Bad Bunny preaches unity, shares what to expect from Super Bowl LX halftime show

Last weekend, he took home Album of the Year at the Grammys, with “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” becoming the first Spanish-language album to win Album of the Year. 

But, amid his reign atop the musical zeitgeist, the 31-year-old musical megastar acknowledged the nerves that come from his upcoming performance at the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show at Levi’s Stadium. 

“Last night, I couldn’t sleep,” he said during an Apple Music press conference in San Francisco on Thursday. 

Bad Bunny will take to the stage in Santa Clara during halftime of Sunday’s showdown between the Patriots and Seahawks, given 13 minutes in total to play a medley of his hits. 

“I want to think that it’s just… [13] minutes of doing something that I love, that I like. And it’s just like that. I’m trying to enjoy it and I know that I’m gonna have fun,” he said. “Just enjoy the moment, enjoy … what’s happening, what I’m doing.

Bad Bunny — whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — opted to keep details of his upcoming performance to a minimum. 

“I just want people to have fun,” he said from the stage, while donning a large gray fur coat and a beanie with bunny ears. “There is going to be a huge party, it is going to be what people always can expect from me.

“Of course, a lot of my culture, but I really don’t want to give any spoilers. It is going to be fun and it is not going to be hard. It is going to be easy and people only have to worry about dance.”

Bad Bunny is expected to perform entirely in Spanish, making Sunday the first time a Super Bowl halftime show will be performed primarily in a language other than English. 

He said he said he doesn’t consider himself to have any sort of language barrier, even as he performs in front of millions of fans who may not be familiar with his music. 

“I know that I told them that they had four months to learn Spanish. They don’t even have to learn Spanish,” he said. “It is better if they learn to dance, but I think [there is no] better dance than the one that comes from the heart. The heartbeat dance, that is the only thing that they need to worry about and have fun and enjoy.”

Thursday’s press event, which was a moderated Q&A between Bad Bunny and Apple Music reps Ebro Darden and Zane Lowe, avoided questions on politics and his outspoken comments regarding ICE. 

Donald Trump has criticized the selection of Bad Bunny as Halftime Show performer on numerous occasions, while Bad Bunny used his Grammy victory over the weekend to declare “Ice Out” while up on stage. 

Speaking on Monday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stood by Bad Bunny as a unifying performer on one of the world’s largest stages. 

“Listen, Bad Bunny is — and I think that was demonstrated last night — one of the great artists in the world, and that’s one of the reasons we chose him,” Goodell said. “But the other reason is he understood the platform he was on, and that this platform is used to unite people, and to be able to bring people together with their creativity, with their talents, and to be able to use this moment to do that.

“And I think artists in the past have done that. I think Bad Bunny understands that, and I think he’ll have a great performance.”

Bad Bunny remained mum on whether or not he might have other musical guests for Sunday’s performance. 

“You know that’s something that I’m not gonna tell you,” he said. “I don’t know why you ask that. … Well, of course I think I have a lot of guests. It’s gonna be my family, my friends, all of the Latino community around the world… the whole country. There’s a lot of people who love me around the world.”

One theorized guest is rapper Cardi B, who performed with Bad Bunny on the 2018 smash hit “I Like It.”

Cardi B is already connected to Super Bowl LX, as she’s the girlfriend of Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs. 

Diggs and the Patriots will be in the locker room at Levi’s Stadium when Bad Bunny takes the stage. But, he’s excited to watch the performance later that night, ideally after a Patriots victory.

“I’m super excited,“ Diggs said. ”I think it’s going to be an experience we all should share, coming together at halftime. I wish I could be out there having a good time, but I’ve got some other things I’m going to have to focus on and stay ready for. But I’ll probably catch it after the game.”

Drake Maye also voiced support for Bad Bunny as Sunday’s musical performer. 

“I saw him in the Adam Sandler movie [Happy Gilmore 2],” Maye said on Monday. “I know Bad Bunny. I know he’s a big-time artist and I’m a big fan of him. Obviously he sings in a different language. I can’t sing, but I’m a fan of Bad Bunny.”

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.