Jay-Z will move from behind the scenes to center stage as the headliner of the 2027 Apple Music Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show.
The announcement was made during halftime of the Cowboys-Eagles Monday Night game, with ABC commentator Scott Van Pelt confirming that Jay-Z will perform at SoFi Stadium on Valentine’s Day.
“It will be Jay-Z in SoFi on [Valentine’s Day],” Van Pelt said. “We’ll all be looking forward to seeing that.”
Analyst Jason Kelce was equally enthusiastic, calling Jay-Z “the GOAT” and adding: “He’s got more stadium-ready hits than most artists have songs, period. Should be a great show.”
Puck first reported Jay-Z’s selection as headliner.
Jay-Z Reflects on a 30-Year Journey
In a statement, Jay-Z connected the Super Bowl booking to three decades of music and his path from Reasonable Doubt to one of the world’s most closely watched performance stages.
“From Reasonable Doubt to standing on the Super Bowl Halftime stage, this has been a journey,” he said. “Thirty years of music, work, and culture on the world’s biggest stage. This run continues to be a dream come true.”
ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro described the performance as another milestone for an artist who has won 25 Grammy Awards. Pitaro said the halftime set will be showcased in the United States and internationally across the company’s platforms, including ESPN, ABC and Disney+.
Jay-Z joins a roster of past Super Bowl halftime headliners that includes his wife Beyoncé, Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, Diana Ross, Katy Perry, The Weeknd, Usher, The Rolling Stones and Bruno Mars.
From Halftime Curator to Headliner
The booking marks a major shift in Jay-Z’s relationship with the NFL’s marquee entertainment event. His company, Roc Nation, has curated the halftime show under a partnership with the league that began in 2019 and was renewed in 2024.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he had asked Jay-Z to consider performing at the event when the league first reached its agreement with Roc Nation.
“When we first reached an agreement with Roc Nation to produce the show, I had just one request: that Jay-Z take the stage himself one day, whenever the moment felt right to him,” Goodell said. He added that he was excited for audiences to experience the artist’s “artistry, creativity and cultural impact” on the Super Bowl stage.
Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of music and international content, said Apple had worked closely with Jay-Z in recent years to bring artists to the halftime show and was thrilled that he would now perform there himself.
The NFL and Roc Nation’s original 2019 agreement extended beyond entertainment. The league was to consult the company on offerings including the halftime show, while the two sides also worked together on events, social activism and efforts to “strengthen community through music and the NFL’s Inspire Change initiative.”
That alliance followed the NFL’s controversial treatment of former San Francisco 49ers player Colin Kaepernick, who had protested police brutality and systemic racism. Jay-Z initially supported Kaepernick publicly, but the two later fell out after Roc Nation began working with the league.
In September 2026, Kaepernick told NBC News that Jay-Z had aligned himself with “the NFL that has blackballed me,” also referencing a 2017 players-owners meeting and the league’s response to the protests.
Following Bad Bunny’s Emmy-Winning Turn
Jay-Z will succeed Bad Bunny, whose Emmy-winning Super Bowl LX performance took over Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, in February. The Puerto Rican rapper and singer delivered a 13-minute set featuring songs including “Tití Me Preguntó,” “Eoo,” “BAILE INoLVIDABLE,” “El Apagón,” “CAFé CON RON,” “MONACO,” “NUEVAYoL” and “DtMF.”
The performance included several celebrity cameos and carried a love story throughout the set. It concluded with a message displayed on stadium screens: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”
ShowBiz Take
Jay-Z’s booking matters because it places the longtime halftime-show curator in the very spotlight he has helped shape through Roc Nation. Goodell’s comments also make clear that the possibility of Jay-Z performing had been part of the conversation since the partnership began, even if the timing was left to the artist.
The move also adds another layer to a complicated NFL relationship—one that has included entertainment production and community initiatives, as well as continued scrutiny connected to Kaepernick.
What Happens Next?
Super Bowl LXI is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. The game will air on ABC and ESPN, with Disney+ also among the platforms Pitaro identified for coverage of the halftime performance.