In brief
Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican pop sensation, has been revealed as the headline act for the Super Bowl half-time show set to take place in February 2025. Known for his chart-topping hits and significant influence in the music industry, he expressed deep pride for his roots and the opportunity to represent his culture on such a grand stage. His performance signifies a pivotal moment for Latin music in mainstream entertainment, and he continues to address sensitive topics such as immigration during his world tour.
Puerto Rican pop star Bad Bunny will headline next year's Super Bowl half-time show in California.The singer and rapper, who has topped Spotify's most-streamed artist list in three of the past five years, will squeeze his hits into less than 15 minutes on US TV's most-watched night in February.In a football-themed statement, he said: What I'm feeling goes beyond myself. It's for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown. This is for my people, my culture, and our history. It comes after the star recently said in an interview with i-D magazine he is avoiding the US on his current world tour out of concerns that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents might conduct raids on fans at his concerts.He will now make a trip to the US for Super Bowl night in Santa Clara on 8 February, following in the footsteps of other recent half-time performers including Kendrick Lamar, Usher, Rihanna, and The Weeknd.Lamar was the musical attraction at this year's Super Bowl, which was watched by a record 127 million viewers in the US.Switching into his native Spanish, Bad Bunny - whose real name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio - added, Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el halftime show del Super Bowl - roughly translating to: Go tell your grandma we're going to be the Super Bowl half-time show. Jay-Z, whose Roc Nation company chooses the half-time performer and produces their show, said what Bad Bunny has done and continues to do for Puerto Rico is truly inspiring.In 2022, Bad Bunny Un Verano Sin Ti (A Summer Without You) became the first all-Spanish language album to reach number one in the US.The 31-year-old was the third most-streamed artist in the world last year, behind Taylor Swift and The Weeknd.He released his latest album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos (I Should Have Taken More Photos), earlier this year and has won three Grammy Awards, and earlier this month was revealed as the leading nominee at this year's Latin Grammy Awards.Earlier this month, he concluded a residency in his native Puerto Rico, which drew more than 500,000 fans. Puerto Rico is a US territory but exercises substantial internal self-governance.His tour is due to start in the Dominican Republic in November, traveling across Central and South America, and to Australia, Japan, and Europe, including two nights at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London next summer.His Super Bowl performance will take place at the Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, in the San Francisco Bay Area.Bad Bunny is also an actor, having appeared in films like Bullet Train and the recent Happy Gilmore 2, and will return to host Saturday Night Live for a second time next month.
