By Angelica Medina
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Bad Bunny was thinking about his family, friends, and culture as he prepared for his historic Super Bowl LX halftime show on Sunday, where the Seattle Seahawks will face the New England Patriots in the NFL championship game.
The 31-year-old Puerto Rican star, whose album "Debí Tirar Más Fotos" won Album of the Year at last week's Grammys, wants to bring a sense of belonging to people around the globe with his performance. Last year's Super Bowl halftime
show by Kendrick Lamar set a record, drawing more than 130 million viewers.
"My biggest feeling is being grateful," the artist, wearing an unusual beanie hat with bunny ears, told reporters on Thursday.
"I feel more excited about the people than even me, about my family, about my friends, people that I know that always believed in me and they're happy because of this moment and the culture."
He emphasized unity and celebration as his main goals for the 13-minute performance and was candid about how his deeply personal album exceeded his expectations.
Bad Bunny's selection as halftime headliner has drawn criticism from some traditionalists, including President Donald Trump, who called it "absolutely ridiculous."
The artist has been outspoken in his criticism of Trump's deportation policies and openly supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race.
Upon accepting one of his three Grammy awards last week, he declared "ICE out" from the stage, referencing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
He notably skipped touring the continental U.S., citing fears that immigration agents would arrest his fans.
After announcing his residency in Puerto Rico, he recalled thinking: "Oh, wow. The world really wants me. So I should go also to give some love, show love to the world, to Latin America."
"And then the opportunity to bring that feeling that I put on that album to one of the biggest stages in the world is something that I never thought," he said.
When asked about potential guest appearances, Bad Bunny, or "El Conejo Malo", deflected with characteristic warmth:
"I think I have a lot of guests. It's gonna be my family, my friends, or all the Latino community around the world."
He even joked with the 'Kid Correspondent' from the NFL Play 60 programme — one of three youngsters at the conference who were allowed to ask questions — who wanted to know how he keeps his body healthy for such demanding performances.
"Eating smash burgers and thinking about the Super Bowl halftime show at 4 a.m."
He added he's been working out and eating healthy, though he's had to make sacrifices: "I'm not even playing that much dominoes and that's just killing me, bro."
Although this isn't his first rodeo, six years ago he joined Jennifer Lopez and Shakira on stage for Super Bowl LIV, yet he insists the return wasn't part of some master plan.
"My biggest achievement, my biggest pleasure is just create, have fun doing it, and connect with the people," he added.
What should fans expect Sunday? "As I said, I just want people to have fun. It's gonna be huge, the party is going to be what people always can expect from me. Of course, a lot of my culture, but I really don't want to give any spoilers.
"It's going to be fun and it's going to be a party," he added.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by David Gregorio)
