Shakira Backs Bad Bunny For Super Bowl Halftime: 'It'S Socal Time To Shine!'

Shakira’s Hyped for Bad Bunny’s Big Moment

Yo, LA fam, get ready for some serious Latin heat at the Super Bowl! Shakira, our Colombian queen, is straight-up stoked about Bad Bunny headlining the halftime show on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. She’s waving the flag for the Puerto Rican superstar, even as some folks try to rain on his parade with calls to swap him out for someone else.

In a recent chat with Variety, Shakira didn’t hold back her excitement. She’s all about celebrating how far Spanish-language music has come, especially since her own groundbreaking moments on the Super Bowl stage. With that SoCal summer energy, she’s ready to see Bad Bunny rep Latin culture on the world’s biggest platform.

A Historic Throwback and a Bold Future

Let’s rewind to 2020, when Bad Bunny joined Shakira and Jennifer Lopez for the first all-Latine Super Bowl halftime show - a total game-changer. J Balvin was also in the mix, making it a full-on fiesta that shook up the norm. Shakira reminisced about how even dropping Spanish lyrics back then felt like a risky move, but it paved the way for today’s mainstream love for Latin beats.

“I’m beyond proud to see Bad Bunny up there, showing the world how universal Spanish-language music has become - it’s our time to shine on that global stage,” Shakira told Variety.

She also got real about her own journey, marking the anniversaries of her iconic albums like ‘Pies Descalzos’ (1995) and ‘Oral Fixation (Vol 1 and 2)’ (2005). Shakira hopes her early struggles with acceptance in the English-speaking world helped carve out space for artists like Bad Bunny to dominate now.

Pushback and Politics Can’t Dim the Vibe

Of course, not everyone’s vibin’ with Bad Bunny taking center stage. Some conservative voices, including former President Trump, have called the choice “crazy” and “ridiculous” in a Newsmax interview. There’s even a Change.org petition with over 54,000 signatures pushing to replace him with Texas country star George Strait to supposedly “honor American culture.”

Turning Point USA, led by the late Charlie Kirk, is also stirring the pot with plans for an “All American Halftime Show” as an alternative, though they haven’t dropped any artist names yet. But let’s keep it 100 - claims that Bad Bunny isn’t American are straight-up wrong. Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, making him just as American as anyone else, and past halftime shows have featured non-U.S. acts like Rihanna and U2 without this kind of drama.

Shakira’s Got Bad Bunny’s Back

Despite the shade, Shakira’s doubling down with nothing but love for Bad Bunny. She’s hyped about what he represents - not just Latin culture, but the massive global impact of Spanish-language music. From the Hollywood red carpet to the Super Bowl field, she sees this as the perfect moment for a performance that’ll have us all dancing.

“I can’t wait to watch it,” she added, and honestly, neither can we! So, whether you’re chilling in Malibu or streaming from DTLA, let’s get ready to turn up for Bad Bunny and show the world what our Latinx community brings to the table. For more on the stories shaping our culture, sign up for our Latinx Files newsletter!