No English Needed: How Bad Bunny Reshaped the US Pop Mainstream

April 13, 2026
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Read time: <5 mins
Bad Bunny performs on stage with a live band in a blue-lit stadium setting, and a large screen displays an image.

From bagging groceries in Puerto Rico to performing at the 2026 Super Bowl, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, known as Bad Bunny, has carved out a path that sidestepped the traditional music industry. In 2026, he made history by winning Album of the Year with a non-English language album, a first in the Grammys’ 67-year history. In a Michigan News Expert Q&A, assistant professor of music Gustavo Souza Marques explores how shifting demographics shaped his rise and how his work is redefining what counts as American music today.

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