Retiring reggaeton rapper Daddy Yankee, one of the top-selling Latin music artists, revealed to fans that he’s found a new purpose by embracing his Christian faith at his farewell concert in Puerto Rico on Sunday.
“Tonight, I recognize, and I am not ashamed to tell the whole world that Jesus lives in me and that I will live for Him,” said Ramon Ayala, who declared in a heartfelt speech at The Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan that he’s no longer going by his stage name, Daddy Yankee.
After performing his 2004 hit “Gasolina” in front of a crowd of 18,000 fans, Mr. Ayala said that he was embarking on “a new beginning” after finding purpose in his life as a Christian and urged his fans to “follow Jesus.”
“This day for me is the most important day of my life,” he said at the top of his speech, which was also live-streamed on his social media. “And I want to share it with you because living a life of success is not the same as living a life with purpose.”
Under his stage name, the Puerto Rican rapper brought reggaeton to audiences worldwide with his breakout hit “Gasolina.” Since then, he has sold over 30 million records, and his album “Barrio Fino” made history as the best-selling Latin music album in the first decade of the 21st century.
The 46-year-old rapper, also known for the 2017 megahit “Despacito” with Luis Fonsi, which became the first Spanish-language record to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 since “Macarena” in 1996, said that despite traveling the world as a successful recording artist for the last two decades, he felt like “something was missing for me to feel complete.”
Mr. Ayala quoted a verse from the Book of Mark in the Bible as particularly influential to his new spiritual perspective: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
“For a long time, I tried to fill a void in my life that no one could fill,” he added, saying that he tried to fill the void in other ways.
“I have to confess that those days are over. Someone was able to fill that emptiness,” added Mr. Ayala, who was visibly nervous and shedding tears behind stylish glasses during his speech.
Signaling a significant shift in his focus and priorities, Mr. Ayala said he’s now beginning “a new story” devoting his life, talents, and influence to serve his faith.
“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,” he declared. “Thank you very much, Puerto Rico, and I hope that you walk with me in this new beginning, and I hope that it is recorded for you.”
Mr. Ayala had one more “important” message to his fans: “To all the people who followed me, follow Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life. Just like Jesus, with his mercy, allowed me to travel the world, in your mercy, Father, I hope you allow me to evangelize the world from Puerto Rico. Amen.”
He did not retire at the end of 2022, however. He officially held his farewell concert on Dec. 3, after performing four back-to-back shows that kicked off on Nov. 30 dubbed “La Meta” ("The Goal').
