Jay-Z to Headline Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show at SoFi Stadium

Jay-Z will headline the Super Bowl LXI halftime show. The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced the pick on Monday night, during the Monday Night Football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles. The game is scheduled for February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

The announcement ends a week of reports that Jay-Z was in line for the show. The Associated Press reported that he now steps into the spotlight after years of helping to produce it. His company, Roc Nation, has partnered with the NFL since 2019 to advise on the league's entertainment, including the halftime show.

In a statement carried by several outlets, Jay-Z said: "From Reasonable Doubt to standing on the Super Bowl Halftime stage, this has been a journey. Thirty years of music, work, and culture on the world's biggest stage. This run continues to be a dream come true."

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that when the league first reached its agreement with Roc Nation, his one request was that Jay-Z perform one day. USA Today quoted Goodell: "For several years, we've had the privilege of working closely with Jay-Z and Roc Nation, and I've seen the extraordinary impact he has had on the Super Bowl Halftime Show."

A first performance after years behind the show

Jay-Z has never headlined the halftime show as a performer. He turned the slot down in 2017 and later said the decision was based on principle. Since 2019, Roc Nation has helped choose the performers who followed, a run that includes Rihanna, Usher, Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny. Bad Bunny performed at the most recent Super Bowl in February, and his songs posted sharp streaming gains after the show.

Why it matters

The halftime show is the most watched music performance of the year in the United States, and the last three shows sit among the four most watched in Super Bowl history. Jay-Z arrives at the stage in a year built around his own catalogue. He is marking 30 years since his debut album Reasonable Doubt and 25 years since The Blueprint, he played anniversary shows in New York, London, Paris and Los Angeles this year, and his Jay-Z 30 concert run closed at SoFi Stadium on October 23 and 24, the same stadium that hosts the Super Bowl. He has won 25 Grammy Awards, and he was the first rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, in 2017. His wife, Beyonce, headlined the Super Bowl 47 halftime show.

What happens next

The NFL has not announced any guest performers. Reports before the announcement said Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber were also considered for the slot. The game itself, and the two teams who will play in it, will be decided in January.