The singer, who has played 30 shows in Puerto Rico and will stage around 50 on a world tour, has decided to skip the US: ‘It’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about’The 31-year-old Puerto Rican singer is one of the biggest stars in the world and has a major concert residency on his home island, which he will later tour around the world. But not to the continental United States. Until now, the singer had not clarified the reasons for this conspicuous absence, but now he has explained the decision: it is, in large part, due to the raids that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is carrying out indiscriminately among the Latino population, deporting thousands of people with little or no protection.
The singer shared this during an interview with the fashion and trends magazine i-D, published on September 10. His Puerto Rican residency, pointedly titled No me quiero ir de aquí (I Don’t Want to Leave Here), has lasted three months and has brought in at least $200 million to the island, according to Forbes estimates. However, in a very measured decision, he has decided not to expand that tour to the United States. Until now, he had simply said that it wasn’t “necessary.” But now, he’s gone a step further. Was it because of his concern about Latinos in the United States, about mass deportations, the interviewer asks. “Man, honestly, yes,” he replies.
“There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the U.S., and none of them were out of hate — I’ve performed there many times,” the singer clarifies in the interview. “All of [the shows] have been successful. All of them have been magnificent. I’ve enjoyed connecting with Latinos who have been living in the U.S. But specifically, for a residency here in Puerto Rico, when we are an unincorporated territory of the US…” he explains. “People from the U.S. could come here to see the show. Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel here, or to any part of the world. But there was the issue of — like, fucking ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”
