"It's so great to be Latino!" was the first phrase before Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny took the stage, summarizing the spirit of the Super Bowl LX 2026 Halftime Show. But why did his performance generate so much conversation on digital platforms?
Latin American digital entrepreneur and content creator Dailis Ferrer posted on her Instagram: "It's not that we're just arriving, it's that we own the party."
Bad Bunny is a controversial artist. In his early days, his lyrics addressed common themes in reggaeton and trap songs: sex, women, alcohol, success, and money; some still do.
His detractors say his singing is hard to understand, and I agree with them, but on Sunday the performance was perfectly understood, beyond his questionable enunciation.
"Latinos deserve the emotion that this great artist gave us last night. God bless America (all of it)," quoted verbatim the WhatsApp status of a professional colleague, referring to the Boricua's show.
Whether you like his persona, aesthetics, performance, or music, what’s undeniable is that Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, from Puerto Rico, who started from the bottom and is now rich—as he paraphrases in one of his songs—has become a worldwide phenomenon without forgetting his roots and, why deny it, has also evolved his artistic image.
This is shown in his album Debí Tirar Más Fotos, which was the centerpiece of the 13 minutes of his performance at one of the most important sporting events in the United States, the Super Bowl.
His participation was highly anticipated by the international community following his powerful statements during the Grammy Awards just a week earlier. "ICE out," he said then.
Each year, more than a hundred million people watch the Super Bowl, according to the American newspaper The New York Times. And Bad Bunny delivered strong messages to such an audience: that Latin America should be proud of its history, its traditions, and that love is more powerful than hate.
The symbolism visible in the Californian stadium was not improvised; it connected with his beloved Puerto Rico and, at the same time, with our own Latin American cultures.
His performative narrative began by playing with nostalgia and ended by confronting political decisions of the government, or the lack thereof, such as the poor handling of Puerto Rican blackouts and the consequences of Hurricane Maria in 2017.
On social media, there were numerous references to the Latino humor that Bad Bunny accurately represented: children falling asleep in chairs during a party, the appointment with the manicurist, the cart where we buy granizado (shaved ice, piraguas), the coconut water vendor, and the classic elderly domino players.
In case there was any doubt about his intentions, the Puerto Rican artist topped it off with Latin rhythms—from the vulgar perreo to festive salsa—always singing in Spanish and displaying a rugby ball with the phrase "Together we are America," in the midst of political tensions over President Donald Trump's immigration policies.
Lady Gaga appeared on stage with "Die With a Smile," the only song in English in the setlist. Although initially it seemed out of place with the rest of the performance, her presence ended up reinforcing the message: one of the biggest American stars sharing the stage with one of the most popular Latino singers of the moment, to salsa rhythms and wearing a dress adorned with a typical flower of the continent, the red hibiscus.
Ricky Martin also joined in with "Lo que le pasó a Hawái," a Bad Bunny hit that urges defending Puerto Rican culture in the face of new forms of colonialism.
The audience caught glimpses of other stars of Latino descent or origin: actors Pedro Pascal (Chile) and Jessica Alba (Mexico-USA), singers Karol G (Colombia), Cardi B (USA-Dominican Republic), and Young Miko (Puerto Rico), and renowned baseball player Ronald Acuña Jr. (Venezuela).
Surrounded by fake sugarcane fields—a historic symbol of export in Puerto Rico and Cuba—the stars and the team displayed their political stance against the Trump administration’s attacks on the Latino community.
Bad Bunny took advantage of every second on stage to legitimize the voice of millions of Latinos, whether residing in the United States or not. At the end, he named the countries that make up Latin America and the Caribbean and, in his style, delivered a call for continental pride, a demand to the U.S. government, and a return to the memories—both good and bad—that many Latinos hold.
