Super Bowl halftime show headliners from 2020 to 2027: Shakira to Jay-Z

Every Super Bowl halftime show headliner from 2020 to 2027 (Via X)Jay-Z will headline Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium on February 14, 2027, the NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced on Monday, October 26. It ends a long wait for a man who has shaped this stage from the background since 2019. He joins a list that runs from Shakira and Jennifer Lopez through The Weeknd, Rihanna, Usher, Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny. Here is every headliner, what each show did, and where halftime is heading.All the headliners of the Super Bowl halftime show from 2020 to 2027Eight shows are now done or scheduled. Shakira and Jennifer Lopez played Super Bowl LIV in Miami in 2020. The Weeknd took Tampa in 2021. In 2022, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar shared the SoFi Stadium stage. Rihanna followed in Glendale in 2023, then Usher in Las Vegas in 2024. Lamar came back alone in New Orleans in 2025, and Bad Bunny played Santa Clara in 2026. Jay-Z closes the run in 2027.One thing ties them together. Roc Nation has curated the show through an NFL deal that began in 2019 and was renewed in 2024.2020: Shakira and Jennifer Lopez turned Miami into a Latin partyThe February 2 show at Hard Rock Stadium split the time between two stars, then merged them. Shakira brought "Hips Don't Lie" and her belly dancing. Lopez answered with "Jenny from the Block" and a pole routine that dominated the next day's chatter. Bad Bunny and J Balvin dropped in as guests, and Lopez's daughter Emme sang as well.It was a loud statement of Latin pride. It also drew complaints to the FCC, a reminder that a show built for 100 million people never pleases all of them.2021: The Weeknd bet on mood over guestsSuper Bowl LV came during the pandemic, with a thinned-out crowd. The Weeknd started in the stands, moved through a maze of mirrors and lights, and surrounded himself with dancers in bandaged faces. He reportedly put about $7 million of his own money into the production.There were no guest stars. That choice mattered, because it proved one artist and a strong idea could carry the whole slot.2022: Hip-hop got its long-awaited halftimeSuper Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium felt like a family reunion with a stadium budget. Dre, Snoop, Eminem, Blige and Lamar were joined by 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak. Eminem took a knee at the end of his set, a small gesture that drew big attention. The show later collected Emmy wins and set a template of a West Coast celebration that stayed rooted in place.2023 and 2024: Rihanna and Usher won on simplicityRihanna played Glendale on February 12, 2023, her first major live show in years. She floated above the field on suspended platforms in red, ran through her hits without a single guest, and revealed her pregnancy. She drew about 121 million viewers.Usher followed on February 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. He skated through a medley and brought out Alicia Keys, Lil Jon, Ludacris, Jermaine Dupri, will.i.am and H.E.R. His audience reached 123.4 million.Both relied on deep catalogues of songs people already knew. Neither tried to reinvent the format.2025: Kendrick Lamar made the biggest halftime everLamar became the first solo rapper to headline. His set at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans beat Michael Jackson's 1993 record. The final count was 133.5 million viewers, narrowly ahead of Jackson's 133.4 million. SZA, Mustard and Serena Williams joined him, and Samuel L. Jackson narrated as Uncle Sam. The "Not Like Us" moment, with its sly build, was what everyone replayed.What stood out was restraint. The staging was clean and the message did the heavy lifting.2026: Bad Bunny made Spanish the main languageThe Levi's Stadium show on February 8 was the first halftime headlined by a Latino solo artist and was performed almost entirely in Spanish. Part of the field became a sugarcane plantation. Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin were among the guests, and Bad Bunny used the slot to celebrate Puerto Rico.Audience estimates sit around 125 million, per the Television Academy. Other counts put it at 128.2 million. Either way, it was huge. The show later won seven Creative Arts Emmys, the most for any halftime production.2027: Why Jay-Z headlining is differentJay-Z has spent years choosing other people. His company has produced these shows since 2019. Commissioner Roger Goodell has said he asked Jay-Z early on to perform one day, when the timing felt right to him. Jay-Z summed up the arc in his statement, saying "this has been a journey."Hamish Hamilton is reported to direct, and nothing about guests is confirmed. Speculation about Beyoncé is only that. The setting is worth noting, though. SoFi Stadium is the same venue as the 2022 hip-hop show, and the date is Valentine's Day.What the eight shows say about where halftime is goingLook at the list again and a pattern shows up. The shows that landed hardest were the most specific. Lopez and Shakira leaned into Latin identity. Dre's crew was pure Los Angeles. Lamar was personal, and Bad Bunny was proudly Puerto Rican. The NFL used to chase broad, safe nostalgia. Lately it has backed artists with a clear point of view, and the audience numbers followed.Jay-Z fits that mold. His catalogue, from "99 Problems" to "Empire State of Mind," is built on a single city and a single voice. The open question is whether a producer who curated the stage this long will hand the spotlight to a guest, or keep it for himself.