Good Bunny

The 2026 Super Bowl Half Time Show

“Good afternoon, California. My name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio. And if today I’m here at the 60th Super Bowl, it’s because I never, never stopped believing in me. And you should, you should believe in yourself too. You’re more valuable than you think, believe me.” Translated quote by Bad Bunny from the 2026 Superbowl halftime show.

About ten years ago, when I was still a freelancing violinist in Los Angeles (I retired a couple of years ago), I was hired to do a session that was a project involving many well-known popular music artists. As the session went on, I learned the names of some of the artists (who typically don’t show up in person for the recording sessions, but add their tracks later), and one stuck out: Bad Bunny. What an interesting moniker, I thought at the time. I had no idea who he was or what his music sounded like, but I trust other musicians when they speak of someone in reverential tones. In the music business, everyone is aware of what it takes to climb to the top. This guy, apparently, was thought of as having something special.

I was becoming used to playing for popular artists’ acts in LA like this one, a city I moved to from the Midwest in 2015, and was frequently hired as a backup musician for their song tracks. For instance, I played a live show with the artist deadmau5 several years ago, which was one of my favorite gigs in LA. I performed for Taylor Mac’s 24 hour long A 24-Decade History of Popular Music, an exhaustive trek through America’s long list of historical songs. I also played on some TV and movie tracks, and I was part of an Alan Parsons project just before retiring.

So it was with great interest that I watched the Superbowl’s half time show last Sunday, to see how far Bad Bunny (aka Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) had come. As it turns out, he’s changing the world, and in a positive way.

Coming from a family of lower middle class parents, the climb to the top began with an obsession for music, and throughout his childhood and teen years, Ocasio spent all his spare time experimenting with composition, performing (including the local church choir) and getting familiar with the electronics used in songs. He worked as a grocery store bagger, but used it to support his music habit and get through school. Creativity was evident in other parts of his life, as he became interested in fashion, and has commented in interviews that he felt men are being shortchanged when it comes to interesting clothing.

In other words, Bad Bunny (a name he came up with after being mad about a rabbit costume he was forced to wear at a party as a child) is a highly creative, intelligent human being who followed his heart and worked hard to make a difference.

“God bless America. Doesn’t matter if it’s Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Perú, Ecuador, Brasil, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Haiti, the Antilles, United States, Canada, and my motherland, my homeland: Puerto Rico. We’re still here. Now!” Quote by Bad Bunny from the 2026 Superbowl halftime show.

As a result of his fame, many Americans (including this one) now know that there are five major permanently inhabited, unincorporated organized territories, which are: American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These territory’s inhabitants (with the exception of American Samoa) are U.S. citizens, although they are not allowed to vote. And, each one has a non-voting delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The half time show also brought attention to the struggle for a reliable power system, with the song El Apagón, Spanish for “The Blackout”, because in 2017 Hurricane Maria devastated the power system, and because it has not been fully restored by LUMA energy, the island’s power company.

In a wonderfully portrayed gesture of hope, a little 5-year-old boy watching a vintage TV set with his parents is handed a Grammy award by Bad Bunny, echoing his ongoing encouragement of children. His Good Bunny Foundation has given millions to causes involving young kids, including restoring baseball fields throughout Puerto Rico that were devastated by Hurricane Maria.

In short, this halftime show was brilliantly conceived, beautifully executed, fun to watch, and a tribute to the power of music and human connection.

To see a brilliant takedown of the current administration’s rebuke of the halftime show, go here to The Daily Show’s review of the fallout.

Pamela Bayard Foard is the author of the children’s book, “Giselle and the Little Idea”. If you liked this post, please show the love by clicking the little heart, or better yet, leave a comment! I would love to hear from you.

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