Bad Bunny's biography: age, partner and records

Bad Bunny is, without doubt, the most globally influential Latin music artist of recent years. The Puerto Rican dominates Spotify, breaks streaming records and fills stadiums in every corner of the planet, Peru included. In 2026 his legend reached new historic heights: he won the Grammy for Album of the Year, he headlined on his own the halftime show of the Super Bowl, the first performed mostly in Spanish, and he is still the most listened-to performer in the world. In this biography we go over his story, his career and everything you need to know about him in 2026.

Bad Bunny's Personal Details

Childhood and early years: from Vega Baja to SoundCloud

Bad Bunny's story is one of the most inspiring in recent global pop. Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio was born on March 10, 1994 in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, and grew up in Vega Baja, a coastal town on the island, in a humble, hard-working family. His father was a truck driver and his mother an English teacher; despite the limited resources, he always found room for his passion for music.

As a child he sang in his church choir and, although his parents bought him a guitar and a karaoke set, it was in his teens that he found his real path: making music on a computer. During his youth he worked packing fruit and vegetables at a local supermarket while uploading his first songs to SoundCloud, a platform that was then the breeding ground for emerging urban artists.

His talent did not go unnoticed: in 2016 the producer DJ Luian discovered him and added him to his label. Shortly after, Bad Bunny exploded with singles such as “Diles” and his collaboration with Arcángel and De La Ghetto, which positioned him as one of the freshest figures of the Latin trap movement.

The breakthrough: from Latin trap to the top of the world (2017-2022)

Bad Bunny's rise was meteoric. His single “Soy Peor” (2017) became a generational anthem and took him to the most important stages of urban music. From there, the list of hits was endless: “MIA” with Drake, “Callaíta”, “Mía”, “Dákiti” and his duet with Shakira on “Me Gusta”, among many others.

In 2018 he released his debut album “X 100PRE”, acclaimed by critics and considered one of the most influential records of modern reggaeton. But it was in the middle of the pandemic that Bad Bunny proved he had no ceiling: in 2020 he published two albums in less than a year, “YHLQMDLG” and “El Último Tour del Mundo”, the latter becoming the first album entirely in Spanish to reach number one on the Billboard 200 in the history of the United States.

In 2022 came “Un Verano Sin Ti”, his most commercially successful work: it spent 13 weeks at number one on the Billboard 200, became the most listened-to record of the year and broke all the platform's streaming records. With that album, Bad Bunny established himself as the most listened-to artist in the world on Spotify for three years in a row (2020, 2021 and 2022) and in 2025 he repeated the feat for a fourth time, showing absolute relevance in the industry.

“Debí Tirar Más Fotos” and the historic Grammy (2025-2026)

The most momentous milestone of his recent career is his album “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” (January 2025), a concept record with a strong emotional, identity-driven and political charge about Puerto Rico: the nostalgia for his people, the economic crisis, the diaspora and Puerto Rican pride. Considered by critics his most mature and personal work, the album broke streaming records on release and stayed for months among the most listened-to in the world.

The definitive crowning came at the ceremony of the 2026 Grammys (February 1, 2026), where “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” took the Grammy for Album of the Year, the top award of the ceremony. It was an unprecedented achievement: the first time in 68 years of history of the Grammys that an album performed mostly in Spanish has conquered that category. That same night he also won the Grammy for Best Latin Urban Music Album and for Best Global Music Performance for “EoO”. In his speech, visibly moved, he dedicated the award to Puerto Rico: “Believe me when I tell you that we are much bigger than 100 by 35”, referring to the dimensions of his island, and he remembered the immigrants who fight for their dreams far from home.

Super Bowl LX 2026: another historic milestone

Barely a week after the Grammys, on February 8, 2026, Bad Bunny headlined the halftime show of Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. With that performance he delivered the first halftime show performed mostly in Spanish, six years after Shakira and Jennifer Lopez headlined the 2020 edition together. Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin appeared as surprise guests.

The show, which included some of his biggest hits and a staging loaded with Puerto Rican symbolism, was watched by hundreds of millions of people around the world. The performance also generated political debate: the then president of the United States, Donald Trump, criticised the choice of artist and, after the show, called it one of the worst in history, while millions of fans celebrated Latin culture taking centre stage at the biggest showcase in American sport.

His concerts in Lima, Peru

As part of his world tour “Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour”, Bad Bunny gave two historic performances in Lima:

• January 16 and 17, 2026, at the Estadio Nacional in Lima.

Both dates sold out in record time and generated a social phenomenon in Peru: thousands of fans turned up dressed in the album's aesthetic, and the artist included a moving segment with Afro-Peruvian music and Latin American references. The concerts were rated as two of the best in the recent history of the Estadio Nacional, and the images of the crowd singing “Tití Me Preguntó” and “Efecto” in chorus went round the world.

Personal life: Gabriela Berlingeri and discretion

Bad Bunny's love life has been under the microscope since he rose to fame. His best known relationship was with the Puerto Rican model and entrepreneur Gabriela Berlingeri, with whom he was between 2017 and 2022. Since then he has been linked with different figures, but in 2026 he has not confirmed any public partner.

Unlike other artists of his generation, Bad Bunny has been very protective of his privacy: he prefers his music to speak for him and his love life to stay away from the media noise.

Bad Bunny trivia

• His stage name came from a childhood photo of him dressed as a rabbit with a basket, and from the fact that his mother called him “conejito malo” (bad bunny in English).
• Before music he dreamed of being a professional basketball player and stood out in that sport at school, as well as in handball.
• According to Google Year in Search 2025, he was one of the artists most searched by Peruvians during the year.
• He is a wrestling fan and took part in WWE events, including a memorable segment at WrestleMania 37.
• He has moved into acting: he appeared in the series “Narcos: Mexico” and in the action film “Bullet Train” (2022), alongside Brad Pitt.
• “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” contains one of his most personal songs, “Lo que le pasó a Hawaii”, a protest about the migration crisis and displacement in his homeland.

Conclusion

Bad Bunny is not only the most successful artist in Latin music: he is a cultural phenomenon who broke every barrier that separated music in Spanish from the main stages of the world. From the supermarket in Vega Baja to the top of the Grammys and the Super Bowl, his story proves that talent, authenticity and pride in one's roots can conquer the whole planet. In 2026, at 32, his reign shows no sign of slowing down: Peru and the world are still eagerly waiting for his next move. To get to know another Latin figure who conquered the world, do not miss the biography of Pedro Pascal, here on Famosix.

Sources consulted

• Univision: Bad Bunny conquista el Grammy a Álbum del Año con ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’
• ABC News: Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime show, what to know
• Infobae: fans de Bad Bunny acampan para los conciertos del 16 y 17 de enero en el Estadio Nacional
• Wikipedia: Bad Bunny