In brief
Bad Bunny became the first artist to perform a Super Bowl half-time show entirely in Spanish, delivering a moving tribute to his Puerto Rican heritage. Featuring guest performances from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, the 14-minute set emphasized themes of love, unity, and cultural pride, despite anticipated political statements. His incorporation of significant symbols and messages highlighted the resilience of Puerto Rico, particularly in remembrance of Hurricane Maria.
Bad Bunny's Super Bowl half-time show was one big love letter to his native Puerto Rico.
The 14-minute set included guest performances from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, along with cameos from the likes of Pedro Pascal, Cardi B, Karol G, and Jessica Alba, who were seen dancing on the porch of his famous casita, designed to resemble a traditional Puerto Rican home.
It was expected that Bad Bunny, real name Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, would make a political statement against the current US administration, but instead, he chose to promote a message of American unity.
Transporting himself through a Latin landscape, with set pieces that included everything from a nail salon to a bar, the Grammy award winner performed a medley of his biggest hits, including Tití Me Preguntó, MONACO, and BAILE Inolvidable.
The 31-year-old made history as the first musician to perform a Super Bowl half-time show entirely in Spanish. He expressed the importance of love in combating hate through billboards messages, including “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”
His performance at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara marked the first time he performed in the USA since releasing his Grammy-award winning album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos. Puerto Rico's essence was woven throughout, from his emergence from a sugarcane field to a set representing the sounds and sights of his homeland.
Family moments also featured prominently, showcasing a young couple marrying amidst a vibrant crowd and Bad Bunny symbolically handing his Grammy award to a small child during his acceptance speech. He further honored victims of Hurricane Maria by climbing an electricity pylon, symbolizing the losses experienced during the storm.
His outfit bore the number 64, likely acknowledging the officially reported death toll from Hurricane Maria, which fell significantly short of the estimated true count.
Though he refrained from direct criticisms of President Trump, whose administration faced backlash for inadequate support for Puerto Ricans after Hurricane Maria, he ended his performance on an uplifting note, shouting, “God Bless America” while highlighting various North and South American countries.
Bad Bunny has been producing music since 2013 and articulated that his refusal to tour the US stemmed from “many reasons,” emphasizing that they were not rooted in hate. Sunday’s show was a powerful celebration of Latin culture on the sporting world's biggest stage.
