Bad Bunny says he's losing sleep over the Super Bowl

Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny says he's trying to stay calm ahead of Sunday's Super Bowl, Half Time Show - but it isn't working out.

"Last night, I couldn't sleep," he said during a press conference for the show, admitting that he'd often woken up "thinking about the Super Bowl at 4am".

The singer, who won album of the year at Sunday's Grammy Awards, will be the first artist ever to perform the half time show entirely in Spanish.

His selection in September prompted opposition in right-wing media circles, where it was noted he had been critical of President Trump and his administration's immigration policies.

The controversy even led one conservative organisation in the US to plan an alternative show during half-time - starring singer and Trump ally Kid Rock.

"I think the president would much prefer a Kid Rock performance over Bad Bunny, I must say that," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday.

Bad Bunny did not address the bubbling tensions over his performance at Thursday's press conference, where hosts Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden flattered him with softball questions.

However, security at the press event was tight. Journalists were required to pass through security scanners; and their bags were searched a second time as they waited for Bad Bunny to arrive.

Despite that, the musician seemed relaxed on stage, as he stretched languorously across a sofa in a long faux-fur coat.

And he hinted his performance would be more about unity and healing than spreading division.

"I know that the world is gonna be happy at this Sunday, and they're gonna have fun, and they're gonna dance and they're gonna have a good time."

The Super Bowl Half Time Show is one of the most-watched music events in the world, regularly drawing more than 100 million viewers in America alone.

Bad Bunny noted that he'd had to prepare his 13-minute segment in the middle of an extensive world tour, and joked that the pressure had eroded his competitive edge.

"I'm not even playing that much dominoes, and that is killing me, bro," he said.

"In the last three games, I got a zero," he said. "I need to talk to my therapist."

Asked about the possibility of special guests on Sunday night, he refused to spill any secrets.

"You know that's something I'm not going to tell you," he laughed. "I don't know why you asked that."

Finally, as he reflected on the biggest week of his career, the star said that taking to "the biggest stage in the world" confirmed something he'd long believed.

"You always have to be proud about who you are and feel comfortable being yourself. Feel proud about your history where you from, but don't let that limit yourself."

How can I watch Bad Bunny's half time show?

Bad Bunny will take to the stage midway through the Super Bowl.

The game starts at 23:30 UK time (18:30 in San Francisco), and half time depends on how the game progresses. That means the performance could start any time between 01:00-01:30 UK time.

In the US, the match is being screened on NBC and streamed on Peacock. Viewers in the UK can follow it on Channel 5, Sky Sports and Now TV from 22:30.

If you don't want to stay up and watch the concert live, the NFL typically puts the whole show on YouTube immediately after its broadcast, and Apple Music subscribers can watch it back in spatial audio.

Bad Bunny is the stage name of Puerto Rican singer Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio - whose genre-bending songs and convention-flouting lyrics have made him a global star.

Since 2020, he's been the most-played artist on Spotify in four separate years (a clean sweep that was only broken by Taylor Swift).

With his doleful singing voice and a prolific work rate, he's transformed the sound of música urbana, combining elements of trap, hip-hop and R&B with the traditional sounds of Latin pop.

He got his start singing in a church choir at the age of five, and earned his nom de plume from a childhood photo of him scowling in a bunny costume.

As a teenager, he studied audiovisual communication at the University of Puerto Rico; and worked as a bagger at a grocery store to pay for recording sessions.

One of his early songs, Diles, caught the ear of DJ Luian, who offered him a record deal.

Audiences instantly fell for his sound, where hard hitting beats and boisterous music contrast with the star's low-key delivery.

By the time Western audiences discovered him - via a guest verse on Cardi B's 2018 hit I Like It - Bad Bunny had already racked up 16 Top 40 hits on the US Latin charts.

He released his debut album, x100pre, on Christmas Eve 2018, to universal acclaim.

Showcasing his versatility, its songs ranged from the pop-punk of Tenemos Que Hablar to the reggaeton ballad Si Estuviésemos Juntos and the avowedly political Estamos Bien, which became an anthem for Puerto Rico after it was devastated by Hurricane Maria.

In 2020, his third album, El Último Tour del Mundo, became the first number one on the Billboard chart to be completely recorded in Spanish. Every subsequent album has also topped the US charts.

Along the way, he established a reputation for colouring outside the lines.

Instead of singing about seducing women, he talked about empowering them. He dressed in drag and wrestled in the WWE. He was a prominent figure in protests that led to the resignation of Puerto Rican governor Ricardo Rosselló, and he's been a vocal critic of the Trump administration's immigration policies.

Last year, he opted not to bring his world tour to the US mainland, saying he worried his fans would be targeted by immigration officers. And instead, he hosted what nearly amounted to a residency in Puerto Rico, a US territory.

After winning a Grammy Award earlier this week, he declared "ICE out", and spoke passionately about immigrants' contribution to society.

Staying true to his roots, that Grammy-winning album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, is both a celebration of Puerto Rico's culture and a warning against the island's exploitation.

A generous and charismatic performer, he's bound to light up the Super Bowl stage. But his mere presence had infuriated US conservatives.

In January, President Trump said he would not attend the Super Bowl, partly because of Bad Bunny and the pop-punk band Green Day, who will open the event.

"I'm anti-them. I think it's a terrible choice," he said. "All it does is sow hatred."

Who else is performing at the Super Bowl?

Pop star Charlie Puth will perform the US National Anthem before the game, marking his Super Bowl debut.

The 34-year-old joked that he'd been practicing "in the shower", which has "a similar reverb" to Levi's stadium - "but a little wetter".

Coco Jones will also sing Lift Every Voice, sometimes referred to as the black national anthem.

The song, originally written as a poem in 1899, has been part of the pre-game show since 2021, when it was added in response to the Black Lives Matter movement.

And country star Brandi Carlile is confirmed to perform America the Beautiful. She said she hoped it would be a unifying moment.

"I would love for people to interpret the song is more of a prayer than a boast," she said.

"This is a song about a country, a beautiful country, that ebbs and flows in terms of hope, and it's a work in progress. The song believes we can get there, and I believe we can get there."

Why is the half time show so important?

The Super Bowl is the most-watched programme on US television - and the half-time show regularly pulls in more viewers than the match itself.

Last year, Kendrick Lamar broke audience records, with 133.5 million people tuning in . Even when the bookings aren't as stellar (like Maroon 5 in 2019) the viewership has been close to 100 million.

The show has produced a stream of iconic moments over the years, from Prince playing Purple Rain in the middle of a thunderstorm, to Katy Perry's hapless "left shark", who became an instant meme after forgetting their dance moves.

The exposure and publicity stemming from a Super Bowl appearance is so valuable that many performers, including Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Rihanna, play for no fee.

However, every performer receives a "union scale" payment of about $1,000 (£738) per day; and the NFL picks up a hefty bill for staging the show.

For example, the 13-minute show performed by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira in 2020 cost approximately $1 million per minute, according to Reuters - and the league also pays for travel and accommodation expenses.