Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny? Super Bowl halftime shows we'd love to see originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
One of the biggest honors an artist can receive is the call asking them whether they would be interested in performing in the Super Bowl halftime show.
Madonna, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake — just to name a few — have all accepted the honor and took to the stage prior to the Lombardi Trophy being handed to the victorious NFL team.
Dating back even further, we saw legends like Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney make magic on the 50-yard line.
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Most recently, we witnessed Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg headline the performance, and in 2023, the nine-time Grammy-winning Rihanna will be the star of the show.
It’s safe to say we have seen some incredible acts headline the Super Bowl halftime stage, but what are some acts we’re still longing to see? Let’s take a look at some of the best potential options for the future:
What Super Bowl halftime acts would audiences like to see?
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Back in September 2022, fans were convinced that “Midnights” singer Taylor Swift would take the stage for Super Bowl 57, prior to Rihanna confirming her spot. It’s safe to say that Swift, a 10-time Grammy winner, would be one of the most sought-after options to headline Apple Music’s sponsored performance. After all, Swift just released her 10th studio album and underwent quite the sticky situation when setting her Eras Tour tickets for sale via Ticketmaster. It’s clear people want to see her.
Swift and Bad Bunny are Spotify’s 2022 most-streamed artists. In fact, the latter has topped Spotify’s most-streamed list for the past three years, generating more than 18.5 billion streams once again. Clearly, he is quite the potential candidate to headline a Super Bowl halftime show, despite already being one of the performers in the 2020 rendition when Shakira and Jennifer Lopez headlined.
Following Swift and Bad Bunny, artists like Drake, BTS and Harry Styles are on the top of the list. They fall into Spotify’s most-streamed artists in 2022 with Styles’ “As It Was” topping the list with more than 1.6 billion streams globally. And by the looks of it, Styles’ on-stage performances are pretty legendary, considering earlier this week Ellen Degenerous and Jennifer Aniston attended one of his “Love on Tour” performances where the British singer actually ripped his pants.
Some other great performers who could be considered in the near future are as follows:
- Justin Bieber
- Dua Lipa
- Lizzo
- Miley Cyrus
- Doja Cat
- Ed Sheeran
And for fun, here are some performers who might seem niche and underrated, but who I believe should be considered:
- Luke Combs
- SZA
- Lil Nas X
- Billie Eilish
Who headlined the first Super Bowl halftime show?
The first Super Bowl took place on Jan. 15, 1967, and the halftime show was performed by the University of Arizona Symphonic Marching Band, the Grambling State University Marching Band and the Anaheim High School Ana-Hi-Steppers Drill Team and Flag Girls.
Who has headlined the Super Bowl halftime show thus far?
In the 57 iterations of the Super Bowl Halftime Show, we have seen hundreds of different faces take the stage, but here are the most recent:
- Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and 50 Cent - Super Bowl LVI (2022)
- The Weeknd - Super Bowl LV (2021)
- Shakira and Jennifer Lopez featuring Bad Bunny, J Balvin and Emme Muñiz - Super Bowl LIV (2020)
- Maroon 5 featuring Travis Scott and Big Boi - Super Bowl LIII (2019)
- Justin Timberlake - Super Bowl LII (2018)
- Lady Gaga - Super Bowl LI (2017)
- Coldplay featuring Beyoncé, Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson - Super Bowl 50 (2016)
- Katy Perry featuring Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott - Super Bowl XLIX (2015)
- Bruno Mars featuring the Red Hot Chili Peppers - Super Bowl XLVIII (2014)
- Beyoncé featuring Destiny’s Child - Super Bowl XLVII (2013)
- Madonna featuring Nicki Minaj, LMFAO, Cee Lo Green, Andy Lewis and M.I.A. - Super Bowl XLVI (2012)
When is Super Bowl 57 and how can I watch?
Super Bowl 57 is slated for Sunday, Feb. 12. Kickoff time is set for 6:30 p.m. ET and 4:30 p.m. local time. The game will be broadcast on FOX.
The AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs will battle the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Chris Stapleton will be performing the national anthem and Rihanna will headline the Super Bowl halftime show.
