Pepsi, the NFL and Roc Nation announced that the The Weeknd will perform during the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show, which will air on CBS.
via Time:
This is the second year in which Roc Nation, Jay-Z’s entertainment company, has collaborated with the NFL and Pepsi to select the Super Bowl halftime performer. Last year’s show, which generated much enthusiasm and many memes, was co-headlined by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. “The Weeknd has introduced a sound all his own. His soulful uniqueness has defined a new generation of greatness in music and artistry,” says Jay-Z. “This is an extraordinary moment in time and the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show is going to be an extraordinary experience with an extraordinary performer.”
Named one of TIME’s 100 most influential people in the world this year, The Weeknd’s 2020 album After Hours is the no. 1 most streamed R&B album of all time (followed by his 2016 album Starboy at no. 2); and his ubiquitous hit track “Blinding Lights” has spent a record-breaking 46 weeks on Billboard’s Pop Songs airplay chart. “‘Blinding Lights’ is 2020’s best pop single, very ’80s-influenced, but it’s from an album that’s otherwise very introspective,” Elton John wrote about The Weeknd for the Time 100. “He has so many different types of music tucked up his sleeve that he incorporates into his vision. He’s not interested in commerciality for commerciality’s sake, but he’s one of the biggest-streaming artists on Spotify. Like Prince, he marches to his own beat. That’s an exemplary way for an artist to be.”
So they made show-stopping performers Jennifer Lopez and Shakira split their time, but decide to give an entire set to …. The Weeknd?
