Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, more commonly referred to as Bad Bunny, performed at the Super Bowl on Feb. 9, where he gave viewers a glimpse of his Puerto Rican roots.
Ocasio is a Grammy-winning rapper, singer and producer, who is the most-streamed artist in the world. He was selected to be the lead performer for this year’s Super Bowl as the National Football League looks to shift their half-time shows towards a younger audience, and because of the reach Ocasio has around the world.
The performance lasted around 13 and a half minutes and left behind a powerful message that all people can reflect on. Throughout his set, he performed all of his songs in Spanish, on one of the most-watched stages in the world.
In the first frame of the performance, we are transported to a sugarcane field, a scene that evokes Puerto Rico’s agricultural history and symbolizes the island’s enduring resilience and cultural roots. Alexandander Mercedes, an artist from the Dominican Republic, starts the show by saying “Qué rico es ser latino. ¡Hoy se bebe!” while dressed as a Puerto Rican farmer. In English, this translates to “how wonderful it is to be Latino,” and “today we drink!” which set the tone immediately.
Ocasio walked slowly through the pass as he began the show with “Tití Me Preguntó.” He was first surrounded by Puerto Rican laborers cutting sugarcane, and as he kept moving forward, the people around him wore more modern clothing.
As Ocasio continued to pass through the set, the backdrop shifted to familiar scenes of Puerto Rican daily life, including coco frío and piragua stands, showcasing the community spaces that shape much of the island’s cultural identity.
Viewers were also shown younger women spending time at the nail salon, a place in Puerto Rican culture rooted in self-care and bonding with others. We also see elderly people playing dominoes, which is very popular on the island, and also represents how all people are accepted, regardless of age.
“Tití Me Pregunto,” concluded with Ocasio ducking under two boxers who are facing off, each of them wearing shorts that represent the Mexican and Puerto Rican flags. As he is about to transition into the next song, a street vendor selling jewelry gives Ocasio a ring, which he passes along to a man who proposes to a woman.
The journey through Puerto Rican life continued as Ocasio made his way towards la casita, a small, intimate set piece that is supposed to represent the warmth of a neighborhood home and the shared cultural spaces where music, storytelling and community thrive. Outside of the casita, he was joined by a mix of Puerto Rican and Latinx talent while he performed “Yo Perreo Sola” and “Safaera” on the roof.
Some of the icons showcased on the set were Jessica Alba, Pedro Pascal, Karol G, Young Miko, David Grutman, Cardi B and Alix Earle, bridging the gap between local roots and global influence.
The moment signaled not only the global reach of Latin music but also a broader shift toward greater cultural representation in mainstream American entertainment.
“MONACO,” a hit song of Ocasio’s, featured dozens of violinists who emerged from the sugarcane field playing the iconic melody. He began speaking directly to the audience while the symphony continued. He shared an inspiring message, all still in Spanish.
“My name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, and if I’m here today at Super Bowl 60, it’s because I never, ever stopped believing in myself. You should also believe in yourself. You’re worth more than you think. Trust me.”
This message was pretty much all we could hear from “MONACO,” but it definitely added a unique element I wasn’t expecting, and I felt hopeful after reading the translation.
The camera pans from Ocasio to a wedding ceremony, where a real couple was married during the Super Bowl. After they share their first kiss as husband and wife, everyone from the ceremony quickly clears the way to reveal Lady Gaga.
She was wearing a light blue dress and a large Flor de Maga brooch, the official national flower of Puerto Rico. The combination of colors she wore, red, white and light blue, also represented the original flag that declared Puerto Rico’s independence from Spain.
That flag was banned from 1947 to 1953 as Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory. The flag was altered around that time as well, with a darker shade of blue added to make it more similar to the American flag.
Lady Gaga wearing these colors while salsa dancing was such a beautiful moment as she sang a salsa version of “Die With a Smile.” I think the live band accompanying her really sold the performance for me.
“NUEVAYoL” was one of my favorite songs throughout Ocasio’s set list. Seeing everyone dancing so passionately to this track on the field was electric. This song always makes me want to dance, and it was cool seeing that acted out by the performers as well.
Towards the end of Ocasio’s performance, he said three words in English, which were “God bless America,” as he and other performers were followed by the flags that make up North, Central, South America and the Caribbean to highlight Pan-American unity.
With the words “The only thing more powerful than hate is love” glowing across the jumbotron, Ocasio chose to close with “DtMF,” a powerful finale that reinforced the show’s themes of love, memory and cultural pride.
“DtMF” stood out to me because its themes of regret, cherishing loved ones, and longing for home added an emotional depth to the performance that went beyond celebration and spectacle. Hearing Ocasio reflect on missed moments and nostalgia for Puerto Rican culture made the show feel more personal and intentional, reminding me that embracing your roots also means holding tight to the people and memories that shape who you are.
By combining his high-energy hits with deeply personal moments, viewers were reminded that music can honor heritage and bring people together regardless of a language barrier. Ocasio represented what it means to be an American by celebrating diversity and showing how different cultures and experiences come together to shape the nation.