Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show sparks a surge in Spanish learners on Duolingo
With just days to go until Bad Bunny makes history at the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show, fans are racing to learn Spanish lyrics with Duolingo's help.
Image: Matt Winkelmeyer / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP
There are four more days until Grammy award-winning musician Bad Bunny headlines the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show, and fans are scrambling to learn the lyrics and Spanish.
Bad Bunny is the first artist to perform the Super Bowl’s halftime show entirely in Spanish, and ensuring that fans can sing along, Duolingo has stepped up to assist.
The language learning app is using the NFL’s conference championship to help fans learn “Bad Bunny 101,” translating certain lyrics into English in an ad.
The 15-second animated spot sees Duolingo’s owl mascot, Duo, dressed as Bad Bunny, translating words and phrases like “twerk” and “auntie asked me.”
“Spanish is the second most spoken language in the U.S., and it’s already part of how culture shows up,” said Duolingo CMO Manu Orssaud, in a statement.
“This halftime show lets fans experience that at full volume, and a little Spanish goes a long way toward enjoying the moment even more.”
Duolingo previously revealed that there are lots of Spanish lessons hidden in Bad Bunny lyrics. Listening to music in the language you’re learning is a great way to practice what you study, and if you’re a Spanish learner, Bad Bunny makes for an excellent teacher.
Bad Bunny shines a light on Puerto Rican politics through his music. The relationship between Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans and the U.S. is complicated.
Bad Bunny often references the pride that many young Puerto Ricans feel by choosing to stay, favoring their roots and identity over economic opportunity (this narrative is also featured prominently in his song “El Apagón” and its music video).
The Puerto Rican sensation won album of the year at the 2026 Grammy Awards for his critically-acclaimed “Debí Tirar Más Fotos.” It is the first time a Spanish-language album has taken home the top prize. He also won Best global music performance for “EoO” and Best music urban album “Debí Tirar Más Fotos.”
IOL