By Ruby Yedavalli

Bad Bunny performed at the Super Bowl halftime show in Santa Clara, California, at Levi’s Stadium on February 8. He took the Super Bowl show by storm, singing his main hits, such as “DtMF`” and "Yo Perreo Sola.” He also exclaimed, “I.C.E. out! We're not savage, we're not animals, we're not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.” 

The singing, dancing, costumes, and set was greatly inspired by Bad Bunny’s Latino culture. The music was mostly in Spanish, and celebrated Puerto Rico, where he is from. There was even some salsa dancing between Lady Gaga and Bad Bunny. 

Vivian Frade, 603, shared, “I think he’s pretty important to music culture because his songs have meaning. I think one is about I.C.E.” 

Bad Bunny’s real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio. He was born in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, where he grew up in a lower middle class household. His mother taught him English when he was a kid. His songs were streamed more than any artist in 2025, nearly twenty billion times. During the 2026 grammy’s Bad Bunny won three awards, one being Album of the Year for his album, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,”which translates to, “I Should Have Taken More Photos.” At the grammy’s, his acceptance speech mentioned I.C.E (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). I.C.E. enforces laws about immigration and has taken several immigrants into custody, including small children. Bad Bunny fights for the humanization of immigrants and is against taking people from their homes. 

Ms. Farrell, our dance teacher, sympathizes with this. “I think Bad Bunny is a positive role model and a very talented artist, and he sent a very powerful message by saying he believed in himself and that others could believe in themselves too. I also think he’s funny. Historically, his genre of music has not been the most popular and appreciated, and I believe we are finally living in a time where that’s represented,” she says.

Bad Bunny shocked everyone when Lady Gaga was featured as the Super Bowl guest, singing her hit, “Die with a Smile” to a salsa beat. 

Mae Brown, 701 commented that, “I was kind of confused as to why Lady Gaga was there, but then I found out that she was his American idol partner so yeah.”

 Although lots of people enjoyed the half time show, a separate one was created for people who were not in support of Bad Bunny. It was called The All-American Halftime Show and it was headlined by Kid Rock. Several social media platforms streamed the event such as Youtube and X and Rumble. The function was considered a conservative alternative to Bad Bunny’s performance at the Super Bowl, which was heavily criticized by many Republicans. 

On Truth Social, President Donald Trump stated, “The Super Bowl halftime show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!” Even saying that it was, “…an affront to the Greatness of Ameirca…”   

Besides the political opinions about the Half Time Show, the actual performance was widely enjoyed by several individuals. Ms. Farrel, our dance teacher said,

 “The dancing and all the different styles of dance and how it communicated messages like love, joy and community. Also how all different ages were represented in the choreography.” 

Bad Bunny rose to fame in 2016-2017 and since then he has transformed into a global icon. He not only has great music but he also is an influential representative of Puerto Rican culture. He continues to break down barriers and norms with his beliefs, culture, outspokenness, and unique personal identity.