<\/p>\n
\n\tWe are 167 days away from Super Bowl LX at Levi\u2019s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on Feb. 8. And even though the regular season doesn\u2019t kick off until Thursday (Aug. 28), that doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t begin cranking up the speculation machine on who might perform during halftime at the big game next year.<\/p>\n
\n\tComing off of Kendrick Lamar\u2019s universally lauded halftime show in New Orleans earlier this year featuring cameos from SZA, Samuel L. Jackson, Serena Williams and Mustard, Usher\u2019s star-studded 2024 show in Las Vegas featuring Alicia Keys, Jermaine Dupri, H.E.R., Lil Jon, Ludacris and will.i.am and Rihanna\u2019s baby bump bonanza in 2023, it feels like anything goes for next year\u2019s show.<\/p>\n
\n\tAnd while Jay-Z\u2019s Roc Nation has been bringing the hip-hop\/R&B heat since coming on as co-producers of the hugely watched extravaganza in 2019 with sets from The Weeknd in 2021 and 2022\u2019s iconic performance by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar, so far the biggest buzz for a potential \u201926 headliner surrounds one of the biggest names in music who has never played the big show before: Taylor Swift<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tSwift, who performed a pair of dates at Levi\u2019s stadium in July 2023 on her Eras Tour has been in the conversation before, but the stage seems more perfectly set than ever this year for her to add a halftime show to her already gaudy resum\u00e9 of achievements. Not only has the singer become a fixture at NFL games over the past two years due to her romance with three-time NFL champ Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, but on the baller\u2019s New Heights podcast earlier this month she dropped a few breadcrumbs<\/a> suggesting that she might enhance the sparkle of her upcoming 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl (Oct. 3) with a halftime ramble.<\/p>\n \n\tSwift isn\u2019t the only name that has been in circulation as fans begin the annual ritual of searching for clues about who might headline the most-watched broadcast of the year. With the traditional September announcement of next year\u2019s headliner possibly just a few weeks away, she joins a star-studded list of artists who have been mentioned as potential performers. Other names in the buzz bin this year include Justin Bieber \u2014\u00a0after his recent surprise drop of Swag, his first album in four years \u2014 Roc Nation boss Jay-Z, who is rumored to be prepping his first LP in more than eight years, as well as Bay Area locals Metallica and Green Day, Mariah Carey, Post Malone and Drake.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tCheck out the case for each of those acts (and a few more) below.<\/p>\n \t\t\tif ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { \n\tWould Roc Nation bring Lady Gaga back to the Super Bowl just nine years after she first headlined it in 2017? Maybe not \u2014 the Super Bowl has yet to have a repeat lone headliner, though Bruno Mars and Beyonc\u00e9 had both topped the marquee in the prior half-decade when they all but co-headlined with Coldplay in 2016. If a repeat headliner is deemed a real option, Gaga would be a logical choice: Her first SB set was well-received, she\u2019s remained at or near the forefront of pop culture since, and she\u2019s proven with gigs this year like her highly acclaimed Coachella headlining set and her record-setting Brazil show that she can handle a high-profile live assignment as well as anybody.\u00a0\u2014 ANDREW UNTERBERGER<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\tif ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { \n\tAmong active pop artists who have never played Super Bowl halftime, Mariah Carey is very arguably the most accomplished hitmaker \u2014 and if she\u2019s still active in promoting her upcoming Here for It All album by then, there would certainly be plenty of motivation on her part. Perhaps Roc Nation will have its eyes on Carey\u2019s career-spanning Video Vanguard performance at the VMAs on Sept. 7\u00a0 \u2014 and on its subsequent reception \u2014 to see if Mimi might be a good fit for the world\u2019s most-watched gig this February. \u2014\u00a0A.U.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\tif ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { \n\tIt\u2019s been nearly three years since Bieber performed a full live set in the wake of his battle with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome in 2022, which led to partial facial paralysis and the cancellation of the remainder of his Justice world tour in March 2023. But following the surprise drop of his R&B-leaning Swag album in July and a slow re-emergence from several years of seclusion to deal with the medical issues and spend time with his newborn son, one-year-old Jack Blues Bieber, the halftime show seems like a most excellent place to stage his full re-emergence and remind people of his dynamic live abilities. \u2014\u00a0GIL KAUFMAN<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\tif ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { \n\tAfter notching his 14th Billboard 200 chart-topper with $ome $exy $ongs 4 U and blitzing Europe with his Some Special Shows 4 U Tour, Drake reasserted his grip on rap supremacy this year. Despite his 2024 feud with Kendrick Lamar, the 6 God reclaimed his momentum with \u201cNOKIA\u201d and \u201cWhat Did I Miss?\u201d \u2014 both peaking at No. 2 on the Hot 100 \u2014 and proved why he\u2019s still a dominant name. With Iceman on deck, Drake is chasing history as the first solo rapper to score 15 Billboard 200 No. 1 albums, and what better place to celebrate <\/a>than halftime at the Super Bowl? \u2014\u00a0CARL LAMARRE<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\tif ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { \n\tThe world is anxiously anticipating the live return of the Bangtan Boys. Now that all seven members of BTS have completed their mandatory South Korean military service, Jin,\u00a0Suga,\u00a0J-Hope,\u00a0RM,\u00a0Jimin,\u00a0V and\u00a0Jung Kook are setting the stage for their re-emergence from a more than three-year hiatus. RM recently assured ARMY that he\u2019s been \u201cworking diligently<\/a>\u201d on what the band is planning for its next album and tour, both set for next year. Though no specific details have been announced yet about the comeback, all seven hopped on a livestream in June to announce, \u201cwe\u2019ll be releasing a new BTS album<\/a> in the spring of next year,\u201d which seems like perfect timing to tee it up at February\u2019s Super Bowl. \u2014\u00a0G.K.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\tif ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { \n\tRock bands have been relatively scarce on the Super Bowl stage in recent years \u2014 none have headlined halftime since Maroon 5 in 2019 (also the year that Roc Nation took over planning the event). Still, the Super Bowl being in the Bay Area next year might provide a good opportunity for Berkeley natives Green Day to break that streak: The pop-punk heroes certainly have the hits and the recognizability, and as recent gigs like their Coachella headlining set and their show-opening, Billie Eilish-featuring gig at Fire Aid have demonstrated, they have the endurance and relevance as well. \u2014 A.U.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\tif ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { \n\tThe Super Bowl halftime has certainly featured rockers before, including The Who and Bruce Springsteen, but it\u2019s never gone as hard as it would go if it unleashed Metallica on the Santa Clara crowd. But it makes so much sense to have the Bay Area boys finally get their shot. They\u2019re hometown favorites, their live show is unparalleled, and it\u2019s been a long time since the half-time show has rocked people\u2019s faces off. Start with \u201cEnter Sandman,\u201d throw in some \u201cMaster of Puppets,\u201d \u201cSeek & Destroy\u201d and \u201c2X4\u201d and they could practically ignite Levi\u2019s Stadium. Let\u2019s face it, it\u2019s a long shot, but wouldn\u2019t it be amazing? \u2014\u00a0MELINDA NEWMAN<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\tif ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { \n\tHe may not want to perform if his beloved Dallas Cowboys aren\u2019t playing (and pre-season projections don\u2019t look good), but Posty is the perfect broad-appeal superstar to headline half-time. Not only does he have a slew of solo hits that span several different genres from hip-hop to pop to country, but his most recent set, F-1 Trillion, provides him with a ready-made cast of co-stars to bring out from Morgan Wallen (\u201cI Had Some Help\u201d) to Blake Shelton (\u201cPour Me a Drink\u201d) to Jelly Roll \u2014\u00a0though the NFL probably doesn\u2019t want the half-time entertainment raising its glass to the \u201cLosers!<\/a>\u201d \u2014\u00a0M.N.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\tif ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { \n\t \n\tBut a few things are aligning this year. One is that Jay has started to make a few more public appearances than in recent years, most notably stepping out onstage with Beyonc\u00e9 in Atlanta to perform \u201cCrazy In Love\u201d in July. Another is the persistent rumor of a new Jay album, one which reignited earlier this month with a Memphis Bleek podcast appearance. But maybe the biggest clue is nostalgic: next year would mark the 30th anniversary of Jay\u2019s 1996 debut album Reasonable Doubt, a certified classic that Jay has said in the past is his favorite among his oeuvre. And if he is the ultimate decision maker, then what better time than now? \u2014 DAN RYS<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n \t\t\tif ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) { \n\tSwift has become the NFL\u2019s number one cheerleader over the past two years. The singer\u2019s high-profile romance with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has seen her become a staple of game day coverage thanks to her nearly weekly appearances in the Kelce family sky box with her famous friends. With her 12th album due out on Oct. 3, Swift seeded what seemed to be super major Easter eggs during her recent New Heights podcast debut, noting that while she wasn\u2019t a football fan growing up, she knew \u201cevery halftime show\u201d even if she didn\u2019t watch any games. <\/p>\n \n\tShe also happened to mention that one of her new favorite hobbies is making sourdough bread, notable because \u201cSourdough Sam\u201d is the name of the Levi\u2019s Stadium home team, the San Francisco 49ers, and because the next Super Bowl is the 60th, the same percentage the Taylor used to describe her high level of bread talk lately. A coincidence? C\u2019mon, you know there are no coincidences in SwiftLand! \u2014\u00a0G.K.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
Lady Gaga<\/h2>\n
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Jay\u2019s Roc Nation has been overseeing the Super Bowl Halftime Show since 2019 \u2014 the two sides re-upped and extended the partnership in 2024 \u2014 and since then, Jay has had an outsized role in selecting the performers each year. During the Roc\u2019s tenure, the performers have noticeably shifted in accordance with Jay\u2019s tastes and business relationships: Jennifer Lopez and Shakira; The Weeknd; Dr. Dre and friends; Rihanna; Usher; and Kendrick Lamar have all performed, while Jay himself has kept to the sidelines. <\/p>\nTaylor Swift<\/h2>\n
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