Bad Bunny will headline the Super Bowl LX halftime show, marking the first time in the event’s history that the performance will be delivered entirely in Spanish. The NFL confirmed the news this week, setting up a milestone moment for both the Puerto Rican artist and the league’s growing Latino audience.

Since his breakthrough in 2016, the 30-year-old musician, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has become one of the world’s most popular artists while keeping Spanish at the core of his music. His seven studio albums, including 2023’s Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana and 2025’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos, have been recorded almost exclusively in Spanish. Even his most global hits, such as “Tití Me Preguntó” and “Me Porto Bonito,” rarely include more than a few English phrases.

While Latin stars have taken the halftime spotlight before, including Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, and Gloria Estefan, their performances typically mixed English and Spanish or leaned on bilingual singles. Bad Bunny’s 15-minute set is expected to remain fully Spanish, unless he departs from his usual catalog to add English-language covers, which would be uncharacteristic.

The singer acknowledged the announcement with a short statement in Spanish: “Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL,” which translates to, “Go and tell your grandma that we’re going to be the Super Bowl halftime show performer.” The moment recalls his 2023 Grammy performance, when U.S. television broadcasts labeled his vocals as “singing in non-English,” sparking debate over how Spanish is represented on national broadcasts.

The decision to feature Bad Bunny also reflects demographic realities. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, by 2025 roughly 22 percent of Americans over the age of five reported speaking a language other than English at home, and Spanish accounted for more than half of that group. The NFL has been increasing outreach to Latino fans in recent years, and the halftime show is one of the league’s most visible platforms to do so.

Bad Bunny’s performance also arrives at a politically charged moment. Immigration enforcement and anti-immigrant rhetoric remain central issues in U.S. politics, particularly as the 2026 presidential election approaches. The artist himself has previously expressed concern for his fans’ safety in the United States. In an interview with i-D magazine, he said he declined to tour his Debí Tirar Más Fotos album domestically over fears that Immigration and Customs Enforcement could target concertgoers.

When the Super Bowl news became public, he seemed to reference those earlier comments with a post on X: “After speaking with my team, I think I’ll do just one show in the United States.”

In a recent interview with Apple Music, Bad Bunny said the performance will highlight Puerto Rican and Caribbean culture. “I’m really excited for my friends, my family,” he said. “Puerto Rico, all the Latino people around the world. I’m excited about my culture. I’m excited about everything, not just for me.”

Super Bowl halftime shows routinely draw more than 100 million viewers worldwide, making them one of the most-watched musical events annually. For Bad Bunny, the appearance represents both a career milestone and a cultural statement: an affirmation that Spanish-language music, without translation or compromise, belongs at the center of American pop culture’s largest stage.