While Bad Bunny was at the center of one of the biggest musical events of the year, a Brazilian name was helping shape the performance behind the scenes. Miguel Gandelman, a Rio de Janeiro-born musician and musical director, won the Emmy for Outstanding Music Direction for his work on The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny.
The Brazilian name behind Bad Bunny’s historic night
The 13-minute vibrant tribute to Latin culture became one of the highlights of the 2026 Super Bowl LX and later earned seven Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Among the categories recognized were choreography, lighting design, sound mixing and music direction — the latter putting Gandelman’s name among the professionals awarded for bringing the massive production to life.
Yet for Gandelman, reaching a stage of this magnitude was not an overnight achievement. Rather, the Emmy represents another chapter in a 20-year-career spent elevating the world’s biggest artists behind the curtain.
But who is Miguel Gandelman?
Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1983, Gandelman grew up surrounded by music. He is the son of renowned Brazilian saxophonist Leo Gandelman, but his family’s connection to music goes back even further. “I’m from Rio de Janeiro. I’m a fourth-generation musician [great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, uncles],” he said in an interview with The TrevBeats Show.
At 14, he moved to New Jersey, in the United States, where he was part of the school band, and later studied music at Berklee College of Music in Boston. After graduating, Gandelman relocated to New York to pursue a career in the industry, facing the uncertainty and difficulties that often come with trying to establish a name in the music circuit.
His first opportunities eventually opened the door to a career that would take him from playing the saxophone to working as a musical director, arranger and producer on major performances.
From saxophonist to musical director
Gandelman’s shift from performing to directing happened gradually. While working alongside musical director Rickey Minor on The Tonight Show, Miguel found himself taking on programming responsibilities when the production needed someone to handle them. He stepped in without hesitation, solved the problem and, in doing so, opened the door to a new part of his career.
The experience showed him that being a musical director was not simply about being the person on stage. It meant understanding the entire performance: the musicians, arrangements, technology, timing and the artist’s vision. Miguel’s versatility, which had been part of his musical identity since childhood, suddenly became one of his greatest professional strengths.
Working with the biggest names in music
Over the past two decades, Miguel’s versatile ear has placed him in rehearsal rooms and stadium tours with the absolute elite musicians: Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Shakira, and Stevie Wonder.
Among those collaborations, working with Michael Jackson remains one of the most memorable chapters of his career. Miguel describes himself simply as “the last saxophonist to play with Michael.”. The sentence carries the weight of the moment: behind some of the most iconic performances in pop history are musicians whose work happens largely away from the spotlight.
Thirteen minutes, seven Emmys
Those 13 minutes ultimately resulted in seven Creative Arts Emmy Awards for the production. Gandelman received the award for Outstanding Music Direction, turning his work on one of television’s largest live music events into an Emmy-winning achievement.
His win marks only the second time in television history that a Super Bowl Halftime Show has taken home the Emmy for Music Direction (following the legendary 2022 hip-hop showcase).
Back in Brazil, the achievement was also celebrated by Gandelman’s father, Leo, who publicly congratulated his son. Other Brazilian musicians joined the celebrations, drawing attention to the Brazilian professional behind one of the year’s most internationally visible performances.
More than an Emmy-winning moment
The Emmy may be the newest achievement on Miguel Gandelman’s résumé, but it certainly doesn’t define him. From a childhood surrounded by musicians in Rio de Janeiro to a career alongside some of the biggest artists in the world, his path has always been shaped by the same curiosity: understanding music in all its forms.
And despite the awards, the famous names and the stages seen by millions, Miguel does not describe glory as the goal. “Devotion. Don’t do it for glory. “Do it because you love music,” was his answer on the TrevBeats Show, when Trevor Lawrence Jr. asked him what advice he would give to young musicians. For him, recognition comes after work, not the other way around. “Respect the art, do the work and it respects you back. Everything else follows,” he adds.
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The article above was edited by Luiza Chucre.
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