The Super Bowl halftime show is part of the most-watched TV event of the year — it’s sometimes viewed more than the game itself.
That’s why the choice of performer is important: It’s the biggest stage in the country.
For the next Super Bowl, Jay-Z was chosen by, well, himself, to perform at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, home of the Los Angeles Chargers and the Los Angeles Rams. This is amazing news for any fans of the “99 Problems” rapper who missed the “Jay-Z 30” tour, which celebrated the 30th anniversary of his debut album, “Reasonable Doubt,” and the 25th anniversary of his landmark album, “The Blueprint.”
“From ‘Reasonable Doubt’ to standing on the Super Bowl halftime stage, this has been a journey,” the rapper said in a statement. “Thirty years of music, work, and culture on the world’s biggest stage. This run continues to be a dream come true.”
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that his wife, Beyoncé, might be compelled to join her husband onstage to perform one of their iconic duets.
While next year’s show is sure to be iconic, we have some suggestions for performers for the next couple of years, from Stevie Wonder to Olivia Rodrigo.
Ariana Grande has many successful albums, and she always brings the vocals.
Grande has eight albums worth of hits, including “The Way,” “Problem,” “Thank U Next,” “Into You,” “Everyday,” “Positions,” “The Boy Is Mine,” “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love),” “Hate That I Made You Love Me,” plus the entire “Wicked” soundtrack … the list goes on. Many of her hits include collaborations with other giant stars, like Nicki Minaj, Lizzo, Childish Gambino, Future, Jessie J, Zedd, and Missy Elliot, which would make for a great halftime show.
The Super Bowl halftime show is just the next logical step in her quest for world domination, and we’re here for it.
It’s surprising that Taylor Swift, arguably the biggest musical artist in the world, has never headlined the halftime show.
Everyone knows Taylor Swift can put on a show, whether you love her or hate her. Just think about the Eras Tour. Imagine that level of production at the Super Bowl.
Swift is also known for her cross-genre music — she could perform songs that appeal to everyone.
And now that she officially owns all her own music and has released a few bonus songs to add to her 12th album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” Swift has more content than ever to pull from.
However, she has said that she won’t do the Super Bowl while her husband, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, is still playing football, so we might have to wait a couple of years.
We’re all still obsessed with Queen, who have been touring with Adam Lambert as the lead singer for more than a decade.
The NFL loves a classic rock performance, as evidenced by past performers such as The Who, the Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, and more. But Queen, arguably one of the most theatrical rock bands of all time, has never taken the stage.
Lambert toured with Queen for years and even performed with them at the 2019 Oscars, so he is clearly fan-approved as the band’s lead singer. Just picture an entire stadium stomping along to “We Will Rock You” — it’s a guaranteed good time.
Stevie Wonder shared the stage in 1999, but is long overdue for his own show.
At Super Bowl XXXIII, Stevie Wonder performed with Gloria Estefan and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. But he only got to sing a few songs, and Wonder is an artist with enough No. 1 hits to fill a 20-track album.
The Super Bowl hasn’t had a more “classic” headliner since The Who in 2010. Wonder would be a solid return to form.
Pink is famous for her aerial stunts during performances — just picture her hanging from a stadium ceiling.
After her moving performance at the 2018 Grammys, Pink showed that she can do both: serious performances and high-flying spectacles.
Over 20 years after her debut album (and still cranking out hits like “Can We Pretend,” “Walk Me Home,” and “Never Gonna Not Dance Again”), Pink is more than capable of headlining the halftime show.
Britney Spears appeared alongside Justin Timberlake (in his NSYNC days) in 2001. She should have headlined the show before he did.
In the words of Spears herself, she’s “a put-on-a-show kind of girl.” One of the most iconic live performances of all time involved Spears and a gigantic python. There’s no limit to what she could do on a Super Bowl-sized budget.
Now that she’s been released from her restrictive conservatorship, Spears is free to perform (or not!) if she wants to, and there would be no better place than the Super Bowl.
Justin Bieber is firmly back at the top of the charts, so he has both new songs and plenty of hits to pull from.
It’s been a good few years for the Biebs. He released two albums (“Swag” and “Swag II”) and was announced as one of the headliners of Coachella in 2026. It would’ve been cool for him to do the Super Bowl show as well, but we predict he’ll be releasing hits for years to come.
Besides his jams like “What Do U Mean,” “Sorry,” “Where Are U Now,” “Baby,” “Boyfriend,” “Daisies,” and “Yukon,” Bieber also has a solid stable of collaborators he could bring onstage with him — of course, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee for “Despacito,” but also Chance the Rapper, Quavo, DJ Khaled and Lil Wayne for “I’m the One,” and “No Brainer,” Post Malone for “Forever,” The Kid Laroi for “Stay,” Daniel Caesar and Giveon for “Peaches,” and even Billie Eilish on their version of “Bad Guy.”
Miley Cyrus clearly knows how to put on a show.
The “Bangerz” tour will always be famous for one thing: Miley Cyrus entering through a gigantic version of her head and sliding down her tongue.
Cyrus has always known how to get people talking, starting with her pole-dancing at the VMAs during “Party in the USA” and her twerking on Robin Thicke.
After a subdued album, “Younger Now,” the wilder side of her is back with a vengeance, with her eye-popping music video for “Mother’s Daughter” and the heartbreak bop “Flowers,” an ode to being single and loving it.
Her 2020 album “Plastic Hearts” was her first foray into real rock music, and — as we know — there’s nothing the NFL loves more than rock ‘n’ roll. She could even bring out Talking Heads to perform “Psycho Killer,” which she covered in 2024.
“Bass Persuades” might not be her strongest work, but as our own Callie Ahlgrim has pointed out, it doesn’t matter: “Miley is in a league of her own.”
Janet Jackson deserves to make a return.
Janet Jackson will forever be known as the first-ever Super Bowl victim of a wardrobe malfunction. But she’s so much more than that: an amazing dancer and a talented vocalist, for starters.
And she’s paid for “Nipplegate” ever since, even though it wasn’t her fault. According to Rolling Stone, CBS rescinded Jackson’s invitation to the Grammys that year, while Timberlake attended … and even won. (He has since apologized for “falling short” and benefiting “from a system that condones misogyny and racism.”)
If we’re dreaming big, perhaps Outkast could reunite on the Super Bowl stage.
Outkast consists of two of the greatest rappers of all time, Big Boi and André 3000. Those two provided us with some of the best rap songs (or just songs, in general) of all time, including “Hey Ya!,” “Ms. Jackson,” “So Fresh, So Clean,” “B.O.B.,” “Roses,” and more.
As the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show proved, classic rap and hip hop is becoming just as “classic” as classic rock and inspires the same amount of nostalgia. What would be more fun than seeing Outkast reunite for the first time in over a decade — they last performed together in 2016 — and on the biggest stage of the year?
Being the youngest headliner of the Super Bowl would just be another record for Billie Eilish to break.
Eilish is already the youngest person to win the big four at the Grammys (best new artist, song, record, and album of the year), the youngest person to headline Coachella, the youngest artist to record a theme for a Bond film … the list goes on.
Bruno Mars is currently the youngest musician ever to do it; he was 28 when he headlined in 2014. Eilish, who’s now 24, still has some time to take the record. Perhaps when she releases her highly anticipated fourth album, it’ll be time.
Olivia Rodrigo could be another solid Gen Z candidate.
Rodrigo’s third album, “You Seem Pretty Sad For a Girl So in Love,” just solidified what we already know: Rodrigo is a generational talent and a true rock star.
“Drop Dead,” “Stupid Song,” “Expectations” (with or without Chappell Roan), “Good 4 U,” “Vampire,” “Drivers License,” and “Get Him Back!” are all bangers that would fill up a stadium.
Harry Styles is a Brit we’d love to see — especially if the Packers are in.
Styles, somewhat inexplicably, is a Green Bay Packers fan and even has the “G” tattooed on his body. That’s true dedication.
The former boyband star’s “Together, Together” tour is currently burning down Madison Square Garden for a whopping 30 nights spread from August to November.
Besides his own quite expansive solo catalog and demonstrated ability to rock any stadium he’s in, imagine the power of a One Direction reunion at the Super Bowl. Chills.
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