«ICE out. We are not savages, we are not animals, we are not aliens. “We are human.” Bad Bunny uttered these words when collecting the Grammy for Best Latin Urban Album from the hands of Karol G and comedian Marcello Hernández for ‘I should have thrown more photos’. The public was on its feet. At that point in the night, Benito still didn’t know if he was going to win the most coveted Grammy, Album of the Year, and he didn’t have a single minute of prime-time to lose.
He went on to say, “I want to tell people not to hate. Let it not be contaminated. Hate is more powerful with more hate. The only thing more powerful than hate is love. Please, we have to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love. We don’t hate them. “We love our people, we love our families, and that’s the way to do it.” In the front row applauding, J Balvin and Gloria Estefan.
Bad Bunny’s was not the only protest of the night. Billie Eilish, who won Best Song, declared that “no one is illegal on stolen land” and urged artists to protest: “As grateful as I am, I honestly believe I have nothing more to say except that no one is illegal on stolen land. Yes, it’s very difficult to know what to say and what to do right now, but I feel very hopeful in this room, and I think we just have to keep fighting, speaking up and protesting.
Olivia Dean recalled being the “granddaughter of migrants”, Shaboozey and Kehlani also gave protest speeches. Bon Iver recalled on the red carpet that “the real work is right now in the streets of Minneapolis.” Carole King, Justin Bieber and Jack Antonoff wore a badge against ICE. If Lady Gaga applauded Benito wildly when he won Album of the Year, being nominated, perhaps it is more because she has also spoken out against ICE than because she is close to the music of Puerto Rico.
Bad Bunny’s victory at the Grammys with an album recorded entirely in Spanish is a victory for the Latino people and the migrant population. This is what Benito himself is declaring when he dedicates his awards “to all the people who have had to leave their country” and “to all the people who have lost a loved one and have had to move on.” Because next Sunday we will have more of this when Benito stars in the Super Bowl intermission. This is presumed to be an apolitical, family-oriented and white show, but if it follows the line of Shakira and Jennifer Lopez first, and Kendrick Lamar later, there could be several subtle and not so subtle winks to the social.
The mere election of Bad Bunny to the Super Bowl has been a strange declaration of intent by the national football league, quickly becoming a challenge to Trump. The president of the United States has claimed first that he does not know who Bad Bunny is, that he will not attend the game and finally, “that it is a terrible choice” because “all he does is sow hatred.” “I’m anti them,” he declared, also putting Green Day in the bag.
It must be remembered that Bad Bunny is not going to take his tour to the United States to avoid ICE arrests in the vicinity of his concerts. Corey Lewandowski, advisor to the Department of Homeland Security, has stated that “there is no place in this country that provides a safe haven for people who are in the United States illegally. Not at the Super Bowl or anywhere else (…) We will find them. We will detain them. We will send them to a detention center and we will deport them. So keep in mind that that is the real situation under this Administration.”
After the death of two people in Minneapolis at the hands of ICE, which has sent thousands of people onto the streets, including Bruce Springsteen, tempers could not be more heated. The media is talking about Trump’s worst moment of popularity and a Democratic victory is expected in the midterm elections that will take place this year.
But Bad Bunny’s victory at the Grammys is not only political, but also cultural and strictly musical. Benito livened up the month of January last year – just look at how boring 2026 has been – with a surprise album, which immediately positioned itself as the best of 2025. It had no competition, at least, until the arrival of ‘LUX’.
There were 17 songs, many love letters to Puerto Rico, celebrating genres such as plena or jíbaro music, with the same timelessness with which Juan Luis Guerra celebrated bachata in the 90s. ‘Baile unforgettable’ was a salsa party, while ‘Café con Ron’ and DtMF’ were nourished by the talent of young musicians from local schools. Songs against gentrification like ‘What happened to Hawaii’ and celebrations of migration like ‘NuevaYoL’ made up a solid album, without filler, in which even the featurings and the heartbreak were at the service of the album’s message. In Spain there are 6 platinum albums when there are months left until the tour arrives. It has long been the album of the year for the public in our country.
Bad Bunny also had some words last night for “all the Latinos who deserved to be on this stage, collecting this award.” Someone very quick in the realization decided to focus on Gloria Estefan at that moment. With 57 million Spanish speakers, that is, more than Spain, the United States will never be the same country again, no matter what it hurts Donald Trump.
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