Fans race to learn Spanish before Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance

Bad Bunny is expected to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday entirely in Spanish, which has inspired fans to quickly learn the language.

In October, the Puerto Rican singer – born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio – kicked off the 51st season of Saturday Night Live, expressing pride over the achievement in Spanish, after which he said in English, “If you didn’t understand what I just said, you have four months to learn!”

That declaration further stoked the anger of some conservatives who have vilified Bad Bunny for speaking out against President Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant policies. The singer cancelled the US portion of his tour last year out of fear that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would target his fans.

There’s been a frenzy online of people posting about Bad Bunny lyrics, including Puerto Ricans explaining slang used by the singer and non-Spanish speakers documenting their journey to learn Spanish.

Anticipation for his halftime performance has only intensified since last weekend, when his album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, became the first Spanish-language album to win the Grammy for Album of the Year. He did not shy away from addressing targeted federal immigration operations at the awards.

“Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say ICE out,” he said in English after winning his first Grammy for Música Urbana Album. “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.”

Niklaus Miller, 29, has been buckling down on learning Bad Bunny lyrics since the singer’s SNL appearance months ago. The fervour to learn a new language within a short time span highlights the powerful impact of Latino culture in the US despite the president’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and actions.

“It felt like a form of protest,” Miller said. “What can I do right now besides what everyone is doing that is trying to help? It just feels good.”

Miller said he has got messages from people who watch his videos with their parents since he started posting about the process of learning Spanish. They say they feel seen and appreciated. Miller has learned portions of six songs that he feels will be part of the halftime show, including Tití Me Preguntó, DtMF and Baile Inolvidable.

The day after Bad Bunny was announced as the halftime act, O’Neil Thomas, 28, a New York City actor and content creator, started learning the singer’s catalogue. The response to his TikTok videos has been positive with many Puerto Rican people saying they’re proud that someone outside the community is attempting to learn about their culture.