Bad Bunny's Super Bowl performance is an invitation to show real allyship to migrant communities
When Bad Bunny took to the Super Bowl stage in Spanish, it was a celebration of Latin culture that invited everyone to participate. But beneath the spectacle was an opportunity to embrace migrant cultures while acknowledging their struggles, writes Emilia Roux.
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When Bad Bunny’s song El Apagón played during the 2026 Super Bowl performance, audiences saw dancers upside down, twerking and contorting themselves as they hung from telephone poles dancing to the beat of Cuban Tambores.
What English-speaking audiences may not have seen is the powerful message behind this deeply political song about modern-day colonialism.
El Apagón means - the big black out - a nod to the power outage issues that have made the lives of Puerto Ricans impossible and the continued displacement of Puerto Ricans who are being priced out of their own homes by a wealthy class of Americans looking for a tax refuge.
Many mainland Americans want to shake ass to Latin music and eat their food, but when it comes to paying the taxes that allow local Puerto Ricans to maintain a quality of life and live in their own country, it seems a line is drawn.
There has been a continued colonial syphoning of resources from Puerto Rico and a series of deliberate policy decisions that have made their economy reliant on wealthy outsiders. Puerto Rican tax incentive schemes have prioritised wealthy outsiders to the detriment of Puerto Ricans, who are being forced out of their own community.
I love Bad Bunny’s approach of leading with love. He is a beacon of hope and a symbol of unity during one of the most fractious political climates we have known.
But we also need to remind ourselves that there is a distinction between a polite acceptance of the ‘other’ and the kind of empathy that mobilises action on equality. The kind that is required to form the foundation of a genuine and thriving multi-cultural society.
Bad Bunny has written a number of songs that talk about the idea of modern-day colonialism. In his song ‘Lo que paso a Hawaii’ or ‘What happened to Hawaii’ (sung by the ageless Ricky Martin at his Super Bowl performance) the message is a clear invitation to experience and participate in Latin culture shouldn’t be at the expense of its people.
I think that message extends to the concept of allyship and support for Latin culture around the world: don’t let this moment be an act of tourism, a fun visit where you dance and sing, eventually leaving behind all the real-world consequences.
Bad Bunny’s delivery of an entire Super Bowl performance in Spanish is historic. For me, it was the ultimate way to shift the balance of power. For the first time, a Latino has the reach, power, and, importantly, the audacity to say: meet us where we are. We will no longer come to you, we will no longer water down our culture, hide our language, feel ashamed or afraid.
Bad Bunny’s influence is stratospheric and the significance of his performance will be remembered.
In his song, El Apagón, he says “todo el mundo quiere ser Latino” (the whole world wants to be Latino). When it’s cool and sexy to engage with specific parts of our culture, everybody leans in. Everybody bee-lines to the dance floor for Gasolina; everybody all of a sudden loves Argentina come World Cup season; and we have all seen the love affair between your whitest friend and a giant Mexican sombrero after a watered-down tequila slushy at El Camino.
None of this is to say that any of those things are bad. Latinos have a way of welcoming and celebrating culture that invites everyone to participate, and music is a big part of utilising that soft power to make our voices heard.
It is my hope that the “Bad Bunny effect” will invite people to embrace the fun parts of Latin culture while also acknowledging the challenges that this community has had to endure.
My parents are Latin American and recall stories of an Australia in the late 80’s that was deeply racist and unwelcoming. My mum adores Bad Bunny and can be seen blasting his music at 7 am on a Sunday morning while busting a salsa step, vacuum in hand. She often tells me that it’s funny how things have changed, and so many people in Australia now love Latin music. There has been a notable shift from subtle disdain to friendly curiosity every time someone inevitably asks her, “Where is that accent from?”
It’s important to recognise the arbitrariness of a system that elevates some cultures while vilifying others. Beneath the surface lies a constant fear of being the “wrong” kind of migrant. Becoming the fashionable migrant of the moment depends on someone else being cast as unacceptable. Many multicultural societies operate on this quiet threat: you are welcome - conditionally. Ask people of Middle Eastern background today, or Asian communities during COVID. Acceptance, it turns out, comes with fine print. You have to act like us, but you will never truly be one of us.
Bad Bunny’s music and the popularisation of Latin music all around the world has created a community and a sense of belonging that crosses cultural lines and moves us all.
But the important thing to note is that allyship shouldn’t end with Bad Bunny and his Super Bowl performance. Australia is home to many Latinos, yet our national broadcaster doesn’t even have a correspondent in the entire continent of South America. We turn away from issues that are impacting the lives of those living in the global south.
If you can open your hearts to Bad Bunny’s music you should also be able to open your eyes to not only what is happening in America, but to the way that Australia treats its own migrants. Manus Island, Christmas Island, Nauru, offshore detention, and the legacy of a white Australia policy that still endures. These are just a few of the things that reflect a culture of ‘conditional’ acceptance and hypocrisy when we talk about Australia as an example of a successful multicultural society.
“Currently, all people who arrive or stay in Australia without a valid visa or citizenship are automatically detained, regardless of risk. This includes children, refugees and asylum seekers fleeing persecution or other serious harms.”
In the final months of 2025, the Labor government surreptitiously introduced amendments to the Migration Act that allow the removal of certain non-citizens to third countries without affording them procedural fairness - a cornerstone of our legal system and a safeguard against human rights abuses.
Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner has warned that these changes could undermine human rights, Australia’s international legal obligations, and set a troubling precedent for the fair treatment of migrants.
The message in all of this should be, don’t turn away from the challenges facing migrants. When tensions build, migrants are the first to be targeted, and the world will be its witness. Global conflicts, political turmoil and a climate crisis will mean that acceptance of refugees will be more urgent than ever. If music is the conduit to break through the hegemonic powers of the colonial, English-speaking world, then we are seeing it unfold in real time. I hope that this serves as a reminder to accept the invitation to participate and celebrate different cultures without condition.
About the author
Emilia Roux
Emilia is a second-generation Latin American migrant with a passion for telling human stories. She has a degree in communications, majoring in journalism and political science, from the University of Technology Sydney. She is a freelance writer and works in policy and communications.
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Really loved this take - an amazing read 👏👏