On the Cover: Bad Bunny

Bad Bunny is a fully fledged global superstar and one of the most potent live acts in the world. And it looks like he’s just getting started.

The Puerto Rican artist, who’s managed by Rimas/Habibi and repped by Jbeau Lewis at UTA, recently rocked the biz with a sold-out, 31-show residency in San Juan—providing a huge economic boost to his home island, which became a more desirable summer destination thanks to his name’s presence on the El Choli marquee (the shows at the 18k-cap arena were produced by Move Concerts/Noah Assad Presents). The final date was livestreamed by Amazon Music and became the platform’s most-watched single-artist performance.

Benito's Live Nation-produced DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS world tour, meanwhile, kicks off Nov. 21 with 11 dates before year’s end, including eight stadiums in Mexico City, and is due to run through summer of 2026. The on-sale blew out stadiums worldwide, selling 2.6m tickets for 54 shows in 18 countries (and four continents, for those of you keeping score at home). We might add that the tour shares its name with the #4 album YTD (via Rimas/The Orchard), which has racked up north of 2m in total activity.

But Bad Bunny is likely to hit a new level Feb. 8 as the Super Bowl’s halftime performer. The gravity of the decision by Roc Nation, the NFL and Apple to select him for this biggest of all TV looks at the present political moment is not to be underestimated. Given our current chilling climate of ICE raids and the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies, the choice of the biggest Latin act in the world is a bold statement on behalf of inclusivity and diversity as such values are under sustained attack.

The artist has been outspoken in his criticism of the administration’s repressive, regressive words and actions, and he has a giant megaphone that’s only going to get bigger. He has not yet announced U.S. dates—and has not played U.S. stadiums since 2022—but many expect him to do so after the Super Bowl. His most recent U.S. tour, in 2024, was an underplay in arenas.

Not surprisingly, Trump surrogates and the rest of MAGA are piling on, with attacks on Bad Bunny and the NFL, including bizarre invective (it’s “demonic,” per MTG) and even an attempt at an “alternative” halftime backed by right-wing org Turning Point USA.

Still, none of that is likely to take the world’s eyes off one of the most dynamic performers in music.