'The moodboard is DEEP': inside the set design for Bad Bunny's historic Puerto Rico residency

This summer, Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny has been taking over El Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot for a 30-date residency for a musical moment that is as historic as it is culturally relevant for the Caribbean state. While this is not a surprise move for a musician who has always been clear about the strong ties he holds with his native island, it feels like an unprecedented creative move and one that speaks to artist Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio's dedication to his country and its people, traditions and culture.

Starting in July and running until 14 September 2025, it has been calculated that the 30-date residency (titled 'No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí', I Don’t Want to Leave Here) alone brought $200m into the local economy (raising Puerto Rico’s GDP by 0.15%) with 400,000 people coming to San Juan for the event, and early tickets reserved for Puerto Rico residents.

The sold-out show features a set by long-term collaborator Adrian Martinez, Co-Founder and Head of Creative for LA-based design agency Sturdy, offering a visual tribute to Puerto Rico through landscape, vegetation, and vernacular architecture.

We speak to Martinez to have a peek behind the scenes of the Bad Bunny Puerto Rico residency.

Adrian Martinez on creating Bad Bunny's Puerto Rico residency

Wallpaper*: How has your work with Bad Bunny creatively evolved over time?

Adrian Martinez: It’s been an evolution of working with him and the team on live content / visuals, creative direction in some projects and now working on the overall show on a larger scale.

W*: What have been the key moments in your collaboration?

AM: We’ve been fortunate enough to be involved with a lot of shows over the past few years. We worked as part of the creative team for P FKN R in 2021, El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo and World’s Hottest Tour in 2022, The Grammys and Coachella in 2023, Most Wanted Tour in 2024 and, now, The Residency.

W*: How much involvement did Bad Bunny have in the final result?

AM: The show is very much a reflection of him throughout every bit. I won’t go into the process itself because that’s private but I will say he’s across every bit. It is very much his fingerprint.

W* Can you tell me about your own experience of Puerto Rico?

AM: I have been able to spend a lot of time in Puerto Rico now – working with artists, getting to know the culture, making some of my most valued friendships, traveling the island. It is one of the most special places on earth, and I value those experiences heavily. I’m thankful for it and look forward to learning, seeing and experiencing more.

W*: Bad Bunny as an artist, and this residency specifically, embody a very specific connection to Puerto Rico. How does the design for the show reflect the artist’s ethos?

AM: The show is very much a reflection of him as a person. However, it’s certainly intended to reflect the identity of his people as a whole. And, for those who come in from other parts of the world, it very beautifully puts his island’s culture on display for all to see.

W* How is the set design showcasing the traditions and spirit of Puerto Rico? Can you give me some examples?

AM: The mountain reflects how alive the island is in terms of its ecosystem. The Flamboyan’ tree is seen commonly across the island and offers a beautiful splash of colour across so much of Puerto Rico. The plantain trees are also representative of an extremely important crop to the people of the island and beyond. The house party element also points to its own set of energy and traditions in Puerto Rico.

W*: The traditional Puerto Rican house is such a key element of the stage; I have seen people commenting on social media that it looks exactly like the house they grew up in. It looks incredibly realistic and detailed. Can you tell me more about this element of the set, how it was conceived and developed, and what design details are key to this part of the set, for you and the artist?

AM: This part of the set design was handled almost entirely by a team of local scenic art directors, so they were able to pull from a lot of their own experiences and points of view, to create the feeling of being in an authentic home on the island. Goes without saying, but it was absolutely nailed.

W*: How do the artists on stage interact with the house – what role does it play in the show?

AM: Some, not all, artists who are invited to perform at the show come in and out through the house. They are able to perform in the front yard or go on top to the roof and deliver their set. It is pretty cool because they have a lot of room to move around and get close to audiences in different parts of the room. It is a full-on house party show after show.

W*: For the stage, you have created a full mountain landscape complete with vegetation – can you tell me more about the elements that compose it, and how this set is used?

AM: When it comes to the vegetation, this all came together in a full team collaboration with the local scenic art direction team, who gave the greenery an immense amount of detail. Once the stage was completed, we had a plantain farm on stage right, a ‘Flamboyan’ tree on stage left, a small cave at the top of the mountain, and a billboard set into the mountain itself. Over the course of the show, each stage has its dedicated set of moments that come into play.

W*: Were there any external references or inspirations, elements you looked at to inform these designs? What does your moodboard for this project look like?

AM: The moodboard is DEEP. We always do so much research and pay a ton of attention to everything going on in relation to any artist’s rollout as we’re working on a show in order to stay as true and in line with the creative as possible. Additionally, we’re looking much beyond reference websites, going through books and other tangible sources of historical and graphical information.

W*: This is a long-term residency in a single place – what role did this set up play in the way you conceived the set? Does it give you more freedom compared to a set that needs to travel and adapt to different stages?

AM: Much more freedom is granted. From the scale of the design to the amount of scenic elements included, the screen mounted overhead, the audio being mounted completely out of sight – this show is truly unlike any other with features that a touring show could never execute.