This is a big week for Bad Bunny who won three Grammy Awards as he prepares to headline the 2026 Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show next Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, known professionally as Bad Bunny, closed out the Grammys with the top award for “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOTos” — the first Spanish-language Album of the Year.
Moved to tears, he dedicated the award to “all the people who had to leave their homeland to follow their dreams” after winning three of his six nominations Sunday night.
Bunny also recently released the trailer for his Super Bowl halftime performance on the Apple Music YouTube channel, featuring him dancing energetically to his song “BAILE INoLIDABLE,” which translates to “Unforgettable Dance.”
The video captured the Puerto Rican rapper and musician dancing in several styles with people of various races, ethnicities, genders and ages. A wide shot at the end shows him in the center, surrounded by the large, diverse group of dancers with pulsating words: “February 8 … the world will dance.”
The video resonated with humanitarian, activist and fan Jace Coronado, who passionately described it as “an act of resistance to show up in love, joy and diversity/unity.”
“It was also displaying an act of courage,” Coronado said. “Sometimes the most courageous thing you can do is love, in a world that seems sometimes so broken, hateful or dark. Where love can feel like a risk, it is always a risk worth taking. The light comes from within us, and we can only really experience that fully when we let it shine, which happens when we share that light.”
Watchers of the American phenomenon that is the Super Bowl have taken varying stances on the selection of Bad Bunny. Some people are questioning his relatability, while others are celebrating representation on a major platform. Bunny primarily raps in Spanish, but has incorporated Spanglish in some of his music.
“I think just seeing Bad Bunny take the stage for the halftime show is already a really big deal, considering he’s become a very, well-loved artist in not just a Latin community but around the world,” student Ali Pesina-Garcia said. “He’s done so much to promote culture and spread awareness, and I think especially with how things are currently going in our country, his performance will be very special.”
According to Spotify, Bad Bunny was its most-played artist globally in 2025, with more than 19.8 billion streams. “With this achievement, Bad Bunny becomes the first artist ever to claim the top spot four times,” Spotify said, adding that “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOTos” received global top album, “underscoring the worldwide embrace this year of Puerto Rico’s vibrant culture and music.”
Despite this global popularity, the NFL received pushback from conservative critics, who implored action against the performance. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stood firm in the decision to keep Bad Bunny. “I think it’s going to be exciting and a uniting moment,” Goodell stated at a press conference. Jay-Z’s entertainment company Roc Nation has been working with the NFL in recent years to select halftime performers.
Bunny brought some humor into the situation during his “Saturday Night Live” monologue in October. “You might not know this, but I’m doing the Super Bowl halftime show,” he said.
“And I’m very happy. I’m very happy, and I think everyone is happy about it — even Fox News,” he added as the audience erupted with laughter.
To help viewers learn his discography before the performance, Apple Music curated a “Road to Halftime” playlist of his hits. This inclusivity means something to communities. Seeing people dance with such joy and freedom on the trailer has resonated with audiences across the world and on social media platforms.
“Latin music is for everyone,” Howard University student Dakota Green said. “Whatever you want, it’s for you!”
Student Gabrielle Powell is among those who believe that the video conveyed a message of harmony and community and that this inclusive message is amplified louder than the voices that try to silence it.
Powell said it shows “how art is really an act of resistance, especially when we have people who are constantly trying to divide the world.”
“Having them come together is really important.”
Ebunoluwa Ogunrinola is a reporter for HUNewsService.com.
