When the NFL, Roc Nation, and Apple Music announced that Bad Bunny would be the 2026 Super Bowl halftime performer, the noise started almost immediately. On one side, there were cheers and excitement: His fans recognized the historic nature of the performance, which will go down in the books as the first Super Bowl halftime entirely in Spanish. Plus, the declaration came toward the tail end of yet another massive year for Bad Bunny – after a triumphant 31-date residency in Puerto rico, an Amazon stream of the concert that broke records, and the blockbuster success of his chart-busting album I should have taken more photos.
On the other side, there was just as much commotion, but these conversations were almost hysterical – and far uglier. Conservatives blasted the NFL’s choice, taking issue with pretty much every facet of Latin music’s most visible star. His music? Unlistenable. His politics? Unacceptable. his lyrics in Spanish? Un-American.
Bad Bunny has been such a beloved figure across the global music landscape precisely because he’s been authentically himself,embracing fashion and aesthetic choices that subvert gender norms and refusing to make palatable,commercial pop in English.he’s been unafraid to speak his mind in his songs, often speaking out about difficulties in Puerto Rico, like gentrification, economic difficulties, and the long-term impacts of colonization. And while he isn’t a polemical artist who staged long tirades against the management, he has stood up about issues he cares about, such as the rights of immigrants amid the government’s cruel deportation policies. In an interview with i-D magazine, he shared part of the reason he opted against touring in the U.S. was because he didn’t want ICE to terrorize his largely Latino fanbase outside his concerts.
“I was a little depressed,to tell you the truth,” Feliciano said later. “And then they stopped playing me. Like I had the plague, or somthing.” Years later, in 2018, he reflected on the incident and shared that his rendition was actually his way of honoring his country from a deeply felt place. “When I did the anthem, I did it with the understanding in my heart and mind that I did it because I’m a patriot,” Feliciano said. “I was trying to be a grateful patriot. I was expressing my feelings for America when I did the anthem my way instead of just singing it with an orchestra.” (Perhaps not coincidentally, Bad Bunny paid homage to Feliciano as a pioneer and trailblazer, bringing him onstage during his 2023 headlining set.)
Other examples of bringing Latin artists onto mainstream stages have come with an unnecessary amount of controversy,even decades later.Take the 1999 Grammys: Back then, Ricky Martin was a star on the rise, having successfully plotted a career from child boy band Menudo to breakout solo act. He had already become a household name in Latin music, and his album Comes back was nominated for a Grammy for Best Latin Pop. His label head Tommy Mottola began pushing to have Martin perform one of the tracks – the famed “Cup of Life” FIFA anthem that Martin had written for the 1998 World Cup – as an opening number for the Grammys telecast. Despite Martin’s stage presence and star power, producers for the awards show disapproved of the idea, convinced a Latin act singing primarily in Spanish wouldn’t work for the show.
Mottola later recalled how intense the pushback was. “There was tremendous resistance from the Grammys,” mottola told Billboard. “They did not want an ‘unknown’ to perform, yet we had already sold 10 million copies of Comes back worldwide. to me, that was absolutely UNACCEPTABLE. We had enormous leverage at that time with almost every major superstar on our label. We heavily voiced our ‘opinion and influence’ and said: ‘Ricky must have a performance on
The Politics Behind the song: Why Singing the Anthem in Spanish Sparks Debate
The question of whether the U.S. national anthem can be sung in Spanish has recently resurfaced, prompting a wave of discussion and, for some, outright opposition.As one individual poignantly asked, “To the exact same melody. The heart of the anthem does not change with the language.So why was I told I couldn’t sing it? Make it make sense.” The answer, sadly, lies not in musicality or patriotism, but in a complex history of prejudice and increasingly charged political rhetoric surrounding the Spanish language and Latino communities in the United States.
while the anthem’s melody remains constant nonetheless of the language used, the act of singing it in Spanish has become a flashpoint. This isn’t a new phenomenon, but the intensity of the reaction has demonstrably increased in recent years. Longtime prejudices against Latin artists and culture have historically existed within the music industry and broader American society, manifesting as suspicion, doubt, and even outrage. However, these attitudes have been amplified and weaponized by the current political climate.
The rise in anti-Latino sentiment coincides with a period of heightened government antagonism towards Latino communities and immigrants. During the Trump administration, policies and rhetoric actively targeted these groups. Notably,an executive order was issued aiming to establish English as the official language of the U.S., and Spanish translations were removed from official White house websites. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/trump-administration-removes-spanish-language-content-white-house-website-n753996 This signaled a clear message about the perceived value of languages other than English.
This official stance has fueled a disturbing trend on social media, with viral videos documenting confrontations where individuals are harassed for speaking spanish, falsely associating the language with a lack of belonging. This ignores the reality that approximately 18% of the U.S. population is bilingual. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2023/08/11/key-facts-about-u-s-hispanics/ The implication is clear: speaking Spanish is not simply a matter of linguistic preference, but is increasingly viewed as a political act, and by some, an act of defiance.
The upcoming Super Bowl performance by Bad Bunny exemplifies this tension. His decision to perform in spanish is not merely an artistic choice; it’s a powerful statement of representation for the millions of Latinos who comprise 20% of the U.S. population. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2023/08/11/key-facts-about-u-s-hispanics/ Even if his performance contains no overt political messaging, the very act of reclaiming space and language on such a prominent stage is inherently political.
Bad Bunny’s performance, and the debate surrounding singing the anthem in Spanish, underscores a fundamental truth: self-expression through language and culture is deeply American. The history of Latin artists has significantly contributed to the richness and diversity of American music and culture, and their voices deserve to be heard – in the languages they choose to use.