Kamal Ghorui
As anticipation builds for Bad Bunny’s highly awaited performance at the Super Bowl LX halftime show this Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, the Puerto Rican superstar received an outpouring of love and support from the entertainment world.
Katy Perry cheers for Bad Bunny
Ahead of the big show, Katy Perry, who previously headlined the Super Bowl halftime show, took to her social media handle to share an encouraging message for the Grammy-winning star. In a tweet, she wrote, “You got this @sanbenito remind the world what the real American dream looks like.”Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl moment comes on the heels of his historic Grammy award win for Album of the Year. His all-Spanish album Debi Tirar Mas Fotos became the first-ever Spanish album to win the award.
JLo and Shakira support Bad Bunny
The artist’s selection has not been without controversy, considering last year’s show which featured Kendrick Lamar take the big stage. However, Jennifer Lopez, who headlined the Super Bowl halftime show in 2015, addressed the criticism in an interview with CBS Mornings, saying, “Music and art transcend language… He’s one of the top artists in the world right now.” Shakira, also acknowledged the significance of the moment, celebrating the broader milestone it represents for Latin music on one of the world’s biggest platforms.More than 120 million Americans are expected to tune into the show which takes place at half-time in the American football match-up between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks in Santa Clara, California.On the streets of San Juan, Bad Bunny’s compatriots are eagerly awaiting the world’s most famous Puerto Rican to represent the island at the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday.Above all, they are proud that a singer who grew up on the small Caribbean island of 3.2 million inhabitants has reached such heights, without ever forgetting his humble origins in Vega Baja, a municipality about 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of the capital.
‘Political struggles’
Beyond the music, the performance of Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, Bad Bunny’s real name, has taken on a political dimension in the United States.Some conservatives opposed the choice of an artist who sings in Spanish and has been critical of the Trump administration’s mass deportation of immigrants.Speaking Thursday, Bad Bunny, 31, steered clear of politics, instead promising “It’s going to be a huge party,” he said, playfully dodging questions about surprise guests and other details. “What people can expect from me … I want to bring to the stage, of course, a lot of my culture. But I really don’t, I don’t want to give any spoilers. It’s going to be fun.”
About the show
Apple Music’s Zane Lowe mentioned that Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance is 13 minutes long during an interview with the superstar on Thursday. Historically, they run 12 to 15 minutes.
Bad Bunny to perform entirely in Spanish?
All of Bad Bunny’s music is recorded in Spanish, so it seems like a safe bet. Were he to include English into his set, it would likely appear in a spoken interjection — or it would be featured in text.On Thursday, he joked that fans didn’t actually need to learn Spanish to enjoy his set — but they should be prepared to dance.
Will special guests join Bad Bunny?
It is impossible to predict, but it would be surprising if Bad Bunny wasn’t joined by other performers — particularly other giants of Latin music, and probably, other Puerto Rican performers. The band Chuwi joined Benito for every night of his San Juan residency; it wouldn’t be out of the question to see them on stage for their collaboration, “Weltita.”Other potential guests, if the residency is a framework to follow, could include Marc Anthony, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Young Miko, Wisin y Yandel, Gilberto Santa Rosa and Alfonso Vélez. But the list goes on and on.
Fans express fears
In the same neighborhood, near a mural depicting Bad Bunny with a Puerto Rican flag, Angelis Segarra crosses her fingers that the halftime show goes off without a hitch.“I hope they don’t sabotage his show because lately I’ve seen that a lot of people don’t want him there,” said the 22-year-old waitress.“Spanish is our main language and part of our culture, and I think that, while always respecting others, our culture has to be very valuable to us,” he said.“I think they selected Bad Bunny partly because Latinos are important in the United States. It’s a country of immigrants, and without immigrants, it wouldn’t be in the position it’s in,” he concluded.
