This Sunday, Bad Bunny will make history by becoming the first Latino artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show. While he has just triumphed at the Grammys with the first Spanish-language album crowned “Album of the Year”, the NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation decipher the journey and the consecration of the Puerto Rican superstar.
Bad Bunny is no stranger to blazing new trails for Latino artists. Take her historic win last Sunday at the Grammys for Album of the Year, which made her masterful LP Debí Tirar More Photos the first album entirely in Spanish to win in this category. This Sunday, Bad Bunny will mark a new milestone by becoming the first Latino male artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show. He will also be the first to present a set in Spanish and the first artist from an independent label (the Puerto Rican label Rimas).
At a time when Latinos and the Spanish language have been targeted under the current presidential administration, how did we end up having Bad Bunny headlining the Super Bowl? And, on the heels of Bad Bunny's impassioned speeches at the Grammys, what can we expect on Sunday?
Although NFL Halftime Show partners Roc Nation and Apple Music are notoriously tight-lipped about how the artist is chosen and how creative decisions are made, it appears this was a harmonious decision between the partners. Jon Barker, NFL senior vice president of global events operations and production, tells WECB : “ Bad Bunny isn't just one of the biggest artists in the world — he's one of the most culturally influential. It represents music as it is today: global, genre-free, and driven by artists who connect authentically. The Super Bowl halftime show has always been about capturing the moment, and Bad Bunny captures the sound, the audience, and the culture of that moment better than anyone. »
Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez calls Bad Bunny “ perfect artist to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show “. “ Over the past year, Bad Bunny has dominated the charts and headlined a sold-out stadium world tour “, she explains, emphasizing the revolutionary cultural impact of her career. Bad Bunny's few recent cultural milestones include being the only artist to place four consecutive entirely Spanish-language albums at No. 1 on the chart. Billboard 200to have the most streamed album in history (A Verano Sin Ti), to have the most watched Amazon Music livestream, and to be the most streamed artist in the world on Spotify from 2020 to 2022, and again in 2025.
Although Bad Bunny seemed like an obvious choice for Super Bowl LX, rumors swirled that other artists, like Post Malone and Taylor Swift, had also been considered this year. “ Obviously, you've heard, for example, Taylor Swift talk about her reasons for not performing at the Super Bowl. Of course we are talking about several artists “, confides Oliver Schusser, vice president of Apple Music, Sports and Beats to WECB. He shares that the conversation involving Apple, Roc Nation and the NFL often takes place over a long period of time. “ We have an ongoing dialogue with Roc Nation about the shortlist of artists that could perform… We chat all the time because it's the biggest show in the world “, he explains. “ Ultimately… (Roc Nation) makes the decision, and we were thrilled. »
The Apple Music team was especially excited about the choice of Bad Bunny because they have a long history with the Puerto Rican superstar. In August 2016, Jerry Pullés, Latin music programmer at Apple Music, made Apple Music the first streaming platform (DSP) to officially broadcast Bad Bunny's music. At the time, Pullés had heard songs like Soy Peor and had been drawn to Bad Bunny's distinct baritone voice, phrasing and atypical lyrical content, especially since his songs about heartbreak brought a softer side to Latin trap. As Latin trap gained traction, Pullés saw its potential and placed Bad Bunny on the first-ever Latin Trap playlist on a streaming platform, Apple Music's “Trap Kingz.”
“ I was looking at old emails with (Bad Bunny) “, says Pullés. “ It's surreal to see someone who, at the time, had zero streams on any platform. And the day his first single came out, I put it in a playlist and just watched it slowly grow and then explode. It's incredible. That’s what you, as a curator, hope for. This is something that will probably never happen again. »
The relationship continued to grow. In November 2017, Pullés worked with Apple Music to welcome Bad Bunny to their studios as host of the new radio show Trap Kingz. Today, the Super Bowl feels like a homecoming for Apple Music, which will become an official partner of the halftime show in 2023.
“ Our relationship with (Bad Bunny) and his team is great… Over the years, we've built a level of trust that has really helped us get things done. So this seems incredibly special “, says Pullés. “ He took advantage of all the different opportunities we have for emerging artists. And watching him grow and become the artist we thought he could be makes it truly special. And I think that speaks volumes about our platform and how we nurture emerging artists and music. »
“Artists like him don’t usually get these opportunities. That's part of why it's so revolutionary. He is the first artist who sings almost exclusively in Spanish to get this gig. » — Jerry Pullés
Despite the historic firsts that this Sunday's halftime show will bring, it has not been universally celebrated. Far-right reaction to the announcement of a halftime performance in Spanish was swift and included calls to deport Bad Bunny, who is a U.S. citizen. The conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA even produces an “alternative” halftime show with MAGA-friendly musicians, like Kid Rock. Bad Bunny and his crew have remained mostly silent in the face of the backlash, contenting themselves with lightly joking about the subject during the Saturday Night Live.
The only clue to the performance came on January 16, when Bad Bunny released a Super Bowl trailer showing the artist dancing with a cast of diverse characters under his residence's iconic flamboyán tree. Marissa Lopez, head of Latin artist relations at Apple Music, describes the mood on set for this trailer as celebratory. “ Seeing (Bad) Bunny’s interaction with them (the dancers) was special. He took his time with everyone. (He was) so thoughtful, saying hello “, she explains. “ I just felt like the energy of the room was magnetic, and he totally picked up on it… It was just very positive, you know, and he fed off the energy that each person had, so it was fun. »
The trailer also gave us an idea of a key theme we should see reflected in Sunday's show: ” The unit “, says Lopez. “ Benito has always been someone who unifies through music. » Bad Bunny offered a glimpse into his way of thinking during his emotional acceptance speeches for his three Grammy wins on Sunday, touching on unity and positivity. In his first speech for the Best Album of Música Urbana, after denouncing the ICE, he said: “ If we want to fight, we must do it with love… The only thing more powerful than hatred is love. » The joy, love and diversity presented in the dance trailer reflect the feelings he shared on the Grammys stage.
But Bad Bunny and the Super Bowl partners want to keep the performance a secret. “ The best thing about the halftime show is that it's such a surprise. It would spoil the fun if Roc Nation revealed what it was going to look like before the show “, says Schusser.
Lopez says people should expect “ surprise and pleasure. (Bad Bunny) wants everyone to be surprised. » She also adds that everyone should prepare to dance.
“ This one is going to be special, unlike anything we've ever seen “, says Lopez. The political moment lends even more weight to the gravity of Bad Bunny's historic Spanish-language performance. “ I think this is a defining moment for Latinos around the world to be seen and have an opportunity », Adds Lopez.
Despite the controversy, the team behind the Super Bowl is excited about what Bad Bunny will bring to the stage. “ There will always be people who have different opinions on things “, says Pullés. “ But I think whatever he does, we will be proud. »
