Watch: Shakira and Jennifer Lopez Dazzle in Super Bowl’s First All-Latin Halftime Show
Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Bad Bunny and J. Balvin took the Super Bowl halftime stage Sunday night in what was an undeniable celebration of the eclectic-ness of Latin music, along with ample commentary on the reality of life in this country for Latinx immigrants and citizens.
J.Lo donned a double-sided U.S./Puerto Rican flag cape, while her 11-year-old daughter, Emme, sang a short rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” Lopez also had a children’s choir accompany her, each child in a small, spherical structure—perhaps meant to symbolize the very-real child imprisonment going on at the U.S./Mexico border.
The show was uniquely bilingual, with guest acts Bad Bunny and J. Balvin performing in Spanish on “I Like It/Chantaje” and “Mi Gente,” respectively. But it was clear that this wasn’t specifically catered to a predominantly Spanish-speaking or Latinx demographic—it instead argued that Spanish-language and Latin music is deeply ingrained in American popular culture, whether it be from Colombia or Puerto Rico, which is a protected U.S. territory, though with limited rights (such as the right to vote, which is not reserved for Puerto Ricans).