Every year, the entertainment company Roc Nation chooses the performer for the Super Bowl halftime show. On Sept. 28, the performer for the 2026 halftime show was announced to be Benito Martínez Ocasio, more famously known as Bad Bunny, a world famous Puerto Rican singer and three-time Grammy award winner who has been making music since 2013. He experiments with many genres of music like rap, reggaeton and Latin pop.
Bad Bunny’s most popular album, “Un Verano Sin Ti,” is the most streamed album on Spotify, with 20.6 billion streams since it was released in 2022. In his most recent album, “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” (“I Should Have Taken More Photos”), the title serves as a reminder to appreciate the little moments in life.
In this album, Bad Bunny incorporates many traditional Puerto Rican sounds and artists in the songs, making it even more meaningful in its representation of the country. He appeared in New York Time’s podcast, “Popcast”, to talk about his album.
“I always knew that I could be big and successful being Puerto Rican, with my music and with my slang and with my culture, my everything,” Martínez Ocasio said in his interview with the New York Times.
Many students who were interviewed learned about the news of his performance from TikTok, and many were happy to hear that he had been chosen.
“I was excited [to hear that he will perform]. I don’t listen to a lot of his music, but there’s some really great songs that I think will bring a fun vibe and energy to the Super Bowl,” sophomore Olivia Stinnett said.
Many students believe that this performance will positively impact the United States because it will expose more people to new styles of music.
“I think it will have a good impact. His music showcases Puerto Rican culture, which is also [a] U.S. territory, but I feel like a lot of people forget that, so it can be a learning experience too,” Stinnett said.
With big news like this comes mixed opinions. Some think that Bad Bunny wasn’t a good choice for the halftime performance because his music isn’t in English.
“I think [the impact he’ll have] will be good, but some people are kind of rude and obnoxious and will think it’ll be bad, but you know what? Ignore them,” sophomore Lily Herrera said.
Although many are angry and say that Bad Bunny isn’t a good choice for the Super Bowl due to his criticism of the current administration, the First Amendment protects his freedom of speech.
“Honestly I feel like most of the anger is due to racism. Especially with the current administration we are under… There’s no real reason people should be mad [that] he’s performing,” Stinnett said.
Bad Bunny stays true to his roots, always representing Puerto Rico in his music and other projects. In 2018, he founded the “Good Bunny Foundation”, a nonprofit with a mission to encourage children and young people with limited resources in Puerto Rico to develop in music, arts and sports. He isn’t scared to speak up for what he believes in, and he truly loves and wants to give back to his country.
