Bad Bunny Super Bowl Halftime Selection Process Revealed and Why Artists Aren't Paid to Perform

The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots won't be the only ones under the spotlight during Super Bowl Sunday.

It was announced in September that Bad Bunny will take the stage at halftime for one of the biggest concerts of the year, and NFL senior vice president and global head of major events Jon Barker explained some of the process that went into that decision during a conversation with Jayna Bardahl of The Athletic.

"What we really look at first and foremost is who's the right artist for that moment," Barker said. "And we absolutely 100 percent believe and know that Bad Bunny is the right artist for this moment, for this show. We're already successful, having Bad Bunny a part of it."

The NFL partnered with Jay-Z's Roc Nation in 2020 and entrusted the rapper with picking the halftime performer in a process that starts after the previous Super Bowl and is finalized by early fall or late summer.

But the league is in constant communication as well.

"We understand where (Roc Nation) is in the process at all times. We understand which artists they're talking to along the way," Barker said. "Ultimately, when they come to the decision on who they believe to be the right artist, they bring that to a very small group of the NFL, and then we move forward from there."

Recent performances have included Kendrick Lamar, Usher, Rihanna and a collection of hip-hop superstars (Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Lamar, 50 Cent and Mary J. Blige). 

Bad Bunny himself is no stranger to the Super Bowl stage, as he was a guest performer in 2020 during the set that Jennifer Lopez and Shakira headlined.

"We always say football is for everybody. And so is music. Music is for everybody," Barker said. "Between (the NFL), Roc and eventually who that artist is, we're all unified in that mission, which is to deliver a global entertainment moment that really unifies the world around this sport and this game and that particular moment in time."

Being familiar with the Super Bowl stage means Bad Bunny also understands halftime headliners do not get paid for their performance and instead are required to just make union scale.

Yet the exposure they receive is its own form of payment, at least in the NFL's eyes.

"When you have an opportunity as an artist to stand on a stage and reach 250 million people at one time … and that's not counting the addition of social and streaming and the ability for people to go back and re-watch, I think that it is one of the most important stages in live entertainment," Barker said. "When they join us and become part of the halftime show, I think (artists) recognize what the halftime show is and being a part of it.

"And I think that resonates very strongly with the artists. That's certainly the feedback we've heard year after year after years with artists."

All eyes will be on Bad Bunny next Sunday during what figures to be one of the biggest moments of his career.