Nicole Ortiz, a Florida resident, recalled her trips to Puerto Rico and the large gatherings when her family would play dominoes at the table, as well as the sense of love and unity, when she first saw the cover for Bad Bunny’s “Deb Tirar M s Fotos” album.
Ortiz, 48, told NBC News, “I see my grandmother in that chair playing dominoes with my uncle and dad.”
Many admirers concur that Bad Bunny’s most Puerto Rican album to date is his most recent album, which translates to “I should have taken more photos.”
People have been moved to tears and grins by the cover, which shows two simple white plastic chairs in a backyard surrounded by vibrant green flora. The chairs, referred to as Monobloc chairs, are affordable, multipurpose, and utilized both indoors and outdoors. They are found in nations all over the world.
The chairs symbolize happy times spent with Latin music, traditional cuisine, and dancing, as both of my grandmothers have passed away,” Ortiz added. “Having those memories makes me happy, but it also makes me sad that they aren’t here.
Bad Bunny’s popular DtMF song and nostalgic message have struck a chord with both Latino and non-Latino fans, earning it a spot at the top of TikTok’s Top 50 list.
TikTok users from Puerto Rico and other places have sent pictures of their family in the two white chairs, and they view the album as a tribute to their childhood.
On her birthday, a user shared a picture of herself as a little child with her grandma, stating that the cover instantly brought back fond memories.Many Latinos gather around the chairs with their families to gossip and discuss current affairs, according to another user. She claimed that the discussions in the white chairs shaped who she is now.
In addition to calling on Puerto Ricans to preserve their culture, Bad Bunny’s most recent album is a love letter and respect to the island. The CD emphasizes the beauty and struggle of Puerto Rico, from his use of plena music and folklore bomb to a brief film illustrating the effects of gentrification.
Uniting Puerto Ricans away from the island
According to 29-year-old Dinatalia Farina, the record has caused her to reconsider what home means to her. Farina, a 29-year-old Puerto Rican living in New York, was reminded by the album’s cover and its songs that home doesn’t have to be a geographical location but can instead be a sentimental, rhythmic, and dancing experience.
According to Farina, we serve as a reminder of home. These customs that bring us back to our roots will be carried on by us.
Throughout her life, Ortiz, a resident of Florida, has battled with her Puerto Rican identity. Despite never having resided in Puerto Rico, she was brought up in the culture and has an emotional connection to it. But because of her distance from the island, she frequently felt that she wasn’t Puerto Rican enough.
She began to think back on the trips to Puerto Rico, including birthday celebrations in the garden and dining on the patio as her grandmother prepared meals, when she noticed the chairs on the album cover.
She was reminded by the album that she could still be Puerto Rican even if she didn’t reside there.
“This album made me feel more connected to the island of Puerto Rico, which is the source of all our traditions,” Ortiz remarked. I believe it resonates with everybody who has ties to a different culture.
Crossing cultures, from Latin America to South Asia
According to 32-year-old Miami resident Erika Pradillo, who is of Cuban and Spanish ancestry, she used to complete her schoolwork on a tiny pink plastic chair when she was younger. Her grandmother would use it in the shower when she outgrew it. She interprets the chairs on the album cover as a representation of her heritage. Although the record served as a helpful reminder to always find her way back home, she occasionally feels as though she is losing her connection to her culture.
The empty chairs, in my opinion, show how many Latinos have drifted farther and more from their heritage, Pradillo added. The people who sat in those chairs—our parents, grandparents, and great aunts and uncles—are what first bind so many of us to those roots.
The same was true for Moroccan 25-year-old Leila Haddaji.
It brings back memories of family get-togethers, dinners together, and times spent together,” Haddaji remarked. The empty chair, however, serves as a sobering reminder of what was lost—the family, the house, or even a piece of their identity—for a large number of immigrants or those who have left their native countries.
South Asians in the diaspora have joined the trend of posting nostalgically about the places and loved ones they left behind, even if Latinos make up the majority of social media posts.
Despite the fact that the album’s tracks are in Spanish, its message is reaching South Asians of both the first and second generations, overcoming linguistic boundaries.
The song’s chorus, DtMF (the initials for the album’s title), is being used in films posted by South Asians. It means, “I should have taken more pictures of when I had you/I should have given you more kisses and hugs as many times as I could.”
Although she doesn’t speak Spanish, a London-based creator on TikTok who goes by Majestic Kay claimed that listening to the song brought back memories of her six months spent in India with relatives.
This trend, but for Indians who miss their homes. In the caption, she stated that six months was insufficient.
To the catchy melody, 20-year-old Pakistani German creator Noren Ahmad shared videos from her experience in Pakistan.
Despite Ahmad’s limited proficiency in Spanish, the song brought back memories of her first trip to Pakistan in a decade, in 2022.
According to Ahmad, the song just evokes feelings of nostalgia. I feel like my desire for Pakistan will never go away. Pakistan will always hold a place in my heart. It’s the only location where I feel like I don’t need to change and where my heart is at rest.
Ahmad poses the question, “What if our parents didn’t have to leave?” in another montage to the song.
The song brings back memories of a trip to Bangladesh and the uncertainty of seeing her loved ones there again for British user Tahmina Begum, who is of Bangladeshi descent.
Additionally, Deb Tirar M’s Fotos has assisted folks in grieving for departed loved ones.
Social media users are posting recollections of family members who are no longer in their life, a trend that started when Bad Bunny encouraged them to snap more pictures of their loved ones. An ateary-eyed video was posted on social media by Bad Bunny in response to the trend.
Farina claimed that she is always the one with her camera out, snapping pictures of her family whenever she travels to Puerto Rico to see them. She notices that the pictures of her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins illustrate the Puerto Rican diaspora.
“I would cry every time I went to Puerto Rico because I didn’t want to return to New York,” Farina remarked. I wanted to relocate there and remain. I discovered that I would go over my pictures a lot when I returned. Home is more than simply a physical location.
Bad Bunny recently added performances, however they have all sold out. This summer, he planned a residency in Puerto Rico for his sixth studio album.
In order to see all of the music performed live onstage, Farina hopes she can still make it to the residency.
“This album is so beautiful, I’ve cried to it so many times,” Farina remarked. Being Puerto Rican makes me incredibly proud.