Bad Bunny takes the stage at the Super Bowl. He faces a polarized America.
| Mexico City; and Boston
He won album of the year at the Grammys. He鈥檚 the most-streamed artist in the world on Spotify. And Sunday, as Bad Bunny takes the stage as the first Spanish-language Super Bowl halftime headliner in history, he offers a perfect lens onto a divided American society.
After saying 鈥淚CE out鈥� during his acceptance speech at the Grammy Awards and skipping U.S. venues for his most recent world tour over concerns about the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the world is waiting to see if Bad Bunny will make protest central to his halftime performance.
Benito Antonio Mart铆nez Ocasio shot to global fame over the past decade for being unapologetically himself: Puerto Rican, emotionally vulnerable in his songwriting, genre-bending in his musical approach. His fanbase spans from Argentina to China to Mozambique. But at a time when the U.S. is deeply polarized 鈥� over politics, worldview, and who 鈥渂elongs鈥� in the country 鈥� he鈥檚 also become a political lightning rod.
Why We Wrote This
Bad Bunny, the first Spanish-language Super Bowl halftime headliner in history, has made his Puerto Rican roots and values a key part of his artistic identity. He is performing for a deeply polarized America, at the same time Turning Point USA holds a competing show.
President Donald Trump criticized the National Football League鈥檚 selection of Bad Bunny, and questioned the artist鈥檚 popularity. And in February, Turning Point USA, a conservative organization founded by the late Charlie Kirk, announced an alternative halftime production headlined by Kid Rock, who was big in the early 2000s and blends rock, rap, and country music. The event, which will be streamed on X and YouTube, has been dubbed the 鈥淎ll-American Halftime show.鈥�
鈥淚 get to come out and celebrate music, and football, and all the things that America is all based on,鈥� country singer Lee Brice, who will join Kid Rock, told Fox News.
Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory and Bad Bunny is a U.S. citizen.
鈥淚t insinuates that Bad Bunny isn鈥檛 American, which is really just saying he is not white,鈥� says Vanessa D铆az, author of a new book on how Bad Bunny of the Puerto Rican resistance.
Meeting the moment
Bad Bunny has incorporated protest into his work for as long as he鈥檚 been in the spotlight. But his resistance is often shown in subtle ways. In 2018, he went on Jimmy Fallon's show and spoke about Puerto Ricans still living without electricity post-Hurricane Maria. He left his tour in 2019 to join protests calling for the resignation of Puerto Rico鈥檚 governor. In 2020, Bad Bunny wore a shirt in a televised performance honoring a trans woman who was referred to in dehumanizing ways by Puerto Rican police and media after she was found dead.
Dr. D铆az, an associate professor at Loyola Marymount University, expects Bad Bunny to draw attention to this political moment in the U.S. during his halftime performance, but that doesn鈥檛 mean in-your-face anti-ICE slogans. 鈥淗is call to action may look different, like this idea of everyone dancing,鈥� she says. 鈥淧uerto Rican music is steeped in resistance.鈥�
Last year鈥檚 Super Bowl halftime show by Kendrick Lamar was also divisive. His 13-minute performance included an appearance by Samuel L. Jackson dressed as Uncle Sam. Many interpreted the show 鈥� heavy on Stars and Stripes motifs 鈥� as an implicit political statement in opposition to the election of Donald Trump. Conservative influencer Eric Daugherty posted on social media, 鈥淩aise your hand if you survived the black nationalist Super Bowl LIX halftime show.鈥�
When the baton was handed to Bad Bunny, it seemed like a safe choice. The star had already appeared at the 2020 halftime show to duet with headliner Shakira.
He鈥檚 a 鈥減henomenal choice鈥� says Bob Lefsetz, a music business analyst. 鈥淭hey have gotten someone who is of the moment, who is not coasting on the past, but is peaking right when they book him.鈥�
Bad Bunny 101
Despite Bad Bunny鈥檚 performance being framed as yet another fissure in U.S. society, he鈥檚 also shown he can unite people.
鈥淭he idea that Bad Bunny is somehow a narrow or divisive choice is just something that鈥檚 kind of like denial of reality,鈥� says Simon Vozick-Levinson, deputy music editor at Rolling Stone magazine. 鈥淗e is a great communicator, he鈥檚 an incredible performer,鈥� he says, adding that anyone who isn鈥檛 sure 鈥渟hould try listening to his music. They鈥檒l probably find something they can enjoy.鈥�
In his most recent album DeB脥 TiRAR M谩S FOToS, Bad Bunny samples classic salsa music that appeals to older generations, while also working in Latin Trap and reggaeton, and Puerto Rican genres like bomba, which originated in the 16th century.
鈥淚t鈥檚 music that just makes you want to dance,鈥� says Alejandra M谩rquez Guajardo, an assistant professor at Michigan State University who uses Bad Bunny鈥檚 lyrics and videos to teach a course about gender in Latin America. Dr. M谩rquez is Mexican, not Puerto Rican, but says the first time she heard his music it made her feel a part of something bigger. It鈥檚 鈥渢he idea of having pride in who we are,鈥� she says.
He鈥檚 also inspired non-Latinos. Last October, he joked on Saturday Night Live that Americans had four months to learn Spanish if they wanted to understand what he was singing at the Super Bowl. It triggered concrete action, with the Wall Street Journal reporting on TikTok trends where fans break down his songs line by line to learn their meaning. He also inspired the language-learning application, Duo Lingo, to offer 鈥淏ad Bunny 101鈥� lessons and sparked a Super Bowl telenovela-like advertisement for a lipgloss that somehow helps Melissa McCarthy learn to roll her 鈥榬鈥檚 and trill off Spanish tongue twisters.
In response to fans rushing to learn Spanish before Sunday鈥檚 performance, Bad Bunny said in an interview with Apple Music that understanding his lyrics isn鈥檛 the most important part of his show.
He encouraged fans to root for their teams, have fun, and dance from their hearts. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have to learn Spanish,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 better if they learn to dance.鈥�
