Daddy Yankee Makes a Comeback with Christian-Themed Album

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Reggaeton star Daddy Yankee, now known as Ramón Ayala, has made his return to music with a new album that reflects his faith in Christ following his conversion to Christianity three years ago.

“Everyone who's inside the faith has to go to the world and preach the gospel," Ayaya recently told Billboard Magazine.

"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," he explained. "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."

Ayala, 49, announced his retirement from music in 2022, stating that he was giving up his professional name as he announced he surrendered his life to Jesus Christ, CBN News reported. 

"What good will it be for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" he said, quoting Mark 8:36 at the final show of his farewell tour at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico. "That is why, 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."

"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," Ayala told the crowd at the time. 

Last week, he released his new album Lamento En Baile (Mourning Into Dancing), which features Christian themes and the title is based on Psalm 30:11, which reads: "You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness."

Ayala told Billboard the album was also inspired by a season of learning to depend on God in the midst of life’s challenges, including his recent divorce from his high school sweetheart following more than two decades of marriage. 

"I never thought I'd be in this situation, but I found myself in it," he shared. "And the strength I found to record an album full of joy in the most unexpected moment of my life is what helped me regain my strength."

"When we're in the middle of a crisis, one of our biggest fortitudes lies in adoring and praising the Lord because it brings joy," Ayala added.

The first single titled "Sonríele," which means "smile (at life)", which Ayala released in July, encourages listeners to turn to God and trust in Him in trials. 

"This isn't about a comeback. It's about connection," he reiterated. "Life's not perfect, but we have to smile through it. This song was born from what we live every day – 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 will deliver his first televised performance in three years on October 23rd.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages / Emanuela Zampa / Stringer

Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.