Pitbull: Seeing fans dressed as me is priceless
Pitbull is fascinated by his popularity in the UK – telling the BBC it makes him “very, very happy” to look out into the crowd and see thousands of people dressed like him, singing along to every word of his songs.
Thanks to social media, it’s become custom in recent months to attend a Pitbull show dressed as the star – in sunglasses, suit and a bald cap.
“Every time I’m at a show, I let them know that when you put on a bald cap, I hope you’re ready to have the time of your lives – it feels deeper than just music,” he says.
The rapper and singer has recently returned to the UK for a second run of tour dates after a big reception from fans earlier in the year.
The 44-year-old, real name Armando Christian Perez, has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide and 100 million singles.
It’s only during his most recent tours that people have been dressing as him en masse – something he says is “an honour”.
“It’s the ultimate trophy to be able to go on stage and see all the hard work that you put into the music. I’ve been in the game for 25 years and to see every demographic, everybody [dressing up] at the shows is priceless,” he adds.
Pitbull, whose parents are from Cuba, began his career in the Latin hip hop scene, taking inspiration from the musical influences of his hometown of Miami.
His transition to pop began in the early 2010s, bringing with it chart success and collaborations with global artists such as Christina Aguilera, Usher and Shakira.
Due to the emergence of streaming over radio plays, Spanish music has been able to thrive in countries where it’s not a native language, something Pitbull has been able to use to his advantage.
“There’s an irony as I’m kind of an anomaly in the music business,” he says.
“In the Latin world they said I was too English, and in the English world I was too Latin, so to bring it together now, when it all really started around 2010, feels really good.”
A section of Pitbull’s setlist is dedicated to his favourite Spanish language songs and those from his own back catalogue.
“I now get the chance to merge the worlds together and to be able to hit the stage and see the power of music, no matter the language,” he adds.
Pitbull says it’s a “really powerful thing” to have “people coming up to me and say ‘I learned Spanish due to your words'”.
‘My music is escapism’
Speaking to fans ahead of his O2 Arena show in London on Monday night, many said the nostalgia factor had inspired them to buy tickets, with Pitbull providing the soundtrack to important parts of their lives – like school trips and university nights out.
“My music gives that outlet, that escapism. It’s like therapy,” Pitbull says.
His setlist for the tour was designed to get the party going, with tracks like Timber and Fireball causing a huge roar from the sea of bald caps.
There was barely a moment to breathe – with Pitbull’s several outfit changes punctuated by DJ sets that kept the momentum going.
Overall, the show was a fun and light-hearted affair, with the music transporting the crowd back to happier times in the early 2010s.
Pitbull says he doesn’t “worry about what the trends are” or “what’s cool” when putting his sets together and just wants people to have fun.
He didn’t disappoint with his famous one-liners. There were plenty to enjoy during his set, including, “This is for everyone going through tough times, been there done that, but everyday above ground is a great day” and, “Life is not a waste a time and time is not a waste of life. So let’s stop wasting time and have the time of our life”.
Pitbull says: “You don’t know what a person is going through in their life, so I try to create phrases, which we grew up doing as Cubans. One-liners to help you out in any situation you’re in,” he says.
The star says he’s applied the same philosophy to the English language – creating the celebrated pop song lyrics that fans sang back to him all night long.
