Suzy Exposito Gets Real on Bad Bunny, Representation & Brujacore | Takeout & Talk Ep. 1
Suzy Exposito and I both need to be careful about our eating habits. One small move, and we’re doomed.
“I have to avoid secret dairy like The Matrix,” Exposito says. “Often when I order out, I’m like dodging the dairy because it will mess me up.” I assure her that she’s not alone with these lactose limitations, as I’ve unfortunately learned myself over the years.
Personally, I love that my second interaction ever with the LA Times editor is over a virtual meal. She’s ordered a hummus and egg plate from a local Los Angeles establishment, Dune. Meanwhile, I’m enjoying a pork rice bowl from San Francisco’s Señor Sisig. Both are hearty enough meals to get us through a myriad of topics today, mainly that of global superstar Bad Bunny.
The two have a pretty remarkable history together, which dates back to 2018 when Exposito first spoke to the rapper/singer backstage at the Latin Grammy Awards.
“He was rehearsing and making funny Celine Dion impressions on the stage and wearing mouse ears,” Exposito says, calling his energy “adorkable.”
It’s that “adorkable” spirit, among other things, that’s propelled him into the spotlight this past decade. Born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (and lovingly referred to by his fans as simply Benito), the musical artist was already making a name for himself at that time in the reggaetón space. But his English market dominance (at least as we know it today) was seemingly still a couple years away.
And perhaps what helped him cement that forthcoming legacy was his very own Rolling Stone cover in 2020, a feature long believed to be a symbolic anointing of one’s cultural relevancy. The profile author? Suzy Exposito. In fact, it was the first time ever that a Latina had written a cover story for the magazine. And as you could imagine, that achievement wasn’t without its challenges.
“I kicked down the door to make that happen,” Exposito says. “I think people really underestimate how difficult it has been to give Latin music fair coverage in English language media. I’ve been in so many of these board meetings and…the most consistent question was ‘Who’s going to read about them?’”
Well, as Exposito - and most music fans have seen - the answer is tens of millions of people worldwide, if not more.
Exposito and Benito’s latest conversation - their fourth - was a September cover story for the publication i-D. It mostly centered on his critically-acclaimed, sold-out live residency in his native San Juan, Puerto Rico. The concert series - aptly titled “No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí” (“I Don’t Want to Leave Here”) - highlighted his most-recent album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (I Should Have Taken More Photos). Songs from that album have been streamed hundreds of millions of times on Spotify alone.
Considering his widespread popularity, it would make sense that the 31-year-old was asked to headline next year’s Super Bowl - a move that has generated a lot of reaction from fans and non-fans, alike. Either way, Exposito says it’s about time he received the honor.
“I think he deserves it,” Exposito says. “He's already excelled at so many things, he’s broken so many records, that at this point it wouldn’t surprise me that he was tapped to perform. He’s not even just an artist anymore: he’s in movies, he’s a philanthropist, he’s an activist - I just think it was really savvy for the NFL.”
There’s no denying that Exposito is a rock star, in her own right. Not only is she among the most sought-after music journalists in the business right now, but she’s a legitimate musician. Her genre of choice: brujacore. It’s a style of music that she and a few friends created in the 2010s while still living in New York City.
“Brujacore comes from being a Latina in the punk scene and being witchy and infusing that into my music,” Exposito says. She notes that this part of her journey enhances her ability to speak honestly and critically about the music she covers. Which, aside from Benito, who is she listening to at the moment?
“I want to shout out María Zardoya of the Marías,” Exposito says. “Another one is Ela Minus. [And] there’s also an artist from Chile, her name is Rubio.”
Call it the cosmos, call it the universe, call it whatever - there is something celestial at play when it comes to Suzy’s meteoric rise in the media industry. And although we’ve physically never met, I have an absolute sense of who Suzy is. And that’s a testament to her ability to both stay true to her identity while carving out a space for herself in a media environment that sometimes looks like something completely different. The kids these days would call it her “aura.”
So what’s Bad Bunny’s current aura?
“He’s still a little bit dorky, but he’s way more confident.”