As Taylor Swift’s “Opalite” climbed to No. 8 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100, the global megastar’s latest single was blocked from the No. 1 spot by four songs from Bad Bunny, whose recent Super Bowl appearance appears to be fueling renewed momentum for his catalog. In the wake of that performance, Bad Bunny has seen a measurable chart surge.
Swift’s “Opalite” struggle to reach the Billboard No. 1 spot appears to be the result of her own career decision. Swift has previously indicated she would wait until her fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, decides on retirement before agreeing to perform a Super Bowl halftime show. The chart battle unfolds as fans await Kelce’s decision, a choice that could reshape Swift’s Super Bowl trajectory.
Without a Super Bowl performance boost, “Opalite” is relying on remixes and alternate versions that drove a 300% jump in sales, according to a Forbes report.
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl exposure, however, appears to be producing immediate gains on the Hot 100, giving the Puerto Rican Spanish-language rapper the No. 1 spot for the first time in his career. Swift has hit No. 1 13 times, most recently in October with “The Fate of Ophelia,” from her latest album The Life of a Showgirl.
In fact, Swift swept all 12 spots on the Hot 100 in October. Bad Bunny now holds the Nos. 1, 2, 5 and 7 as Swift continues to struggle to rise as a result of her wait for Kelce’s retirement decision.
Kelce’s decision is expected by early March, the start of the new NFL year. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid indicated this week that he believes Kelce will play in 2026, delaying his retirement.
Why Swift’s Super Bowl Stance Matters in the Chart Race
Swift has indicated she would wait until Travis Kelce decides on retirement before agreeing to perform at a Super Bowl halftime show. Without that exposure, she has not benefited from the type of national stage that often produces short-term streaming and sales surges capable of reshaping the Hot 100 leaderboard.
In an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon last year, to promote her Life of a Showgirl album release, Swift explained her Super Bowl stance, saying she would be too distracted to perform because of her fears for Kelce’s safety.
“That is violent chess. That is gladiators without swords. That is dangerous,” Swift said on Fallon’s show. “The whole season I am locked in on what that man (Kelce) is doing on the field.”
She also clarified that Kelce had not tried to influence her decision in any way.
“This is nothing to do with Travis. He would love for me to do it. I’m just too locked in,” Swift said.
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Momentum Reshapes the Hot 100
The recent Super Bowl performance by Bad Bunny — whose given name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — accelerated streaming and sales across his catalog, producing four simultaneous placements in the Billboard Hot 100 top seven, plus two more in the top 20 at No. 11 and No. 14.
Super Bowl exposure has historically triggered measurable chart spikes, according to Billboard. Last year’s performer, Kendrick Lamar, quickly took five of the top 10 spots, including sweeping the top three as well as No. 5.
The heightened visibility has helped deliver Bad Bunny’s first No. 1 Hot 100 hit of his career while reshaping the competitive landscape Swift is navigating. With Swift just four months ago sweeping all 12 top spots without the benefit of a Super Bowl appearance, her potential for sales and streaming numbers if she did, in fact, perform at the game appears to have an extremely high ceiling.
Previous performers have seen spikes from 175% to nearly 300% in the aftermath of the Super Bowl.
Bad Bunny Keeps Taylor Swift From Hot 100 No. 1 as Kelce Retirement Looms