Singer Bad Bunny has gotten a streaming bump from listeners since the NFL announced he would perform at halftime during Super Bowl 60 in February.

He hails from Puerto Rico and sings in Spanish, and people largely listen to Latin music via streaming. After the NFL’s announcement that he’d be the halftime performer on Sept. 28, on-demand streams in the U.S. of Bad Bunny songs increased by 26% according to data from music industry analytics company Luminate cited by The Associated Press.

On Sept. 19, he garnered 173 million on-demand streams, which grew to 218.5 million streams in the days after the announcement.

Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Ocasio, has said his selection as halftime performer is not only a personal achievement but one for the wider Latino community. In an NFL release, he said that “what I’m feeling goes beyond myself. It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown … this is for my people, my culture, and our history.”

The NFL’s choice of Bad Bunny drew controversy from some corners; the singer previously disclosed to i-D magazine that he’s avoiding the U.S. on an upcoming world tour because “Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel here, or to any part of the world. But there was the issue of — like … ICE could be outside.”

Corey Lewandowski, an adviser to the Department of Homeland Security, initially told conservative content creator Benny Johnson on Oct. 1 that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would attend the Super Bowl; White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday that there were no concrete plans for agents to attend.

President Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson also expressed disapproval of the pick for halftime entertainer.

Mr. Johnson said Bad Bunny is “not someone who appeals to a broader audience,” and that he would have picked someone like “God Bless the U.S.A.” singer Lee Greenwood.

President Donald Trump told Newsmax that he had never heard of Bad Bunny, and that “I don’t know who he is. I don’t know why they’re doing it. It’s crazy. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”

Conservative activism nonprofit Turning Point USA is also planning counterprogramming for the halftime show with one of their own, centered on “celebrating faith, family and freedom” and with songs from multiple genres, including “anything in English.”

Bad Bunny reiterated his message of cultural pride in a monologue on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” on Saturday, saying in Spanish that, “My achievement is everyone’s achievement, demonstrating our mark, our contribution to this country. No one will ever be able to take it away or erase it.”

He added that if people did not understand what he said, they had “four months to learn.”

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.