Fans Learn Spanish to Sing Along with Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show

Bad Bunny fans are cramming Spanish lessons before his halftime performance at the Super Bowl on Feb. 8. The language app Speak reports its biggest spike in US downloads tied to any event. Many users cite "understanding Bad Bunny" as their reason for picking up the language.

Niklaus Miller, a 29-year-old actor and screenwriter, fell for Bad Bunny the second he heard "Dakiti" in 2020. When news broke about the halftime show at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., Miller decided he had to master the lyrics.

"I was like, 'Nik, you need to learn these songs!'" he told People. "I thought it would be fun to post videos, make people laugh and let them follow along with my progress."

Miller began posting his progress on TikTok. The clips blew up overnight, racking up millions of views from around the globe.

"When I opened my phone and saw the response, I was just so happy and honestly overwhelmed with gratitude," he told People. "The engagement and support meant so much, and I knew my hard work was finally paying off!"

The actor is now on week two. He studies whenever he can—in the car, between projects, during any spare moment he finds. His plan? Learn one new song each week while continuing to practice the ones he's already tackled.

O'Neil Thomas, a 28-year-old actor and creator from New Jersey, is also cramming Spanish before the performance. Thomas studied French in high school and college but has wanted to learn Spanish for years. 

Thomas listens to Bad Bunny hits nonstop to prepare. He grabbed Duolingo to start building his learning streak and is improving bit by bit.

"I think it's so important and respectful to show people that you care about a way of life that isn't yours, and learning their language is the best first step," he told People.