On April 9, only a week after global sensation and reggaeton artist Bad Bunny took over the Magic City, another popular artist took advantage of the limelight at a sold-out FTX Arena.
Rauw Alejandro, whose last studio album Vice Versa has remained in the Top 20 Global Albums list on Spotify Charts for almost a year, performed in front of a crowd of about 21,000 people this past weekend.
Several UM students were more than ready to see the Puerto Rican artist live and in-person.
“I’m very very excited because I think Rauw is a big performer,” said Damaris Rojas Lopez, a Puerto Rican junior at UM who has been following Alejandro since 2019.
“Since I’ve been following him for a while I’ve seen his stage presence grow a lot. Even apart from just hearing him sing the songs, I feel like the dancing and the whole performance aspect of the concert is going to be really good,” Lopez said.
Though Alejandro started the show about an hour and a half after the scheduled time of 8 p.m., the crowd was entertained with old and new reggaeton hits played by the production’s DJ until the opening.
Hits from Bad Bunny, Daddy Yankee, Wisin y Yandel, Karol G and other well-known Latino artists had the entire arena singing along until Alejandro performed.
Prior to the concert, many UM student fans had mixed emotions.
“I don’t really know what to expect,” said Aileen Flores, an Ecuadorian-American sophomore at UM who recently started listening to Alejandro’s music.
“I’m just starting to be a fan, so I haven’t done my research on what his other concerts have been like. I know some of the songs, but I’m a little nervous to be caught in all of the fans that do,” Flores continued.
Alejandro performed several of his chart-topping hits, including “Desesperados,” “Perreo Pesau” and “Dile a Él.”
He also surprised the crowd with several musical guests, including popular Puerto Rican rapper with whom he shares the hit “Reloj.”
The show even included a performance to “À Palé” by Rosalía, a world-renowned Spanish singer romantically linked to Alejandro who was also in attendance on April 9.
Students like Lopez were also expecting some differences compared to Bad Bunny’s concert, who she saw live in Orlando before he dominated Miami.
“The Bad Bunny concert was an insane production,” Lopez said.
“From the backup dancers to the lighting to the floating screens, it was super amazing to watch. I know Rauw will focus more on actual singing, but it’s hard to compare them as artists because I love them both individually in their own ways,” Lopez said.
Altogether, students expected a lot from Alejandro who is beginning to solidify himself as a hallmark in the world of Latin music, and it seems Alejandro delivered.
“I’ve been to other concerts where I didn’t really know all of the artist’s songs, like this one,” Flores said. “And I think the experience of seeing so many people singing along and dancing makes you want to be a fan, so I’m looking forward to that.”