Bad Bunny coming to Orlando, but wax version already here
If one thing is clear, it’s that by just mentioning the name Bad Bunny, heated passions are awakened from 1: fans; 2: people who, although they do not celebrate the lyrics, understand the artist’s importance and 3: those who hate him.
The latter have a big problem because Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — Bad Bunny’s real name — has transcended markets, genres and even cultures and languages. What began as “La Nueva Religión” (The New Religion) referring not only to its followers, Bad Bunny was at the forefront of a worldwide phenomenon, becoming a role model for Millennials and Gen Z who reject traditional norms from expression to fashion, gender roles, equality and representation.
He began his new tour Thursday in Puerto Rico, the second in a year, now with a fourth album “Un verano sin ti” (A summer without you) on his shoulders.
The multi-award-winning artist will add a new milestone to his career with his first stadium tour — Bad Bunny: World’s Hottest Tour, — traversing the United States and Latin America. The 29-date stadium tour kicks off on Friday, August 5, at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium and marks the first time a Latin artist has headlined a show at the stadium.
But in the meantime, or if you weren’t lucky enough to get tickets to see him, you can now visit him at the Madame Tussauds venue in Orlando.
The Grammy Award-winning Latin singer-songwriter and producer, is now part of the world’s greatest wax museum joining other Latino artists such as Pitbull, Ricky Martin, Selena Gómez, Sofía Vegara, Jennifer López, Neymar and Maluma, who will be displayed sometime next month, said Jade Sparks, a marketing manager at Madame Tussauds Orlando.
According to Sparks, the fact that the Puerto Rican singer got two figures at once is a big deal.
One figure is at the Times Square location, while the other is making Madame Tussauds Orlando its permanent home.
“Bad Bunny is one of the world’s biggest stars. His incredible vocal talent and skills as an entertainer have led to a massive fan base around the globe. The figures in Orlando and New York City will allow his faithful fans to get up close and personal with him in a way that’s only possible at Madame Tussauds,” said the attraction’s head of marketing Matthew Clarkson during the reveal event in April.
The figure in Orlando is wearing an outfit originally from his WWE Royal Rumble performance and is featured in his “Booker T” music video. The trench coat, vest, trousers and pants were also donated by Bad Bunny.
But one of the most exciting things is that when you arrive, you will step into “the ultimate fiesta with exclusive soundbites from “El Conejo Malo.” The experience, which is expected to be finished by mid-August, will feature a welcome message from Bad Bunny and will immerse fans in colorful neon lights while listening to some of his reggaeton hits.
Sparks explained that the museum worked closely with Bad Bunny and the studio artists in London to perfect both of his custom wax figures.
“He is the hottest icon right now,” Sparks emphasized.
“He is blowing up and we have him here in Orlando. And it’s super exciting because this process has been over a year in the making. We worked with him very closely. As you can see he is in an outfit which if you’re familiar, and saw him perform with WWE and his Booker T music video. This is his outfit. And we have it here on his figure, which guests can come see interact, do the iconic pose with him and see him here at Madame Tussauds Orlando.”
The artistry behind making these figures come to life is “unlike anything else,” Sparks said. “We spend a couple hours depending on the celebrity schedule, but generally around three to four hours with the celebrity. And we take hundreds of measurements. So we make it exactly like the celebrity. It’s their
exact measurements all the way from, you know, their hair texture, their skin coloring, height, arm length, every single thing that you can possibly think of. We get those measurements so you can see the most lifelike version of them.”
The rigorous process, that includes having stylists and professionals that do the touch-ups and retouches on the current figures regularly, ensures that when you are standing next to the figure, “it feels like you are standing next to that person. And there’s no other museum that does that except Madame Tussauds. So that’s kind of the first step in the process. And then our team in the UK makes that figure and that takes anywhere from six months to 12 months to make those figures come to life. And that’s another thing from sculpting, molding, painting. It looks very lifelike. And that is because of oil paints. That’s what they use on the figures. It’s not makeup, it’s oil paints that give it that lifelike appearance. And then after that we get to the fun part of launching.”
For Sparks the best part of working with the celebrities and launching their wax figures is seeing their faces because “it’s their first time seeing themselves in wax. And it’s always the coolest thing because it’s that moment of shock. It was really cool when we dropped the Kabuki curtain and he got to see those figures. He was almost like freaked out for a second but was so impressed and so thankful to have this moment.”
With Colombian artist Maluma they had a similar experience during the unveiling ceremony. He will be joining Bad Bunny and will have an area with Medellín as his backdrop. The life-size replica of the “Pretty Boy” marked the first launch in South America in the wax museum’s history.
“The figure is a true replica of me and I am honored to have them bring a piece of me to my fans before my concert. Throughout my career, I have worked hard to share with the world that Medellin, Colombia, is art, culture, music and much more. I am excited to continue representing my roots globally. I am grateful to both museums for collaborating and making it a historic moment where a wax figure is featured in Colombia, and South America for the first time,” Maluma said in April.
Latin figures represent about 10% of the figure count in Orlando. “We are looking to grow this and continue becoming more diverse,” Sparks assured during a visit of El Sentinel Orlando to see Bad Bunny’s new interactive feature and a sneak peek of Maluma.