Music influences each listener differently. An example of this was the halftime show by Benito Antonio Martnez Ocasio, known artistically as Bad Bunny, which had a record 135 million viewers witnessing his performance.
For thirteen minutes, the Puerto Rican singer had everyone dancing to tropical rhythms and Spanish at Levi’s Stadium, but he also sparked a desire to learn the language in a large percentage of his fans, according to Duolingo.
Bad Bunny gets everyone speaking Spanish
The “Benito Bowl” featured special guests such as Lady Gaga, who was the only one to sing in English with Die with a Smile to a salsa rhythm, Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin singing “LO QUE LE PAS A HAWAii,” and Chilean actor Pedro Pascal and singers Karol G, Cardi B, and Young Miko among his dancers.
His show was criticized by some viewers, including President Donald Trump, who called it “one of the worst ever” and “a slap in the face” for the country in a critical post on Truth Social, his social media platform. On the other hand, others celebrated Bad Bunny’s danceable rhythms, his vindication as a Latino, and his unprecedented performance.
The truth is that the show left no one indifferent and prompted some fans to take action. Whether out of a desire to understand the artist’s songs or simple curiosity, the well-known language platform “Duolingo” reported that, after Benito’s show, it saw a 35% increase in Spanish students compared to the previous week.
This news was shared on their official X account (formerly Twitter), where they also shared a graph showing this increase in their figures: “Is this what a one-night stand feels like?,” they wrote.
“Don’t pretend like you don’t know the answer to that question,” said one user. “Music is so important in unlocking desires for language! A year ago I heard a group and after a few songs was like, ‘Well, time to learn Korean.’ Glad to see you with some positive news and headlines, friend,” said another. “It’s easy to start. It’s sounding natural after the excitement fades that’s the hard part,” admitted a third follower.
In this way, Bad Bunny was in charge of calming the nerves of fans during the game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, where Sam Darnold and his team defeated Drake Maye and company 13-29 and were crowned the new Super Bowl champions.
Benito also made history by becoming the first Spanish-speaking Latin solo artist to headline the halftime show, having previously only made a cameo appearance alongside Jennifer Lopez and Shakira when they invited him on stage in 2020.
His show comes after gaining even more relevance by becoming the first Grammy winner for Album of the Year with an entirely Spanish-language album, “DeB TiRAR Ms FOTOS,” in which he pays tribute to his culture and Latin American culture in general.
Without a doubt, the Puerto Rican brought Latin dance and culture to the Big Game and, as an added bonus, sparked interest in the language among many fans.