Tovic Salvador

Bad Bunny celebrates Puerto Rico in joyous Super Bowl halftime show

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<p>SANTA CLARA -- Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny on Sunday turned the Super Bowl into a giant street party, delivering his hits on one of the world&#x27;s biggest stages -- and becoming the first-ever halftime show headliner to sing only in Spanish.</p><p>Anticipation was high for the 31-year-old&#x27;s set, amid rampant speculation about whether he would use his platform to renew his criticism of President Donald Trump&#x27;s administration in front of tens of millions of viewers.</p><p>Just a week ago at the Grammys, where he won the coveted <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/music/2026/2/2/bad-bunny-makes-grammys-history-with-album-of-the-year-win-1346">Album of the Year </a>prize, Bad Bunny made a searing statement about Trump&#x27;s sweeping immigration crackdown, earning cheers for saying &quot;ICE out&quot; from the stage.</p><p>But the wildly popular musician, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, made good on his pre-game promise to joyously share his culture -- while focusing on the importance of unity over calling out specific divisions in American society, or naming names.</p><p>In a set featuring a sugar cane plantation, a traditional &quot;piragua&quot; cart selling treats, and even a wedding, he opened with &quot;Titi Me Pregunto&quot; and feminist anthem &quot;Yo Perreo Sola,&quot; with a cast of dancers fueling the party atmosphere.</p><p>Actors Pedro Pascal and Jessica Alba, and rapper Cardi B were among the guest stars vibing in his familiar &quot;La Casita&quot; backdrop, representing a home in Puerto Rico.</p><p>Bad Bunny wore an all-white ensemble, with a football jersey featuring the number &quot;64&quot; and &quot;Ocasio,&quot; before donning a classy suit jacket.</p><p>He delved into more political territory with &quot;El Apagon&quot; (Blackout), which touches on the displacement of Puerto Ricans on their own island, and the constant problems caused by the unreliable power grid. He carried a Puerto Rican flag at one point.</p><p>Surprise musical guests included Lady Gaga, who sang a Latin-inflected version of her hit &quot;Die with a Smile&quot; -- the only English lyrics in the show -- and Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin.</p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUhS-WMjpX1/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=763&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A5376636.900000036%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="969" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>At the end of the set, after listing Latin American countries, Puerto Rico and the United States, Bad Bunny spiked a football that said &quot;Together, we are America.&quot;</p><p>A giant screen in the stadium read: &quot;The only thing more powerful than hate is love.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>EARLY BACKLASH </strong></div><p>Bad Bunny has been Spotify&#x27;s most-streamed artist in the world four separate times, including last year, and won Album of the Year at the Grammys with &quot;Debi Tirar Mas Fotos&quot; -- the first Spanish-language work to win music&#x27;s highest accolade.</p><p>But the decision to showcase his work at the Super Bowl in California met with conservative outrage -- specifically about the idea that he would not sing in English.</p><p>NFL commissioner Roger Goodell defended the choice, calling Bad Bunny &quot;one of the great artists of the world.&quot;</p><p>The National Football League is also <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/2/3/nfl-chief-expects-bad-bunny-to-unite-super-bowl-audience-1546">seeking to bolster its international fan base, </a>so booking a global superstar for the primetime musical interlude made perfect sense.</p><p>The NFL entered into an agreement in 2019 with Jay-Z&#x27;s entertainment company Roc Nation, which leads the league&#x27;s entertainment strategy and helps choose the halftime show artist.</p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-1" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUhOCzyjGp3/embed/captioned/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=763&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A1%2C%22os%22%3A5376647.200000048%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="1005" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-1" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>Since that time, the list of Super Bowl headliners includes: Jennifer Lopez and Shakira (with a guest spot for Bad Bunny); The Weeknd; hip-hop legends Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige and Eminem; Rihanna; Usher; and<a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2025/2/10/kendrick-lamar-dazzles-at-super-bowl-halftime-show-1141"> Kendrick Lamar.</a></p><p>But JLo and Shakira did not perform exclusively in Spanish, leaving Bad Bunny to set that benchmark.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>FROM VEGA BAJA TO SUPER BOWL  </strong></div><p>The son of a truck driver and a teacher, Bad Bunny was born on March 10, 1994 and grew up in Vega Baja, a small municipality near Puerto Rico&#x27;s capital San Juan.</p><p>He was working at a supermarket bagging groceries when he got a call from a label over his viral plays on the DIY platform SoundCloud.</p><p>Thus began the reggaeton star&#x27;s rapid explosion to the top of global music.</p><p>Late last year, Bad Bunny released &quot;Debi Tirar Mas Fotos,&quot; a history lesson in Puerto Rican music that he promoted with a hometown concert residency in San Juan and a world tour.</p><p>In Puerto Rico, a US territory since 1898, there was nothing but pride for the island&#x27;s native son on Sunday.</p><p>&quot;For someone from here to be at one of the most important events in the United States is a source of pride for every Puerto Rican,&quot; Olvin Reyes, 39, told AFP.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s going to be an event to share with family, something very exciting.&quot; </p><div> </div>

<p>Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny on Sunday turned the Super Bowl into a giant street party, delivering his hits on one of the world's biggest stages -- and becoming the first-ever halftime show headliner to sing only in Spanish.</p>

Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny on Sunday turned the Super Bowl into a giant street party, delivering his hits on one of the world's biggest stages -- and becoming the first-ever halftime show headliner to sing only in Spanish.