Ricky Martin did not just send a quick text after Bad Bunny’s historic Grammy sweep, he sat down and wrote a full open letter, the kind artists usually reserve for manifestos or farewells. In it, he framed Benito’s big night as a win for Puerto Rico itself, praising the younger star for refusing to dilute his sound or identity on his way to the top. The note landed like a blessing from one generation of Latin pop royalty to the next, and it captured how much this moment means far beyond the Grammy stage.
Coming right after Bad Bunny’s album of the year triumph with a project entirely in Spanish, Martin’s message read less like industry small talk and more like a cultural handoff. He celebrated the fact that the world had embraced a Puerto Rican artist on his own terms, and he made it clear that, in his eyes, Benito “stayed true” to the island while doing it.
Inside Ricky Martin’s emotional letter
Ricky Martin’s letter, shared in Feb in a Puerto Rican newspaper, opens with a direct address to “Benito, brother,” and quickly gets to the heart of why this win hit him so hard. He writes that watching Bad Bunny collect three Grammy Awards, including album of the year for a project recorded entirely in Spanish, put “a lump in my throat” because he saw his own early struggles reflected in that moment of triumph. In the note, he stresses that Benito “won without erasing your roots,” a line that sums up why this particular victory feels like a cultural milestone rather than just another trophy on a shelf, and that sentiment is echoed across detailed coverage of the open letter.
Martin also frames the achievement as a collective one, telling Bad Bunny that when “The Puerto Rican” artist succeeds, “we all succeed,” language that appears in multiple breakdowns of his praise. He calls the sweep a “cultural and human victory,” a phrase highlighted by the Geo News Digital, and urges Benito to protect his sense of self as the spotlight grows hotter. In one passage cited by the TOI Entertainment Desk, he advises Bad Bunny to “take care of yourself as an artist, but above all, of yourself as a person,” a line that appears in coverage of Ricky Martin’s open. The tone is part big-brother pep talk, part public love letter to an island that has watched both men grow into global stars.
A historic Grammy night for Bad Bunny
To understand why Martin reacted so strongly, it helps to look at what Bad Bunny actually pulled off at the Grammy Awards for 2026. Earlier this year, the Puerto Rican star made history by winning album of the year for “De…” (title partially redacted in summaries) with a project sung entirely in Spanish, a first for the Recording Academy and a breakthrough that outlets like ABC7 framed as a turning point for Spanish-language music at the Grammys. Coverage of the ceremony notes that Bad Bunny did it while staying rooted in reggaeton and Latin trap, not by pivoting to English pop.
That album of the year win was just one piece of a bigger haul. Bad Bunny left the 2026 Grammys with three trophies, including best música urbana album and best pop duo/group performance for the song “EoO.,” according to detailed tallies that answer the question How Many Grammys. Another breakdown of the night notes that at the 2026 Grammys he also picked up best pop duo/group performance for “EoO.” alongside his album of the year win, a combination that underscored how fully he has crossed into the mainstream while still centering Spanish lyrics, as highlighted in a focused recap of his Album of the moment.
“You won without erasing your roots”
For Martin, the most important part of Bad Bunny’s rise is not the hardware, it is the way Benito has insisted on centering Puerto Rico in everything from his lyrics to his visuals. In the letter, he praises him for winning “without erasing your roots,” a line that appears in summaries of the note shared by Cover Media. Martin points out that Benito did not switch languages or sand down his accent to chase global success, instead he doubled down on Spanish and on the specific slang and stories of the island, a stance that is repeatedly emphasized in coverage of the letter’s key quotes.
That is why Martin’s line about Bad Bunny having “stayed true to Puerto Rico” hits so hard. Reports on the letter note that he explicitly frames the Grammys sweep as proof that an artist can be unapologetically Puerto Rican and still dominate global charts, a point echoed in coverage that quotes him telling Benito that when he wins, “we all succeed,” language highlighted in an extended public statement. Another write-up of the same message notes that Martin described the night as a “cultural and human victory,” underscoring that he sees these trophies as validation for a whole community, not just one superstar, a framing that also appears in a separate public statement recap.
Generational solidarity from one Puerto Rican icon to another
There is also a deeply personal layer to this exchange. Ricky Martin has lived through his own version of global pop stardom, from “Livin’ la Vida Loca” to his years as one of the most visible Latin artists in the world, and he knows what that pressure can do. In the letter, he writes as someone who has already navigated the highs and lows, including coming out as gay in 2010, a milestone referenced in profiles that revisit how he has used his platform since he came out. That history gives weight to his advice that Benito protect his mental health and personal life even as the spotlight gets brighter.
Coverage of the letter notes that Martin describes Bad Bunny as a “Puerto Rican brother,” language that appears in multiple recaps of his message to fellow Puerto Rican Benito. He also acknowledges that seeing a younger artist from the same island dominate the Grammys stirred up his own memories of breaking into the English-language market in the late 1990s, a comparison that surfaces in detailed coverage of Martin’s reflections. In that sense, the letter reads like a generational bridge, with one icon publicly cheering on another while quietly warning him about the costs that can come with that level of fame.
From the Grammys to the Super Bowl stage
Bad Bunny’s Grammy sweep is not happening in a vacuum, it is part of a larger takeover of American pop culture that now includes the Super Bowl. Reports note that his three Grammy Awards this year arrive just as he prepares to headline the Super Bowl LX halftime show, a pairing that turns his upcoming performance into a kind of victory lap. Coverage of the letter points out that Martin’s message landed ahead of that halftime appearance, effectively serving as both congratulations and a send-off before Benito steps onto one of the biggest stages in the world, a context laid out in pieces that connect the note to the Super Bowl.
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