Bad Bunny's Halftime Show Performance

Super Bowl LX has become the subject of controversy across the internet for many reasons. One of the most talked about reasons is due to the Super Bowl Halftime Show that took place this year. The primary cause of this year’s Super Bowl becoming a hot topic is that this year marks the first time a performer has primarily spoken a language other than English. Furthermore, with the United States being split on current social issues such as immigration policy, it can seem like Bad Bunny appearing at the Super Bowl is the NFL’s way of taking sides. However, it is important to note that the NFL doesn’t decide the performance; they decide the performer. 

The NFL has a record of bringing only some of the most popular artists on the field to perform for the Super Bowl Halftime Show. There is no exception for this year’s performer. As of 2026, Puerto Rican artist Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, known professionally as Bad Bunny, is currently ranked as the most listened-to artist in the world on Spotify. His music is generally considered to be reggaeton and trap, infusing his culture into his songs with a lot of rapping and electronic sounds. Also, looking back at the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show, performed by Kendrick Lamar, culture also played a major part in his performance. 

There is a common theme in the two performances for both the 2025 and 2026 Super Bowls. The apparent theme is: “Culture is what we make of it.” Obviously, not everyone will understand these performances because they aren’t meant for everyone. The power of music is that there is no need to understand; it is for everyone and anyone willing to listen and appreciate it. Just as the famous saying goes, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” The point of the Super Bowl performance was to celebrate Latin culture and bring people together. Bad Bunny himself stated, “We are all Americans,” before listing almost every country in the western hemisphere (North, South, and Central America). 

This Halftime Show not only served to represent Hispanic and Latin culture, but also highlighted a major issue within our own society in the United States. Everybody is fighting, making it a battle of the US versus everyone else after watching this performance. Yet few people really focus on exactly what Bad Bunny said! “We are all Americans.” This is where we need to emphasize a single word in that short quote, the word “we.” It is not a battle of Hispanics against Americans, or Latin culture families versus American families. This is the United States of America, yet it is neglected that a man born in Puerto Rico (Bad Bunny) can see the need for unity better than most of the citizens born in the US. No matter your background or age, there can be many things learned from this event, good and bad. It is on the people of this country as a whole to do what we can to change, if we really, truly desire to stand united.