J Balvin
Defends Bad Bunny Halftime Show
… Music Doesn’t Need Translation!!!
Published
February 7, 2026
1:31 PM PST
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TMZSports.com
J Balvin says a language barrier won’t stop Bad Bunny from dominating the Super Bowl halftime show — pointing to his own love of hip-hop as proof!
The Latin superstar clearly thinks the language concerns are way overblown … telling TMZ Sports how his own musical upbringing proves great music doesn’t need translation.
“I learned and grew up listening to hip-hop,” he said. “I didn’t know what they were saying. I would just vibe with it.”
We caught up with Balvin outside the Fanatics luncheon on Friday in San Francisco … when we asked for his reaction to all the chatter surrounding his pal Benito’s SBLV headlining gig.
Unsurprisingly, he’s pumped for the performance!
Balvin says fans stressing about understanding every lyric are missing the bigger picture … because energy is what really drives music.
“They just gotta jump on the flavor, that’s all they gotta do,” he said. “That’s followers.”
Bad Bunny himself echoed that message this week … insisting music can connect people without language barriers, saying he wants viewers to simply feel the energy of the show.
But which song is J Balvin most looking forward to hearing?
“All of them!” he said. “That’s my man.”
Balvin also shouted out Odell Beckham Jr. as the most fashionable NFL player … saying “he’s a very cool guy.”
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So, when we caught up with OBJ later on, we had to see what he thought of the high praise.
“It’s a huge compliment coming from him!” Beckham Jr. told us.
The wide receiver added he thinks Balvin is the best-dressed musical artist.
Check out the clips!
