Bad Bunny made music history on Sunday at the Grammys after he became the first Spanish language artist to win album of the year in the 68-year history of the awards.
The Puerto Rican star is also billed to headline the 2026 Super Bowl half time show on Sunday, February 8th.
But who is Bad Bunny, the 2025 most streamed artist on Spotify?
What is his real name?
Bad Bunny is the stage name of rapper, singer and songwriter Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio.
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Where did he get his stage name from?
In an interview with Jimmy Fallon in 2020, the musician shared that he got the name from a childhood photograph of him dressed as a bunny rabbit, annoyed at having to do fancy dress. He then coined the name “Bad Bunny” because he was a bad rabbit.
How popular is he?
Bad Bunny is probably one of, if not the biggest artists in the world right now, having ranked as the number one most streamed artist on Spotify globally in four out of the previous five years.
In Ireland, however, his popularity is not as widespread, and he has not once ranked in the top five most streamed artists in the same five-year period.
Why is Bad Bunny not better known in Ireland?
He has never played a gig in Ireland. Additionally, reggaeton, the genre that Bad Bunny mainly performs in, has not achieved mainstream success in Ireland in the way it has in the US where Spanish speakers make up a higher proportion of music consumers.
Why is everyone talking about him right now?
The rapper made music history after taking home the album of the year award for his 2025 record Debí Tirar Más Fotos, making him the first Spanish language artist to do so.
He dedicated his win to “people that had to leave their homeland, their country, to follow their dream”.
As well as winning album of the year, Bad Bunny won best música urbana album and global music performance.
He also used his time on stage to address the rise in anti-immigration sentiment in the US.
“Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say Ice out,” he said. “We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens, we’re humans and we are Americans.”
Bad Bunny is headlining the 2026 Super Bowl half time show, having previously performed as guest in 2020 when Shakira and Jennifer Lopez were headliners.
However, he made a notable omission in his 2025-2026 Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour, a 23-date stadium tour not including dates in the US.
In an interview with I-D magazine, the musician said this was because of concern that his fans could be the target of Ice (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids at his concerts.
Is there anything else I should know?
Bad Bunny is also a huge fan of wrestling and is known to make appearances at WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) both as a performer and a competitor.
