SAN FRANCISCO — Bad Bunny took the stage three days before his highly-anticipated halftime show at Super Bowl LX and talked about the party he intends to put on through his music at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday.
No mention of ICE. No mention of President Donald Trump.
In a conference room packed full of international media who waited two hours to hear from the global superstar, Bad Bunny took questions only from two Apple Music representatives and a trio of junior reporters. And the focus remained purely on Bad Bunny’s music, family and how he has balanced an on-going tour while preparing for the halftime show.
“To be honest, there’s a lot,” he said Thursday. “I’m still in the middle of my tour. I just was at the Grammys last week. All that, I mean, I’ve been working on this show, on what we’re gonna do next Sunday, so it’s been a lot.
“But, of course, there’s a lot of grateful and agradecimiento (gratitude). It’s how I’ve been feeling this whole year with the album. The biggest feeling is being grateful.
“I’m happy but I’m just processing and taking one day at a time and just living, you know what I mean? So, I’m excited about this performance.”
Bad Bunny, whose name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, was named as the halftime performer for Super Bowl LX in September. That led to criticism from the likes of President Trump, who called the choice “absolutely ridiculous” in an interview with conservative news network Newsmax.
However, the NFL stood firm with its decision, with Commissioner Roger Goodell saying during his annual Super Bowl press conference on Monday that Bad Bunny is “one of the greatest artists in the world.” That came a day after Bad Bunny won three Grammy awards, including Album of the Year.
The Puerto Rico native has been outspoken in his stance against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He has chosen to keep his tour outside of the United States and declared “ICE out” before accepting Album of the Year on Sunday.
That sparked intrigue about whether Bad Bunny would make any political statements during Sunday’s performance. That remains to be seen, but he kept Thursday’s comments focused on the show itself.
He declined to share whether he will be joined by any special guests during the performance, but told the crowd to be ready for a party.
“I just want people to have fun,” he said. “There is going to be a huge party, it is going to be what people always can expect from me.
“Of course, a lot of my culture, but I really don’t want to give any spoilers. It is going to be fun and it is not going to be hard. It is going to be easy and people only have to worry about dance.
And for those who might not understand Bad Bunny’s lyrics, which are primarily in Spanish?
“I know that I told them that they had four months to learn Spanish. They don’t even have to learn Spanish,” he said. “It is better if they learn to dance, but I think (there is no) better dance than the one that comes from the heart. The heartbeat dance, that is the only thing that they need to worry about and have fun and enjoy.”
Sunday will actually be the second time Bad Bunny has performed on the halftime stage. The first came six years ago during the Super Bowl LIV halftime show that featured Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. At the time, he was a guest appearance. On Sunday, he will be the main act as one of the biggest music stars in the world.
Since 2019, Bad Bunny has been a top-five streamed artist on the music platform Spotify every year, including the most streams in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Bad Bunny said that while he has been trying to “take it easy,” he also acknowledged regularly waking up in the middle of the night thinking about the halftime show.
“I want to think that it’s just… 13 minutes of doing something that I love, that I like. And it’s just like that. I’m trying to enjoy it and I know that I’m gonna have fun,” he said. “Just enjoy the moment, enjoy … what’s happening, what I’m doing.”
He was asked by one of the junior reporters what he would be doing if not for his music career. Bad Bunny smiled before offering: “Watching the Super Bowl at home?”
–Derek Harper, Field Level Media
