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Bad Bunny’s ‘El Apagón’ gets historic Cannes Lions Awards nomination

The music video was nominated for best music video, competing alongisde Rosalia, Pharrell Williams, and more.


Senior Writer
JUNE 20, 2023 1:01 PM EDT

Bad Bunny continues to make history. The music video for his hit song “El Apagón” was shortlisted for Cannes Lions Awards in the category of Excellence in Music Video and Entertainment.

The announcement was made by Kacho Lopez Mari, the project’s director.“El Apagón is on the shortlist for the Excellence in Music Video and Entertainment category at the Cannes Lions Awards,” he wrote in Spanish. “Bad Bunny, thank you for your vision, your ideas, and for counting on us to present those ideas to the world.” He concluded the message by thanking the other collaborators that were involved in the making of the work.

“El Apagón” has been one of the biggest hits of Bad Bunny’s career. The short film is part documentary and part music video, embodying the fun vibe of the anthem while also serving as a poignant reminder of the power outages in Puerto Rico. The documentary argues that since Hurricane Maria in 2017 the Puerto Rican goverment has done very little in making the lives of the residents of the island easier. Instead, it has priotized the comfort of wealthy Americans that are moving to the island to live cheaply and get a tax break.

Other artists nominated for the award include Rosalia’s “Motomami” live TikTok experience, DJ Snake’sDisco Maghreb,” and Pharrell Williams’ “Cash In Cash Out.