Apple Music's Artist of the Year: How Bad Bunny Created a 'Seismic Shift' in Global Pop for 2022

Apple Music announces Bad Bunny as 'Artist of the Year', highlighting his growing career in the music industry.

The Apple Music Awards, which first started in 2019, recognizes musician Bad Bunny as their artist of the year for 2022. Apple doubled down on their choice by stating that Bad Bunny "truly owned the year" and "ushered in a seismic shift in global pop over the past few years", according to Apple's vice president of Apple Music and Beats, Oliver Schusser.

"Watching Bad Bunny ascend from an Apple Music Up Next artist in 2018 to our Artist of the Year this year has been nothing short of extraordinary. We congratulate him on his record-breaking year and for continuing to bring Latin music to a massive global audience." Schusser said about Bad Bunny in the announcement.

Bad Bunny's Rise as an Icon in the Music Industry

Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, prominently known as Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer whose music career dates back to 2013.

He made his debut on the music platform Soundcloud with his first song, "Get," and later on garnered popularity with his song "Diles." Bad Bunny eventually caught the attention of DJ Luian, who signed him on his first music label, Hear this Music. Bad Bunny has also been vocal about his pride in being a Latino, serving as an icon to his Latin American fans.

Amidst his growing popularity for his music, the global superstar is also hailed as a "political icon" in Puerto Rico for using his music to address several issues, according to the Washington Post.

Additionally, Bad Bunny is up there in this year's top music nominees for the People's Choice Awards, according to Billboard.

Apple Music Highlights Bad Bunny's Achievements

Additionally, Apple Music went on to elaborate on their decision to crown Bad Bunny as Artist of the year by highlighting his achievements over the course of his music career in their announcement.

• Bad Bunny is the biggest Latin artist of all time by streams worldwide on Apple Music.
• Upon its release on May 6, 2022, Un Verano Sin Ti became the biggest Latin album of all time on Apple Music, holding the record for first-day streams worldwide.
• Bad Bunny's "Moscow Mule" holds the record for the biggest Latin song of all time by first-day streams worldwide.
• Bad Bunny has logged 22 songs on the Daily Top 100: Global, breaking the record for most simultaneous entries by a single Latin artist.
• Bad Bunny's songs have reached No. 1 on the Daily Top 100 in 34 countries worldwide - more than any other Latin artist. He's hit the top 10 of the chart in 77 countries.
• 44 of Bad Bunny's songs have reached the Daily Top 100 in countries across the globe, and three of his songs have hit No. 1 on the Global chart - more than any other Latin artist.
• Bad Bunny holds the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 Latin albums by first-day streams.
• In February 2018, Bad Bunny became Apple Music's first Latin Up Next artist for the platform's rising artist program.
• He also served as the debut host for Trap Kingz, the first Spanish-language global radio show on Beats 1 radio, and hosted the show's first six episodes in 2017.

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Written by: Andi C.