Is Taylor Swift Performing At The Super Bowl

Why Taylor Swift is the only choice to perform at Super Bowl 50. Share this article share tweet text email. Well, the Foo Fighters are going to perform a Super Bowl someday, so why not now? Taylor Swift attends the premiere of 'Miss Americana' at the Eccles Theater during the 2020 Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 23, 2020, in Park City, Utah.

In the fallout from 2004's Super Bowl halftime show — the one starring Justin Timberlake, Janet Jackson, and, for just under a second, Janet Jackson's breast — the NFL was gun-shy about ever letting a pop star take the stage. They took the keys from MTV, enlisting a string of totally safe and totally fine rock performers — U2, Paul McCartney, The Who — for the next few years.

See also: Beyonce slays, slays, slays the Super Bowl Halftime Show

Which means there are a ton of huge pop and hip-hop artists— at least 10, by our count — who haven't performed at halftime yet. But if we learned one thing from Sunday night's show — in which Bruno Mars and (even more so) Beyonce saved an otherwise tepid performance by Coldplay — it's that the Super Bowl Halftime belongs to pop.

Here's who we'd love to see take the stage at Super Bowl LI in 2017 — and beyond:

1. Lady Gaga

With her spot-on National Anthem, Stefani Germanotta already proved that she can definitely handle the Super Bowl. And with its glittery pomp and grandiose circumstance, the halftime show screams Gaga, who's managed to hold her own against a legend like Elton John while being just the right amount of weird.

She may have to tone down her more — er — artistic choices and keep down the paint, but the Mother Monster knows how to put on a show of well, monster proportions. On top of that, she's got an arsenal of pop hits that just about everyone can sing along to.

2. Drake

He's not only the most ubiquitous rapper of the moment, but also has a way of generating memes like it's his job.

3. Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift manages to appeal to just about everyone, from hipsters in Bushwick to moms in Orange County — which is to say, she's perfect for the Super Bowl. She'd be a totally safe bet, but not a boring one, someone who won't throw up the middle finger but will still put on a hell of a show. And can't you just imagine the entire Super Bowl audience collectively shaking it off?

This one may be hard to pull off, considering Swift has a deal with Coca-Cola and the halftime s how is sponsored by Pepsi — but hey, it's a nice thought.

4. Kanye West

While Kanye West may not be as universally beloved as Swift, he has a way of crafting memorable performances that balance elaborate stagecraft, emotion and a rant or two. If he's feeling more Yeezus than College Dropout, viewers may need a bit of a palate cleanser — a Coldplay-esque act to wash it all down — but at the end of the day, there's no one who does it quite like Kanye.

5. Kelly Clarkson

Like Swift, Kelly Clarkson is a sure thing. She's got a bevy of Super Bowl-sized anthems — 'Stronger,' 'Since You Been Gone,' last year's 'Invincible' — that are all about empowerment and pride, perfect for the feel-good and pure American spirit of Super Bowl Sunday.

6. Rihanna

Rihanna isn't exactly the kind of performer who loses sleep perfecting every move of a performance. Instead, she often just saunters onstage like she owns the place, which could be a welcome respite from the usually buttoned-up halftime show. And she's got one other thing going for her: She's Rihanna.

7. Jay Z (with Beyonce, of course)

Jay Z and Beyonce. Don't see why this even needs an explanation.

8. P!nk

Known not only for her stadium-sized voice but also for elaborate stage shows that often show off her knack for acrobatics, P!nk is a no-brainer — so much that it's sort of shocking she hasn't performed at halftime yet. And what's better than 'Raise Your Glass' to keep a Super Bowl party going? (Until she performs'Sober,' at least.)

9. Miley Cyrus

Sure, you run the risk of Miley featuring marijuana paraphernalia in her stage show or, even worse, bringing some green onstage with her. But you need an unpredictable act every few years or so ... right?

10. Carly Rae Jepsen

Carly Rae's not nearly as big of a name as the above, but she's got a string of hits on her latest (criminally underrated) album Emotion that would get the entire nation dancing together. OR she could just perform 'Call Me Maybe' four times in a row. Her call.

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It’s the Super Bowl’s golden anniversary, which could mean we’re in for a special halftime show. Or, who knows, maybe it’ll just be something simple, like James Earl Jones reading transcripts from the Brady vs. NFL hearings. Anyhoo, here are five suggestions for who should perform at Levi’s Field in Santa Clara on the first Sunday in February, along with our guess as to who will actually get the honor.

1. Taylor Swift

Is Taylor Swift Performing At The Super Bowl 2021

There is only one answer here and T-Swizzle be thy name. She has to be the choice. She needs to be the choice. This is why she won’t be the choice. The Super Bowl has a way of either grabbing stars just/em> past their apex (like Bruno Mars, Beyonce, The Black Eyed Peas), a good bit past their prime (Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Prince, Shania Twain, U2) or way past their prime (The Rolling Stones, The Who, Bruce Springsteen), if they even had a prime at all (Tom Petty). With the exception of N’ Sync making an appearance in 2001, joined briefly by Britney Spears, no one has performed at the halftime show while they were truly on top of the music industry. (Katy Perry and Beyonce came closest, but they had both been supplanted in their various genres by the time they hit the Super Bowl stage.)

That’s why Taylor Swift is a must. She has at least three songs that are recognizable to every American. She can give the Super Bowl street cred by bringing out Kendrick Lamar for his guest spot on the Bad Blood remix. She can start off slowly with one of her pre-pop ballads, then bring down the house with Shake It Off. Everyone, from my 18-month old daughter to my 91-year-old uncle can find something to enjoy. It’s such a natural pick that it’s completely obvious the NFL will somehow manage to screw it up.

2. Medley of stars from every decade of the Super Bowl (60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s)

As evidenced by the self-love the NFL is showering on itself in the 50th year of the Super Bowl (witness the gold yard markers), it would be such an NFL move to have its halftime show be a celebration of itself — six acts spanning the six decades of the Super Bowl. The 60s portion would have been a perfect place for Scott McKenzie to perform his anthem San Francisco (as the game is being played nearby), but he sadly passed a few years ago, so maybe Bob Weir or another member of the San Francisco counter-culture movement could open with a more recognizable song than Box of Rain? For the 70s you could bring out, ugh, The Eagles or invite Aerosmith or Bruce Springsteen back. Or what about Elton John, who could naturally lead into a 1980s repped by his buddy Billy Joel (duet anyone?) If the NFL had a sense of humor, people would love to see Journey take itself way too seriously and bringing back Madonna is certainly an option. And how has Bon Jovi not been invited yet? He’s so handsome with that short hair!

For the 90s, Mariah Carey or Boyz II Men would do well, or if they wanted to stretch things, bringing out one of the boy bands could work, even though the bulk of their popularity was in the early 2000s. What about 2010? Well, the Foo Fighters are going to perform a Super Bowl someday, so why not now? As for the aughts, you could bring in Rihanna, as long as you had that seven-second delay on her because who knows what’s bound to pop out at one of her shows. Though, much like Foo Fighters, RiRi seems destined for a solo show one of these years?

3. Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger

Another nostalgic pick. The NFL could go back to 1967, the year of the first Super Bowl, by bringing back the three biggest artists from that time. McCartney and Jagger have already performed at halftime, so throw in Dylan and let McCartney sing his harmonies, thus avoiding all the “Dylan can’t sing” jokes and watch music history. Hell, you can even invite Ringo just so he doesn’t feel left out.

4. Jay Z

Jigga is so corporate now that he provides the exact sort of safety the NFL looks for in its halftime performers. (Thanks, Janet.) Though he really should have performed at the New York Super Bowl (he was instead replaced by classic NY/Jersey acts Bruno Mars and Red Hot Chili Peppers), Jay Z has enough family-friendly songs to hold it down for 17 minutes. Then he could bring out that guy from Coldplay for a little and everyone would cheer as if they knew who that was and it would be a Super Bowl performance even mom could love.

5. One Direction

Is Taylor Swift Performing At The Super Bowl Half Time

TAKE THAT, ZYAN! 1D has just moved on past its prime, which makes it a perfect Super Bowl halftime performer. And if you want that coveted 12 to 18-year-old girl demographic, you could do worse than by bringing in Liam, Louis, Harry and Niall.

Who it’ll probably be: Carrie Underwood

Is Taylor Swift Performing At The Super Bowl 55

The NFL likes safe and safe is what they’ll get with Carrie Underwood — a performer the whole family can agree upon — even if one of the songs she sings will inevitably contain a line about taking a Louisville slugger to the headlights of a cheating boyfriend’s pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive. With vandalism like that, Roger Goodell will then ban Ms. Underwood for seven years.