Bad Bunny: From Humble Beginnings To Super Bowl Headliner!

Bad Bunny -- born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio -- has been dominating the music industry for years now. He is a multi-Grammy and Latin Grammy winner, the first Spanish-language artist with an Album of the Year Grammy win, and the most-streamed artist on Spotify for multiple years (2020-2022, 2025). He now can add "Super Bowl Headliner" to his long list of accomplishments because he will be the main musical act for this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, which is expected to be watched by millions worldwide.

Bad Bunny fell in love with music and performing at a young age. His parents filled their home with different kinds of Latin music, such as Salsa, Merengue, and romantic ballads.  As a young child, he would also sing in his church choir. Some of his biggest musical inspirations include fellow Puerto Rican artists like Daddy Yankee (who he would go on to work with), Hector Levoe, and Tego Calderón. While he grew up in the humble Puerto Rican town of Veja Baja, he never felt like he was missing anything because of the love and support that his parents and family members provided him with. 

His passion for music continued as a young adult. After graduating high school in 2012, he was enrolled in the audiovisual communications program at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo. He also worked part-time as a bagger and cashier at an Econo supermarket while creating music in his free time. He would eventually drop out of university to focus on his music full-time. 

His big break came in 2016 after uploading his song "Diles" on Soundcloud. The song caught the attention of Puerto Rican Record Producer, DJ Luian. After hearing “Diles”, Luian signed Bad Bunny to his record label, Hear This Music. He would remain under Hear This Music until 2018 when he moved on to Rimas Entertainment, a prominent independent label from Puerto Rico that focuses on Latin Trap and Reggaeton. One of his earliest hits is "Soy Peor", which was released in December 2016 and reached Number 19 on the Hot Latin Songs Charts. He became a household name in English-speaking communities after Cardi B featured him and J-Balvin on her 2018 single “I Like It". This single topped the Billboard Top 100. That same year, he released his single "Mia", featuring Drake, which reached Number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

His success continued to grow. In 2021 at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards, his album YHLQMDLG (Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana) earned him his first Grammy for Best Latin Pop or Urban Album. Fast-forward to earlier this month when Bad Bunny became the first artist to win Album of the Year for an entirely Spanish-language album (for Debí Tirar Más Fotos). He has won numerous other awards, performed at sold-out arenas, and recorded multiple platinum-certified albums. 

He is also known for his bold and gender-bending style. In March 2020, the Puerto Rican singer released his single "Yo Perreo Sola." The music video for this song featured him portraying a sexy and carefree woman. He wore a red leather minidress and a long wig. Parts of the video also show him decked out in bright floral colored outfits. Through this music video and song lyrics, Bad Bunny aimed to deliver a message of female empowerment, advocating that women who want to dance alone should be able to do so without worrying about harassment from men. At the end of the video, there is a message that says, “If she doesn’t want to dance with you, respect her, she twerks alone.” This song proves that, on top of being a talented musician, he is also a feminist ally. 

His talents have also crossed over to the big screen. In 2025, he appeared alongside Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore 2. He has also participated in the professional wrestling space. At the 2021 WrestleMania 37, he had his first match. He teamed up with Damian Priest and defeated The Whiz and John Morrison in a tag team match. He briefly held the WWE 24/7 Championship and continues to make regular appearances in the World Wrestling Entertainment program. He's also hosted 2 episodes of "Saturday Night Live", the first in 2023 and most recently in October of 2025.

While this will be his first time serving as the Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner, he is no stranger to the big event. In 2020, during Super Bowl LIV, he was a guest performer alongside J Balvin, during Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s performance. He performed parts of “Chantaje” and "Callaita" with Shakira, and “I Like It" with J.Lo and Balvin. 

While his announcement as this year’s Super Bowl headliner has been met with mixed reactions, it’s safe to say many are anticipating his performance. On January 16. 2026, his Super Bowl Halftime teaser was released on Apple Music, featuring him dancing to his song "Baile INoLVIDABLE" with individuals of different ages and backgrounds. His teaser has broken the record for the most-liked Super Bowl teaser, generating over 5 million likes and 69.3 million views on his instagram account. We can’t wait to see his talents take over the iconic stage!

Catch Bad Bunny's Halftime Show live during Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, starting 3:30pm PT/6:30pm ET on NBC and streaming on Peacock!