On Sunday night, many Puerto Ricans in the territory’s Deaf community gathered at the Eco’s Sports Park in San Juan. The friends, family members and interpreters were tuning into Super Bowl LX, just like millions of people across the country. However, there was one key distinction. They were eagerly anticipating the appearance of not one, but two homegrown entertainers — Bad Bunny and one of their own, a partially-deaf performer named Celimar Rivera Cosme.
Hailing from the lush mountains of Naranjito, Rivera Cosme made history as the first Puerto Rican Sign Language performer in the Super Bowl’s 60-year run. In years past, American Sign Language performers have taken to the world’s biggest stage, accompanying half-time show headliners and interpreting for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers. This year, however, the NFL chose to recruit another local for the big game’s first Spanish-language halftime show.
Rivera Cosme is no stranger to Bad Bunny’s music. She previously interpreted for the singer during his 2022 tour, “El Último Tour Del Mundo,” and a 31-show residency in San Juan last year, which drew over 600,000 attendees and generated up to $250 million for Puerto Rico’s economy.
By using LSPR (Puerto Rican Sign Language), deaf fans could experience the nuance and countless cultural references of Bad Bunny’s hits. LSPR was derived from American Sign Language when it was first developed in the early 1900s, but it features island-specific vernacular, pacing differences and other elements that make it distinctive to Puerto Rico. A 2022 CDC report estimated that 7% of Puerto Rican residents experience deafness or hardness of hearing, which is approximately 220,000 of the island’s population of 3.2 million. Experts, however, consider LSPR an endangered language, slowly being replaced by ASL.
While the standard NBC programming didn’t show Rivera Cosme, viewers could tune into a special broadcast available online, where she and Bad Bunny performed simultaneously on a split-screen. One of Levi’s Stadium’s six screens was dedicated to Rivera Cosme, and the performer says those in her section cheered her on enthusiastically.
With the help of interpreter Joel Omar, Rivera Cosme spoke with Variety about preparing for the halftime show and what the performance meant to Puerto Rico and its Deaf community.
How did you get your start as a professional interpreter? Have you always wanted to work in entertainment?
Before I started interpreting, I wanted to be a nurse. At the time, nobody knew that I had the right to an interpreter, and so they told me I couldn’t study nursing because I’m deaf. So I said, “Okay, no problem.” I went to Universidad del Turabo (now Universidad Ana G. Méndez) in Puerto Rico and graduated in 2015 with my Bachelor’s degree in sign language interpretations. Everything happens for a reason. Thanks to that opportunity, I had many doors open to me. But to perform in the Super Bowl was never a goal for me. I never thought about [performing] outside Puerto Rico.
Could you explain how Puerto Rican Sign Language is different from ASL?
We have a lot of ASL influence because Puerto Rico is part of the United States, but Puerto Rico has a lot of signs of the [local] language. The Spanish speakers in the north and south have different slang, and the regions speak differently naturally. ASL uses more spelling, but in LSPR we have more signs, more facial expressions and body expressions, more than just spelling words.
You’ve previously worked with Bad Bunny, interpreting for him during his 2022 world tour and his residency in San Juan. How did you two first meet and start working together?
I was very close to [Bad Bunny in physical proximity], but I never met him, and I never said “hi” to him. During the residency, I was the interpreter, but I didn’t have any interaction with him. But at the Super Bowl, I met him, and he recognized me. The [Deaf] community had started seeing Bad Bunny [rise to fame], and they wanted to go to the concert. We asked the managers of El Choli (the residency venue) for interpreter accommodation, and they DM’ed me asking if I was able to interpret, and I accepted. We fought very hard to have an interpreter at that concert, step by step. Now we have more accessibility and more interpreters at the concerts.
How were you first approached about the halftime show?
I first received an email directly from the NFL in November, not Bad Bunny’s manager. They emailed me saying that the Deaf community had [referred] my name for the performance. I auditioned and sent in videos performing to music from Bad Bunny three times, and they chose me.
How important was it to have a Puerto Rican Sign Language interpreter for the Super Bowl performance? Are there references in his music that someone who isn’t Puerto Rican might’ve missed?
Definitely had to be a Puerto Rican. Bad Bunny [speaks] the Spanish of Puerto Rico; he has a lot of lines about culture, identity, slang, and vocabulary. A person who is not Puerto Rican will not understand the background of the extra linguistic words or the expressions that come from Puerto Rican culture. For example, in “Tití Me Preguntó,” when signing for the word “Aunt,” the sign for “Tití” and “Tia” is not the same. (While both words mean “Aunt” in Spanish, “Tití” is a specifically Puerto Rican term.) Many signs are different, and the slang too.
Where were you performing during the show?
I was very close to the field, like in the first row. Last year, [the deaf performers] were very far. But this year we got the first row, and we saw everything. It was amazing.
What was the energy inside the stadium like?
Before the Super Bowl started, it was empty, and I was like, “Wow, it’s big.” But with people? Oh my God. Many people were screaming; there was a very competitive energy. That vibe is different, and it’s positive energy too.
How did it feel to see Puerto Rico and LSPR represented on that level?
It’s great because it’s an opportunity for the Deaf community in Puerto Rico to get exposure. We are a small island, but we fight very hard to be on a bigger stage and in an opportunity where we can be visible.
What were the daily Super Bowl rehearsals like? How long had you been practicing for the show?
The week [leading up to the Super Bowl] was rehearsals every day, over eight hours practicing. And back home, since November, when I got chosen, it was Bad Bunny’s music playing all the time.
The halftime show was such an intricate performance. Was there a part of the set that was your favorite?
My favorite song is “Café con Ron,” because it’s more about the country and the mountains I am from in Naranjito.
Was there a specific song or lyric that is more difficult to interpret?
For the Super Bowl, they chose easier songs. If he chose his old songs where he used trap, it would be harder.
Did anyone back home send videos of them watching your performance?
I have a lot of DMs still [to go through]! I haven’t read all of them yet.
ASL interpreter Julian Ortiz, who signed “America the Beautiful” this year, joined you for parts of your performance. Was that pre-planned or was it just to celebrate together?
I decided to perform with Julian because he wasn’t born in Puerto Rico, but his parents were. So he feels proud of Puerto Rico. He feels proud of our culture. If I shine, he will shine too. That’s important for me to work as a team. I taught him some Puerto Rican Sign Language, and it was beautiful to work with him.
Everyone is talking about the end of the performance where Bad Bunny named every country in America and, of course, shouted out Puerto Rico. What do you hope viewers take away from the performance?
We practiced that, so we knew which countries he would call out during the Super Bowl halftime, and we felt that all Latinos would be proud.
Were you able to join in on the dancing at the end?
I was dancing from start to end! But I was in the stands. I watched the game, of course, and enjoyed it. [My team] lost, but that’s of no matter.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
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