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- Jay-Z will headline the Super Bowl halftime show on Feb. 14 at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles.
- It will be the eighth halftime show produced by Roc Nation under its 2019 N.F.L. agreement.
- The game airs on ABC for the first time in two decades, simulcast on ESPN and Disney+.
- Jay-Z, 56, has won 25 Grammys; this year's Bad Bunny halftime show reached 128 million viewers.
Jay-Z will headline the Super Bowl LIX-era halftime show on February 14 at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles, the N.F.L. announced on Monday. The booking puts on center stage the very man who selects the artist for the United States' most-watched television event.
The performance carries several firsts. ABC will air the game for the first time in two decades, with simulcasts on ESPN and Disney+ — also a first for the championship.
Jay-Z, 56, is a billionaire rapper and producer with 25 Grammy Awards. His catalog includes "Holy Grail," "Empire State of Mind" and "99 Problems." The announcement confirms earlier reporting by Puck and Deadline.
In a statement, the artist framed the moment within his full career arc. "Thirty years of music, work, and culture on the world's biggest stage," he said. "This run continues to be a dream come true."
What does this change for the N.F.L.?
The selection underscores Jay-Z's unusual dual role as both performing artist and business partner to the league. Roc Nation, the entertainment and sports company he founded, will produce its eighth Super Bowl halftime show under this arrangement.
The partnership dates to 2019, when the N.F.L. signed Roc Nation to produce the halftime show and assist with initiatives related to social justice. The league struck the deal after several high-profile artists refused to headline the show in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback who knelt during the national anthem in protest of police violence and racial injustice.
Roc Nation's tenure has delivered some of the most-watched musical performances in television history. Its shows have featured:
- Kendrick Lamar
- Rihanna
- Usher
The first Super Bowl held at SoFi Stadium, in 2022, staged a hip-hop medley with Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem and Mary J. Blige. This year's performance, headlined by the Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny, reached 128 million viewers.
For Jay-Z, the booking closes a loop three decades in the making. He now moves from the boardroom, where he has shaped the halftime show's roster since 2019, to the stage himself — with an audience that recent history suggests will exceed 100 million viewers.
Source: NYT Arts
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Staff writer covering people, launches and day-to-day practice in arts in the broadest sense at Arts & Voices.
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