The Grammy award-winning singer Bad Bunny is set to take on one of the world’s biggest stages on Sunday – but who is he?
The Puerto Rican singer, 31, also known as Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, made history last week at the Grammys for being the first artist to win album of the year for a record sung entirely in Spanish.
On Sunday, he will be at the centre of one of the most watched broadcasts in the world, performing at the Super Bowl half-time show in Santa Clara, California.
– Why is the show such a big deal?
Despite it being an American sporting event, the half-time performance blows up online every year with many tuning in to the entertainment portion of the game.
Previous headliners include Sir Paul McCartney, Beyonce, Rihanna, Coldplay and most recently Kendrick Lamar who have each performed a medley of their hit songs, often bringing out surprise guests to the stage.
Performances have often sparked some controversy for political statements during the live broadcast, such as Beyonce’s 2016 references to The Black Panther Party or Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s 2020 performance, which also featured Bad Bunny, and depicted children in cages, allegedly condemning US president Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Ahead of taking the stage, Bad Bunny’s appointment has already been met with criticism, including from Mr Trump, for his outspoken opposition to US immigration policies.
– Who is he?
Bad Bunny is a Puerto Rican singer, rapper and producer who rose to fame following his hit single with rapper Cardi B and singer J Balvin titled I Like It.
The Latin American musician blew up internationally last year with the release of his sixth studio album Debi Tirar Mas Fotos.
The 17-track record fuses a number of genres including reggaeton, pop, salsa and house along with traditional Puerto Rican music such as plena, in what can be described as a love letter to the Island.
The intimate homage to the singer’s home went on to become the first album sung entirely in Spanish to win the coveted album of the year award at the 2026 Grammys.
He also won the Grammy for best global music performance for his hit track EoO and picked up best musica urbana album award for the fourth year in a row.
The record was accompanied with an economy-boosting 30-day residency in Puerto Rico with the singer refusing to schedule performances in any mainland US cities as a way to encourage tourism to the island as well as to protect fans from possible encounters with US immigration officers.
Following his run of gigs in Puerto Rico, the singer set off on his world tour with dates scheduled in Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Japan and the UK, with two nights in London this summer.
– What to expect
Sunday’s show is expected to be a “huge party” infused with Puerto Rican culture and full of dancing.
The singer recently told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden: “I just want people to have fun. It’s gonna be a huge party. I want to bring that to the stage, a lot of my culture.
“People only have to worry about dancing. I know I told people they had a month to learn Spanish, but they don’t even need to do that! It’s better that they learn to dance. There’s no better dance than the one that comes from the heart.”
It is also expected that he will make some form of political statement following his call for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) officers to leave cities alone and opt for love during his Grammy acceptance speech last week.
Ice officers have been sent to US cities as part of Mr Trump’s mass deportation initiative, and have come under strong criticism over their aggressive approach, most notably in Minnesota and Minneapolis, where about 2,000 federal agents have been deployed.
Most recently, Ice agents fatally shot two people on the streets of Minneapolis: Renee Good on January 7 and Alex Pretti on January 24.
