UPDATE: As suspected, the NFL confirmed on Sunday, Nov. 23, that Katy Perry will perform the halftime show at Super Bowl XLIX. After months of rumors, Bob Costas made the announcement on Sunday Night Football, during halftime of the Cowboys vs. Giants game. The league also tweeted the news:
It's confirmed! @katyperry will headline the @pepsi @superbowl #halftime show on @SNFonNBC on Feb. 1!
— NFL (@nfl) November 24, 2014
Perry herself acknowledged the honor on Twitter, writing:
My band is in the other room screaming at the TV (and each other) over this Cowboys-Giants game. Can’t wait for February 1st... ????????
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) November 24, 2014
PREVIOUSLY: She wasn't a dark horse in this race. Katy Perry's name was tossed around for months in a list of potential Super Bowl halftime show performers, and on Thursday evening, Oct. 9, multiple reports confirmed that the "This Is How We Do" singer will indeed be the star of the show at Super Bowl XLIX.
Originally rumored for the gig with the likes of Coldplay and Rihanna, Perry will play the Super Bowl for the first time in her career. A source confirms to Us Weekly that the crooner has been in "serious discussions" with the NFL.
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The Grammy-nominated performer, 29, is coming off of the huge success of her fourth studio album Prism. Released last October, the project hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and went multiplatinum. It also provided Perry with hits including "Birthday," "Unconditionally," and "Roar."
Perry, who has yet to comment on the reported booking, would join an impressive group of performers who have taken the stage at the NFL's biggest game. Last year, Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers played the Super Bowl, while other past performers include Beyonce, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Tina Turner, and The Rolling Stones.
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Rumors began swirling about Super Bowl XLIX's halftime performance this past August, when the Wall Street Journal wrote about the NFL's reported request that musicians pay the league for the honor of playing the show. While artists haven't received a paycheck for the concert in the past, the idea of acts paying to play was largely met with criticism.
The day that WSJ's report broke, Perry tweeted without context, "Negotiating 101: You always win if you have nothing to lose!" She also added on an appearance on ESPN's College GameDay on Saturday, Oct. 4, "I'm not the kind of girl who would pay to play the Super Bowl."
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The pop star must have paid attention in Negotiating 101, as she seems to have struck a deal with the NFL for the gig.
