Nora Fatehi praises Bad Bunny for celebrating culture on Super Bowl stage: 'If you stay true to yourself, then…'

Actress and dancer Nora Fatehi has shared an emotional response to Bad Bunny’s 2026 Super Bowl halftime performance, calling it more than just a music show — but a message to the world about authenticity, cultural pride and global unity.

Nora Fatehi Praises Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Show as Cultural Milestone

Fatehi, who has strong ties to both the South Asian and North African communities, spoke candidly online after watching Bad Bunny’s set at Super Bowl LX. Her comments have resonated widely on social media, especially among artists and fans who see the performance as a landmark moment for artists from marginalised cultures striving for recognition.

She said, “so I just finished watching the Super Bowl performance that Bad Bunny did and I had to come on here to speak to you guys about it for so many reasons. This especially to the South Asian community and the North African community because I feel like both of these communities are so connected and so similar to each other and both of these communities are so important to me as an artist and I see a lot of our South Asian, even our North African artists pushing and pushing to be seen on a global level and to be recognized through their culture and through their language.”

Her message highlights how significant it is, she says, for artists who reflect their cultures openly on a stage as massive as the Super Bowl, even when others tell them their language or culture may not translate globally.

Fatehi continued, “And I'm sure just like Bad Bunny, so many people would tell them that, oh, you know, if you sing in your language or if you portray your culture or you celebrate too much of it, it's not going to be relatable for the global audience, for the international audience, mainly the West.”

Her view was that Bad Bunny’s performance proved otherwise.

A message of authenticity and cultural pride

Bad Bunny’s show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California was widely praised for its cultural focus and energy. The Puerto Rican superstar became the first artist to deliver a mainly Spanish-language halftime show, celebrating reggaeton, Puerto Rican life and broader Latin culture. His set wove together scenes of everyday life, traditional music and vibrant performances, with visuals that reflected his heritage.

Fatehi wrote that the show’s impact went beyond entertainment, “With the Super Bowl performance, there's a massive message that was sent out to the entire world, not just his community, not just the Latin American community, but to the entire world that no matter where you're from, no matter who you are, if you believe in yourself, if you stay true to yourself, if you're authentic, the sky is the limit. And watching this performance really brought tears in my eyes because I was like, oh my God, you know, like celebrating who you are, celebrating your culture, being proud of it, and being able to have a platform like that to create such a set, to have these beautiful dancers, and to be able to portray a story through the entire performance.”

She added, “This made it about him and his people, about his history, about his culture, rather than just like an egotistic performance. And I think that's what I love the most about it. And I feel like it's going to be very soon where the South Asian community, even the North African community, will have their time to show their culture, their artists, their language, and to be celebrated. It's going to happen very soon, and I can feel it. And I can't wait to be a part of that, that you know, evolution and that moment in history."

Celebrating the performance as more than a show

The Super Bowl set included high-profile elements — surprise appearances from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, dancers, storytelling through music and cultural symbolism. Gaga performed a salsa-inflected version of her hit song, and Martin joined Bad Bunny for a rendition of ‘Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawai’i’.

The show also featured other celebrity guests, including Cardi B, Pedro Pascal, Jessica Alba, Karol G and more.

Watch the full halftime show here:

Fatehi pointed to moments in the performance that spoke to universal cultural experiences, "There are like small, small moments in the performance that you're going to catch. Like, when he gives his Grammy Award to the little boy, symbolising that to keep hope and never to give up.”

She also referenced a scene showing a wedding and fiesta, with a sleeping child — a moment she said many communities could “relate to”, whether at an Indian wedding or a Moroccan one.

She continued “But for him to be able to stand proud and to represent in the most beautiful way possible, I live for that, and I can't wait for us to be able to do that on a global stage one day.”

Fatehi closed her message with encouragement, “There's just so many great moments and so many moments where you feel like there's similarities to cultures. But for him to be able to stand proud and to represent in the most beautiful way possible, I live for that, and I can't wait for us to be able to do that on a global stage one day. And for all the artists right now who are growing, who are pushing, keep going and stay authentic to yourself. I want you to use this Bad Bunny performance as an example,” — a clear call for emerging artists to embrace their cultures and identities without compromise.