After a week of rumours, it’s been confirmed: Jay-Z will headline the 2027 Super Bowl Halftime Show.
Through his company, Roc Nation, the renowned rapper has produced the Halftime Show since 2019 and has helped select performers each year.
“From Reasonable Doubt to standing on the Super Bowl Halftime stage, this has been a journey,” Jay-Z said in a statement, per The Guardian. “Thirty years of music, work, and culture on the world’s biggest stage. This run continues to be a dream come true.”
“For several years, we’ve had the privilege of working closely with Jay-Z and Roc Nation, and I’ve seen the extraordinary impact he has had on the Super Bowl Halftime Show,” said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, adding that the NFL has wanted Jay-Z as its headliner for years.
“When we first reached an agreement with Roc Nation to produce the show, I had just one request: that Jay-Z take the stage himself one day, whenever the moment felt right to him,” Goodell said.
“I couldn’t be more excited for fans around the world to experience the artistry, creativity and cultural impact he will bring to the Super Bowl stage.”
A separate statement from the NFL reads, per the BBC, “Anticipation as to who Jay-Z might have guest star at halftime for the big game will now kick off. Of course, his wife, Beyoncé, will be atop the list.”
Jay-Z will headline the Halftime Show at the Super Bowl LXI on Sunday, 14 February, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, and Harry Styles were reportedly in the running to headline the 2027 Super Bowl, but ultimately lost out to the longtime decision-maker himself.
In 2024, Jay-Z told Entertainment Tonight that it was too soon for him to headline the big day. “I thought it would be selfish to pick myself too early. Maybe one year. Maybe,” he said.
In the 2018 track APESHIT released by him and Beyoncé as The Carters, he rapped, “I said no to the Super Bowl” and “Tell the NFL we in stadiums too.”
This year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show was headlined by Puerto Rican musician Bad Bunny, whose widely discussed performance featured special guests Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin.
The Music’s Tyler Jenke described the event as “A unifying and communal performance which celebrated humanity, diversity, and Latin American culture.”
