Puerto Rican musician Bad Bunny is set to headline the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show, and students have mixed opinions.
The news was announced in late September and was quickly met with online discourse due to the out-spoken nature of Bad Bunny.
Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, has songs that make varying political statements, and none of them are in English. “I feel like you want to show, especially for the Super Bowl, the diverse culture… what really represents people,” said Yusef Suleiman, sophomore computer science major.
He will be the first Latin American male to headline the Halftime Show performance. He previously performed in Super Bowl LIV, as a guest performer for Jennifer Lopez and Shakira.
In recent years, the NFL has played and announced many international games to appeal to a global audience and they ultimately do not have the final say in the performer, after their 2019 deal with Roc Nation.
“Bad Bunny is one of the biggest artists in the world right now, even if it’s not meant to be, it is a political statement. I hope he doesn’t speak a lick of English the whole show because that really pushes the right thing,” said Mallory Burton, a freshman biology and chemistry major.
In his upcoming “Debí Tirar Mas Fotos World Tour,” he specifically did not include U.S. dates due to fear of ICE raids. Although a U.S. citizen himself, being from Puerto Rico, he expressed concern for his fans in a heightened political climate.
“I thought it was interesting that he chose to take this show, but it’s a huge stage and I think he’s definitely going to use it to say something,” said freshman Mikey Mook, who is an undecided major.
While some students expressed excitement about the performance, others said a halftime show in another language could create barriers instead of promoting progress.
“Different languages would be cool, but at the same time I want to be able to actually understand what you’re saying. I honestly wish it would be music and performance. You cannot walk three steps around campus without someone saying something,” said Hailey Parson, a freshman biology major.
Ocasio recently hosted the season 51 premier of Saturday Night Live.“If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn,” said Ocasio, in English, responding to those with issues surrounding his Spanish music.
