Super Bowl 60 may feature the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, but nobody is getting more attention than Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny. He made history at the Grammy Awards last week, and now he is ready to perform the first Super Bowl halftime show primarily in Spanish.
That being said, knowing Spanish won’t be a requirement to enjoy the show — even if he joked about it four months ago. Bad Bunny, also known as Benito, simply wants to invite the audience to a Puerto Rican party with lots of dancing.
“I just want people to have fun. It’s going to be a huge party, what people can always expect from me,” he said during a press event. “Of course, a lot of my culture. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but it’s going to be fun! I know I said people have four months to learn Spanish, but no, just come ready to dance.”
While this is his first time as the headliner, this will actually be Bad Bunny’s second time performing at the Super Bowl. In 2020, he performed part of “I Like It” alongside Shakira in a mashup with “Chantaje.”
We don’t have the official set list for Sunday night’s show so anything is on the table. However, part of the fun is guessing what Benito might do. Here are the songs that could likely make an appearance in the Super Bowl 60 halftime show in no particular order:
DtMF
“DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” made history as the first predominantly Spanish-language album to win Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards. It is also the name of a song that should absolutely be part of this show.
The title translates to “I should have taken more pictures.” It’s about nostalgia and the importance of appreciating what and who you have because some day these will just be memories you are trying hard not to forget. Expect to feel emotional during this one, regardless of if you are fluent in Spanish.
This is an important song for Benito because it is also the name of a short film he directed. In the almost 13-minute video, a señor, played by 91-year-old actor and writer Jacobo Morales, reminisces about the past and is struggling while watching Puerto Rico lose its culture.
LA MuDANZA
This event will introduce a whole new audience to Benito, making the following lyrics a perfect fit: “en el mundo entero ya conocen mi dialecto, mi jerga,” which means the whole world now knows the dialect from his hometown. His voice not only represents him, but also from where he came.
The song starts with Benito recounting his parents’ love story and his upbringing in Puerto Rico. The words in this song mean a lot to him and they have even made him emotional during shows.
VOY A LLeVarte PA PR
I’m expecting Benito to bring Puerto Rico to the Super Bowl, and what better way to do it than with this song, which translates to “I’m going to take you to Puerto Rico.” Before the music even begins, the song starts with someone yelling “Acho, PR es otra cosa” — a phrase that means Puerto Rico is something else.
During his shows, Bad Bunny has been choosing one lucky fan to yell this phrase, including Spanish/Mexican star Belinda. This is also just a really fun song to dance to, like pretty much every other Bad Bunny song.
EoO
It doesn’t matter how much of this song gets played, the intro of this song goes HARD and new Bad Bunny listeners deserve to experience it. It is bound to turn anyone’s living room into a dance floor, just make sure your knees are ready for it.
NUEVAYol
As you no doubt know by now, Benito does not shy away from making cultural and political statements, and this song is more than just about how fun New York is in the summer. It pays homage to the city having a rich history of immigrants.
In the music video, there is a part where people are listening to a man who sounds like President Donald Trump saying, “this country is nothing without the immigrants.”
Tití Me Preguntó
This one is not very deep. The gist of it is Tití, or auntie, asking Benito if he has multiple girlfriends and why hasn’t he settled down. He tells her he is not getting married anytime soon and is just enjoying the company of many women. He is clearly finding humor in her concern, and during a night out he even asks for a selfie to send Tití.
“Tití Me Preguntó” has been pretty popular even with non-Spanish speakers, so it makes sense to hear it at the Super Bowl. The way he raps makes you think you can keep up with the Lyrics but it’s more challenging than it seems. Regardless, it is easy to dance to because you can just jump up and down while enjoying the vibe.
BAILE INoLVIDABLE
Will there be a lot of perreo (twerking) in this halftime show? Sure. But not when “Baile INoLVIDABLE” comes on, a song that translates to “Unforgettable Dance.” This one has a nostalgic and romantic salsa vibe, which is an excellent way to pay homage to latin culture.
It features the voice of the señor from the DtMF short film saying “while you are alive, you must love as much as you can” in Spanish. He is also in the music video for this song.
Monaco
This one is not exactly a dance song, but it feels luxurious and cool. If you know what’s coming, it’s hard not to freak out when you hear the intro with the beautiful violin sound. It then switches to more of a trap song about how he is now successful and can take care of his family.
Part of the lyrics translate to, “light a cigar, the family is in Monaco.” Bad Bunny also sings about luxuries such as experiencing Formula 1 in person and hanging out with other celebrities, like LeBron James.
El Apagón
This is another one of the songs that sound fun but also have meaning behind it. Bad Bunny starts by bragging about Puerto Rico being the birth place of reggaeton, and also namedropping Puerto Rican icons such as J.J. Barea — who Benito points out won an NBA title before James.
The song then switches to the constant power outages Puerto Rico experiences, and he also makes references about locals having to leave their land. The official music video features a lot of history of what people in Puerto Rico have gone through. The song “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii” also has a similar theme.
I Like It … and guest predictions
Bad Bunny already performed “I Like It” in 2020 alongside Shakira, but hear me out. Cardi B will be at the Super Bowl to support boyfriend Stefon Diggs, so this would be a practical and fun guest appearance. This also allows for the opportunity to invite J Balvin, another extremely popular Latin artist.
Knowing Benito’s style, it would not be surprising to see an OG such as Tego Calderón, especially since the two of them recently collaborated on new songs.
Now, this might be a little far fetched because he has switched his style of music since coming out of retirement, but imagine Puerto Rican legend Daddy Yankee coming out to sing Dura, which also means Natti Natasha and Becky G could be on the stage. “Gasolina” being performed at the Super Bowl would be one for the books.
The names of other artists who could make an appearance include Rauw Alejandro for “Party,” Arcángel for “Original” and Marc Anthony, who appeared in the last show of Bad Bunny’s Puerto Rico residency in September.
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