Shakira defends Bad Bunny’s upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show

Shakira will absolutely advocate for it Bad bunny when Superbowl LX arrives.

Less than a month after news broke of the ‘Moscow Mule’ hitmaker headlined Apple Music’s halftime showShakira, 48, voiced her support for the NFL’s decision.

“It’s about time!” she said Variety in an interview published on Tuesday, October 21. “I remember when we did ours, even having part of our set in Spanish was a bold move. … The acceptance of Spanish-language music as part of the mainstream has come so far since I started. I like to hope and think that all the times my music has encountered resistance or confusion from the English-speaking world before it has been embraced have helped set the stage for where we are today.”

When Shakira shared the Super Bowl stage with Jennifer Lopez in 2020, the Grammy winner was able to perform some of her biggest hits, including “She Wolf” and “Whenever, When.”

But when Bad Bunny, 31, joined her on stage, the pair sang Spanish-language songs, including “Chantaje.”

“I am so proud that Bad Bunny, who represents not only Latin American culture but how important Spanish-language music has become on a global scale and how universal it has become, gets to perform on the biggest stage in the world,” Shakira continued. “It’s the perfect time for a performance like this. I can’t wait to watch it.”

However, not everyone is happy with the NFL’s decision to book Bad Bunny for the February 2026 headlining performance at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

A petition has started Change.org to swap the Puerto Rican superstar for a country singer George Street. At the time of writing, more than 58,000 people had signed.

Danica Patrick And President Donald Trump have also spoken out and criticized Bad Bunny as a halftime artist.

Bad Bunny himself previously responded to the naysayers while hosting Saturday evening live.

“I’m very excited to be in the Super Bowl and I know that people around the world who love my music are happy too,” he says. told viewers on October 4.

After a brief speech in Spanish, Bad Bunny joked, “If you don’t understand what I just said by now, you still have four months to learn!”

Ultimately, the musician has the support of many artists, including Lopez, 56.

“I think he’s about to surprise everyone,” the “On the Floor” singer said during an Oct. 6 performance. interview op Today. “It’s an introduction for some people. … I’m super excited for people to see him. I think they’ll be pleasantly surprised because his music transcends language. It’s amazing what he’s done. He’s done something that a lot of people have never done in their lives.”

When asked about the backlash surrounding Bad Bunny’s booking, Lopez claimed she knew nothing about it until NBC News’ Craig Melvin brought it up.

“I swear I don’t know,” she said. “Why? But why? I don’t understand that. He’s one of the top artists in the world right now, probably the top.”