Bad Bunny‘s Super Bowl halftime show extravaganza had a few special guests, Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin chief among them, and the two artists are showering the King of Latin Trap with love and gratitude after being invited to and partaking in the joy-filled performance.
“They need to give me several hours to allow me to understand the tsunami of emotions that I’m feeling,” Martin said in Spanish on Instagram. He shared images of him alongside Bunny and Gaga, as well as a video where he and his fellow Boricua artist embraced for photos.
The significance of Martin’s inclusion — he was tapped to cover the moving anti-colonial track “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii” — cannot be overstated, given how much the best-selling Latin pop artist paved the way for the next generation of Spanish-language music via the likes of Bunny.
Gaga, meanwhile, shared two posts on social media related to her surprise appearance on the stage, where she sang an exuberant salsa-influenced version of her hit track “Die With a Smile.” Clad in a gorgeous baby-blue dress, featuring a custom flor de maga brooch pinned to her lapel in a nod to the official flower of Puerto Rico, she was backed by a lively band and surrounded by dancers from a real-life wedding that took place shortly before her performance.
“It was my absolute honor to be a part of Benito’s halftime show. Thank you Benito for inviting me and thank you to the entire cast for welcoming me onto your stage. I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she wrote on Instagram alongside a snippet of the show.
In another post, she added, alongside photos of her, Bunny and Martin: “Thank you Benito for including me in this powerful, important, and meaningful performance. I am so humbled to be a part of this moment. It’s all the more special because it was with you and your beautiful heart and music. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ All my love to Benito, Ricky and the whole cast. Thank you to @chloeandchenelle and @luar for my beautiful styling and fashion ❤️ All of your talent and love made that beautiful dress come to life.”
Gaga’s appearance was greeted with delight from fans, and adds new color to her viral interaction with Bunny at the Grammys last week, in which the two shared a cute moment between the ceremony.
Performing a medley of hits old and new — from “Safaera” to “Tití Me Preguntó” to crowdpleaser “DtMF” — Bunny dominated the halftime stage for over 13 minutes, sweeping from the jíbaro-lined sugarcane fields to his signature Casita, which was jam-packed with celebrity cameos from Jessica Alba to Pedro Pascal, as well as collaborators Karol G, Young Miko and Cardi B. His ebullient spectacle championed Latinidad and unity, backed by slogans like “Together, we are America” and “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”