Image: Bad Bunny (Official Facebook Account)
Bad Bunny delivered a Super Bowl halftime performance that balanced spectacle, culture, and message, answering weeks of speculation with a show that was both celebratory and pointed.
The global superstar opened the set wearing an off-white football jersey marked “OCASIO,” a reference to his full name, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio. From the first moments, it was clear the performance would center Latin identity. The stage transformed into a series of vivid scenes, moving from sugar cane fields to a New York–style street complete with a bodega, and later into a wide parade that stretched across borders and generations.
Musically, Bad Bunny blended eras and styles. He leaned heavily into Latin rhythms, moving fluidly between reggaeton, dembow, salsa, bomba, and plena. The sound was largely organic, driven by live percussion and brass rather than electronic backing. Songs from his latest album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, sat alongside some of his biggest hits, reinforcing how his recent work connects nostalgia with modern pop.
The performance featured high-profile guest appearances that amplified the moment. Lady Gaga joined him for a salsa-inspired take on her recent hit “Die With a Smile,” while Ricky Martin appeared later in the show, performing Bad Bunny’s “Lo Que le Pasó a Hawaii.” The collaboration with Martin felt especially symbolic, linking Bad Bunny’s dominance to the earlier wave of Latin pop crossover success.
Visual storytelling played a major role throughout the set. A staged wedding, workers repairing utility lines, and dancers filling the field helped convey themes of family, labor, and community. Puerto Rico stood at the center of the narrative, portrayed as both joyful and resilient. Subtle political messages were woven into the performance, touching on concerns like cultural erosion and the island’s ongoing infrastructure struggles, without overt speeches or interruptions.
Bad Bunny also included personal and symbolic gestures. He recreated “La Casita,” a modest house inspired by traditional Puerto Rican architecture, and briefly performed from its porch. He acknowledged his recent Grammy win by presenting the album of the year trophy to a young Latino boy, framing it as inspiration rather than self-congratulation. Celebrity appearances from figures like Pedro Pascal and Cardi B added to the sense of a communal celebration rather than a solo showcase.
In the lead-up to the show, debates around politics and culture had dominated online conversation. On the field, however, Bad Bunny leaned into joy. He closed the performance with a message in both English and Spanish, blessing America while naming countries across the Americas as flags filled the stadium. Before ending the set by spiking a football labeled “Together, We Are America,” he told the crowd, “We’re still here.”
The result was a halftime show that avoided predictability. It was festive without being shallow, political without being heavy-handed, and unmistakably rooted in Latin culture. For Bad Bunny, it marked another milestone in a career that continues to reshape what the center of global pop music looks and sounds like.