Super Bowl 2021 is taking place on Feb. 7 in Tampa, Florida.
The 2021 Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show performer has been announced! The Weeknd will be taking America's biggest stage on Feb. 7 in Tampa, Florida, it was announced on Thursday.
JAY-Zs's Roc Nation is serving as the strategic entertainment advisors of the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show.
"The Weeknd has introduced a sound all his own," JAY-Z said in a statement. "His soulful uniqueness has defined a new generation of greatness in music and artistry. 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."
The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, teased the big news prior to the announcement on Instagram with videos of himself with flashing blue lights.
"LV813," he wrote.
The Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show is the most-watched musical performance of the year, with more than 104 million viewers tuning in to last year’s show. Super Bowl LV will air on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, on CBS.
Last August, JAY-Z talked about how he planned to advise the NFL on the selection of artists playing the Super Bowl Halftime Show after his company, Roc Nation, entered into a long-term partnership with the National Football League as the league's official Live Music Entertainment Strategists. The partnership aims to "nurture and strengthen community" through music and support the NFL's Inspire Change social justice initiative, and also has Roc Nation serving as a co-producer of the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
"We had this conversation, you can't go to a city, plop a show down and then leave," the rapper said. "Like, at least speak to the community. Speak to the guys that's on the ground organizing things and trying to make things better, in that sort of way. Tampa's next. I love Tampa, but I have no idea who's from there, who would perform."
In February, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira gave a widely praised performance for the Super Bowl LIV Pepsi Halftime Show that took place in Miami, Florida. Lopez later spoke to ET about her 12-year-old daughter, Emme, totally stealing the show when she joined her mom on stage to sing a beautiful rendition of "Let's Get Loud" and "Born in the USA."
"She and I were just so happy doing it," Lopez told ET, adding that the emotional moment was incredibly joyous. "It wasn't a tearful thing, it was a celebratory thing!"
Watch the video below for more.
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