chord tied to a shared trauma that has never fully healed across the island.

“Una Velita” resonates most strongly with two groups: those who lived through the devastation of 2017 firsthand, and those who feel, deep inside, the need for political and social change. Yet the song’s impact goes beyond Puerto Rico. There is something universal in its message—a sense of longing for accountability, dignity, and collective awakening.

When Bad Bunny sings, “Falta que el boricua quiera despertar” (“All that’s missing is for Puerto Ricans to want to wake up”), he captures the political climate that surrounded the 2024 election. Through this line, he openly positions himself within Puerto Rico’s political conversation, expressing frustration with government inaction and policies while asserting his role as an active participant in the island’s civic life, on his own terms and through his art.

The song can be understood in two parts. One calls on Puerto Ricans to remember the devastation of 2017 while urging voters to reconsider the political paths they have been offered. The other, more intimate part speaks to a global audience, offering companionship and solidarity during moments of vulnerability and uncertainty. Together, these layers turn “Una Velita” into both a political statement and a deeply human reflection.

Days before the song’s release, Bad Bunny posted a series of images on Instagram, the final one featuring Pedro Albizu Campos alongside the quote “Vengo a deciros que es la hora de actuar” (“I am here to tell you that it is time to act”). The post served as a clear signal, hinting not only at the song’s message but at Bad Bunny’s political beliefs and his willingness to engage publicly with Puerto Rico’s historical struggle for agency and self-determination.

For me, “Una Velita” is not just a call to action; it is a call to active participation. It urges listeners to question what they are told, to look beyond headlines, and to inform themselves in an environment increasingly shaped by misinformation and political apathy. That message is always relevant, but especially so when democratic processes are weakened by ignorance and disengagement.

If there is one lesson I take from this song, it is this: we should never settle for passively accepting what those in power tell us. We must stay informed, stay critical, and, whenever possible, participate in elections and civic life, because our voices matter, and the decisions made by our government directly shape our lives.