Beyond the Halftime Show: Dr. Theresa Martinez on Bad Bunny

Theresa Martinez, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Utah, studies the intersections of race, gender, class, and culture, with a particular focus on political resistance and social messaging through music and popular culture. In this Q&A, Martinez shares her perspective on Bad Bunny / Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio’s 2026 Super Bowl performance, exploring how artists use global stages to tell the stories of their communities and draw attention to issues such as colonialism, labor, identity and power. Her insights help unpack the symbolism and broader cultural significance behind one of the most widely viewed performances of the year.

 

1. Bad Bunny, and Kendrick Lamar performed back-to-back. What stood out to you about seeing those two performances on one of the biggest stages in the world?

It was honestly moving as well as exciting to see these two young men—each significant artists with global reach—performing basically back-to-back, one year following the next, at the Super Bowl. Each of them spoke to profound issues plaguing their communities though with very different styles. Kendrick Lamar spoke to moral and spiritual fragmentation and anguish, reflecting on issues of systemic racism, immiseration [economic impoverishment], and mass incarceration facing Black communities in the U.S. There was rage and disillusionment screaming through last year’s performance with only a little softening when [singer-songwriter] SZA took the mic. But otherwise, the story was grim. For Bad Bunny, there was a celebration going on—a celebration of Puerto Rico’s rich and enduring culture, history and people. The songs were eminently danceable, and the stage was filled with revelry which included an actual wedding. At the same time, there was no denying the critique of colonialism and neglect of the islands as we saw sugar cane fields and workers on utility poles. 

The pairing of these two artists at least signifies that people are listening to their music.  For those who listen to their messages and are concerned about the issues, it is a validation of real and painful concerns. For some, it might only be because the two artists are global superstars. My hope is that some of them will learn from all this.

2. Throughout Bad Bunny’s performance, there were powerful visual cues. How did you read those symbols?

I think my answer to question #3 will cover this but let me also mention the lovely images of New York street scenes with a bodega, vendors and a pan-America parade.  At the same time, there was the central reference to his home with “La Casita”—the humble house characteristic of Puerto Rican architecture—as well as the laborers on the utility poles and the references to sugar cane fields. Dancers were everywhere, including celebrities such as Pedro Pascal and Cardi B. Bad Bunny referenced his recent Grammy win for album of the year, handing the award to a young boy in a nod to future generations of Latinx artists. Bad Bunny named countries across the Americas, including Canada and displayed a proud parade of flags in a moment of collective pride. Messages were also clear not only on the jumbotron—“THE ONLY THING MORE POWERFUL THAN HATE IS LOVE”—but also a football that Bad Bunny spiked at the end—“Together, We Are America.” And finally, before spiking the ball, he said these words in Spanish, “We’re still here.”  These are messages of cultural pride, acknowledgement of Latinx influence and heritage in the Americas, and a reminder of what matters and what remains.

3. How is Bad Bunny using imagery in his performance to preserve cultural memory?

As I mentioned, the sugar cane fields are a reminder of a colonial past and the workers on utility poles signify a neglect of the islands and a fear of continued colonization as Bad Bunny’s song “Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii,” sung by Ricky Martin for this half-time show, echoed from the stage. The song itself reflects on concerns with the on-going takeover of Puerto Rico—“Queren quitarame el río y tambien la playa/Quieren mi barrio mio y que abuelita se vaya” which translates to “They want to take my river and my beach too/They want my neighborhood and grandmother to leave.” The song cannot be seen as anything but a critique of present-day disparities—there is no holding back in the lyrics. This is striking in an artist who could’ve rested on his undeniably danceable tunes. Yet, Bad Bunny takes a stand here in the song and in the album Debi Tirar Más Fotos—I Should’ve Taken More Photos—another reference to a disappearing culture. It’s interesting that Bad Bunny himself climbs the utility pole in the half-time performance—he is one with the workers, with the jíbaros/as/x who are the Puerto Rican people themselves.

4. How does Bad Bunny’s visibility, and the way he represents his community, challenge mainstream narratives, especially on a stage as massive as the Super Bowl?

Bad Bunny is unequivocally evoking the value and dignity of immigrants in his work and in this performance. In the face of horrific imagery that Americans often see in social media, this young artist is placing immigrants in the foreground of his work, and this was vibrantly and headily displayed for the Super Bowl half-time show. In Bad Bunny’s steadfast and unwavering portrayal, Latinx immigrants are proud, hardworking, capable, family-centered, talented, charismatic, filled with merriment, and capable of wonderous things in this life. Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio tells us so.