Pulling up to the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, the energy was palpable before I even stepped inside.
Waves of young fans, decked out in pink, swarmed the venue in full force to see burgeoning Puerto Rican artist Omar Courtz, who did a series of shows at the venue last month. His latest album, Primera Musa, echoed from car speakers and street corners as vehicles cruised by.
In short, Omar Courtz has been on a run. It all started with Primera Musa, a project he carefully crafted alongside producer KarBeatz. The album blends smooth R&B melodies with the raw, electric pulse of reggaeton. It’s also undeniably sexy, with tracks like “Una Noti” and “Luces de Colores,” where you’ll catch clever pick-up lines and slick terms of seduction woven into the lyrics. That album ended up cracking the Billboard 200, which might help explain what happened next.
At the top of this year, Courtz landed a feature on Bad Bunny’s latest album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. Courtz, alongside fellow up-and-coming Latin trap artist Dei V, appears on the heater “VeLDÁ”—easily one of the best dance tracks on the overtly political album. The collaboration came together quickly, with Benito, in true form, approaching him directly and presenting the concept.
“[Bad Bunny] reached out back in December and presented the idea to us,” Courtz said. “He already had the vision mapped out—he’s a genius like that.”
In a lot of ways, the song showcases Courtz’s strengths—how he effortlessly blends the lush textures of R&B with the infectious energy of reggaeton. Part of that comes from how openly he wears his influences. He grew up listening to a wide spectrum of artists, from reggaeton legends Zion y Lennox and Arcángel, who brought a soulful edge to their music in the 2000s, to Drake and Tory Lanez, who took their emotion and molded it into moody, melodic, and sharp modern R&B.
In particular, Courtz is a big fan of Drake’s classicTake Care, the album that saw the rapper transcend his chilly Toronto sound and embrace a broad array of global influences. “That album was a game-changer for me,” Courtz said. “Everyone wanted to sing and vibe differently because of it.”
Courtz was originally scheduled to play two nights at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico, but at the last minute, he decided to add an extra show. Good thing he did. Bad Bunny himself made a rare appearance to perform “VeLDÁ.”
Now, with his Primera Musa U.S. tour underway, Courtz is focused on making sure his performances leave a lasting impact. “I want people to feel something when they leave my show,” he said. “I want them to remember moments and connect emotionally, just like I did when I watched my favorite artists perform.”
