By Maya Georgi
Copyright rollingstone
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September 29, 2025
Bad Bunny has made a name for himself by not compromising on his native language
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Bad Bunny is no stranger to making history. Since he arrived on the music scene in 2016, the Latin superstar continues to break new records and test the boundaries of the industry in every direction. Most notably, though, Benito has charted his success with one unflinching goal: to remain true to his Puerto Rican roots and native Spanish language.
Now, with the news that Bad Bunny will headline the Super Bowl LX halftime show, the musician is set to become the first artist to deliver a fully non-English performance during his 15-minute set. The musician isn’t the first Latin or Spanish-speaking star to take over the Super Bowl halftime stage as a headliner; he joins a list of trailblazers like Gloria Estefan, Shakira, and Jennifer Lopez. (Back in 2020, he even joined Shakira on the Super Bowl stage to deliver a few bars from his Cardi B collaboration “I Like It.”) However, Bad Bunny’s discography is notably in Spanish, to the dismay of many right-wing critics, save for a few English lines here and there. So unless Benito uncharacteristically whips out a slate of cover songs, his set will be entirely in Spanish.
In a statement following the announcement, the star even made sure to include a note in Spanish: “Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL,” he said, which translates to, “Go and tell your grandma that we’re going to be the Super Bowl halftime show performer.” If the show is anything like his historic 2023 Grammy performance, the television will continuously display subtitles like “speaking non-English,” and “singing non-English.”
Throughout his career, Bad Bunny has refused to compromise when it comes to language. With seven studio albums under his belt, the Latin star has yet to offer a single English-language song. He teased fans slightly with the 2023 hit “WHERE SHE GOES,” but even that was primarily in Spanish. The language barrier hasn’t stopped him from becoming a superstar. In the past few years, Bad Bunny continues to be one of the most streamed artists on Spotify, proving he doesn’t need to alter anything about himself or his art to be successful.
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But Bad Bunny’s primarily non-English performance at the 2026 Super Bowl, has repercussions that go beyond his career. His history-making set will put the Spanish language, and the entire Latin diaspora, front and center during one of the biggest, most-watched events of the year in the U.S. Despite right-wing detractors who claim speaking Spanish is “un-American,” the U.S. Census Bureau tells a different story. In 2019, Spanish was the most common language besides English. By 2025, 22 percent of people ages five and older reported that they spoke another language other than English at home. Of those people, approximately 61 percent spoke Spanish. Benito’s performance will appeal to these groups along with the NFL’s growing Latino viewership.
This focus on the Spanish language, and what is bound to be a multicultural celebration, also comes at a time when the Latin community in the U.S. is actively under attack as the Trump administration ramps up mass deportations and anti-immigrant rhetoric against them. To actively honor the community at this pivotal moment is a pointed choice — and one that has been top of mind for Bad Bunny.
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Last month, the star revealed he made the conscious choice not to tour his Debí Tirar Más Fotos album in the U.S. out of concern that his fans may be targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “There was the issue of — like, fucking ICE could be outside [my concert],” he told i-D. “And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.” As soon as the Super Bowl news was announced, the star called back to his early comments with an X post in Spanish: “After speaking with my team, I think I’ll do just one show in the United States.”
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl show just happens to be one of the most-watched musical events of the year. With this platform, not only will the Latin star deliver a Spanish-language production, he’s also promised to put on a spectacle celebrating Puerto Rican and Caribbean culture. In an interview with Apple Music, Bad Bunny shared his excitement about the performance. “I’m really excited for my friends, my family,” he said, adding, “Puerto Rico, all the Latino people around the world. I’m excited about my culture. I’m excited about everything, not just for me.”
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