By Movieguide® Staff
Rapper Daddy Yankee is ready to “revolutionize and reinvent” with his new faith-focused music.
“Everyone who’s inside the faith has to go to the world and preach the gospel,” the artist — real name: Ramón Ayala — recently told Billboard.
He continued, “I can’t simply convert and stay silent, you know? This isn’t simply making Christian music; the challenge is to make the kingdom part of pop culture. My vision [in the past] was to transform the industry when they told me I couldn’t. Now I’m in the same situation with a different purpose: revolutionize and reinvent.”
Related: Musician Daddy Yankee Steps Out of Retirement with God-Focused Songs
Ayala announced his retirement in 2022, telling an audience at a concert, “All the tools that I have in my possession such as music, social networks, platforms, a microphone — everything that Jesus gave me — is now for His kingdom.”
However, he is now returning to music with new album, Lamento En Baile (Mourning Into Dancing). Ayala shared that there are Christian tracks on the album and that the title is inspired by Psalm 30:11 — “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.”
“This isn’t about a comeback. It’s about connection,” the rapper said of the project. “Life’s not perfect, but we have to smile through it. This song [lead single “Sonríele”] was born from what we live everyday — it’s my way of telling people not to give up, to appreciate the little things, and never let anyone take their joy away.”
Ayala also spoke about his faith during a recent panel for Billboard’s Latin Music Week.
“I feel reborn, reenergized, and truly joyful with everything I’m experiencing,” he explained. “The personal, spiritual, and faith-based change certainly feels good in my heart. Each person has a different purpose and design. Everyone has a purpose to fulfill in their lives, and mine was this path: to forefront popular culture, announcing the Kingdom — that’s a challenge. My father is so strategic that He’s calling many people.”
The rapper also celebrated “Sonríele” reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart, saying, “I never imagined it would have the huge impact it has had because music is different now. Seeing it reach people’s hearts fills me with joy because that purpose is being seen. This song is medicine… it’s celebrating life. That’s the true No. 1.”
“I’m still under construction,” Ayala concluded. “I’m far from perfect. I’m vulnerable, I have weaknesses, I’m going to make mistakes, but I know my faith is in the Lord, and that he’s in control of that.”
Daddy Yankee’s fans are happy to see him make his return to music — and excited about the rapper’s new, faith-filled path.
Read Next: Musician Daddy Yankee Proclaims ‘Jesus Lives In Me,’ Will Devote Life to God
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