Santo Domingo, DR – The urban music star, Bad Bunny, lit up the Felix Sanchez Olympic Stadium in Santo Domingo last November, with the start of his long-awaited world tour “I should have taken more photos”, with two completely packed performances that brought together more than 100,000 people in just two nights. The show marked one of the most impactful musical events of the year in the Dominican Republic.
However, amidst the public’s euphoria and the majesty of the staging, a moment managed to stand out from the first seconds: the audiovisual intro that opened the show and that put on screen two young Dominican talents who have become a sensation on social media today.
This is Fernando Estrella Peguero, 16 years old, and Yeyli Versalles Joseph, 17, who achieved one of the most important dreams of their lives: to perform in the intro of the Puerto Rican artist’s presentation before thousands of people.
The intro, projected on the giant screens of the stadium, shows both actors playing two young people from a Dominican neighborhood, embodying the lyrics of the song “La Mudanza”. Their intervention stands out for the use of Dominican slang and a naturalness that captures the cultural essence of the country, which provoked applause, shouts and a deep emotion among the attendees.
Teenagers visited the newsroom of De Último Minuto this week, accompanied by Margareth Tapia, casting director, producer, and CEO of MAR Casting. Tapia and her team were responsible for the search and selection of talents required by Bad Bunny’s staff for this special production.
The casting director explained that the process focused on finding authentic young people with a presence in front of the camera. “The selection focused on finding natural young people, capable of representing the Dominican essence within the artistic vision of the project,” said Tapia, who highlighted the impact that an opportunity like this has on the lives of emerging artists.
Tapia detailed that she was urgently contacted by producer Gregorio Rodríguez, who invited her to participate in an initially confidential project. “I had no information about what it was, what country it was from, or which artist it was with. I had to sign a confidentiality agreement. The only thing they told me is that they needed two talents who were actors and had interpretative capacity,” she explained.
Based on these guidelines, the director initiated a casting call among young people with whom she had already worked and also toured several neighborhoods of Santo Domingo, including San Carlos, to evaluate profiles that would fit what was requested.
It was during that process that he remembered the previous work with Yeyli, who years ago participated in a project for Daddy Yankee, being part of the music video “El abusador del abusador”. That previous experience, together with his charisma, made him an ideal candidate.
Fernando, for his part, had a completely new experience. “I was super nervous. It was my first time and I wondered what I had to do. With time I started to feel more comfortable and everything started to flow better,” said the young man, who received the news of his selection while he was in school. “I was very excited,” he recalled with a laugh.
Yeyli also shared his excitement at reconnecting with the artistic world through a project of such magnitude after a time away from productions. “I felt so excited, because having participated in a Daddy Yankee video, then being absent for a while, and returning as part of Bad Bunny’s intro was too spectacular,” he affirmed.
Both agreed that this opportunity has transformed their day-to-day lives, especially in their educational centers, where they have become references for other students. Yeyli recounted in a joking tone that now his classmates take him to a separate classroom and “protect” him because everyone wants to greet him, hug him, and take photos with him.
The participation of these two young people continues to generate positive comments and a wave of national pride. Their presence on one of the most important stages in the country, alongside one of the most globally recognized artists, demonstrates how local talent can reach global platforms when given the right opportunity and support.
