Latina pop stars Jennifer Lopez and Shakira changed the game with their historic Super Bowl 2020 Halftime Show on Sunday evening (02.02.2020) at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
The two showcased an amazing stage presence, amazing moves, singing prowess, brilliant performance and transitions as well as paid homage to their Latino roots and even sent out political messages.
Lopez and Shakira sang a total of 20 songs in less than 15 minutes and the show was 25% in Spanish with Shakira starting and ending her performance with Spanish phrases “Hola Miami” and “Muchas Gracias” respectively. Lopez has Puerto Rican roots while Shakira was born and raised in Colombia.
Here were some of the biggest moments from the Super Bowl LIV halftime show, which was ultimately a high-energy, sparkling celebration of dance and Latin pop.
1. Historic Moment for Latinos
Hitmakers Lopez and Shakira were the first Latin artists to co-headline America’s most-watched annual event, and the first pair of female artists to share top billing.
Gloria Estefan was part of the 1992 and 1999 halftime shows and sent her support for Lopez and Shakira, both of whom she has written songs for.
2. Lopez’s daughter shines
Lopez’s 11-year-old daughter Emme got her time to shine as well and to prove she follows in her mom’s footsteps coming out to sing with a chorus of girls for a sweet rendition of the Lopez classic ‘Let’s Get Loud’. The camera also panned over to Shakira during the song, who was playing the drums.
3. Kobe Bryant Tribute
The show also incorporated a tribute to basketball legend Kobe Bryant, who died alongside his daughter and seven others in a helicopter crash recently.
As Lopez’s daughter performed the opening bars of ‘Let’s Get Loud’, a giant cross illuminated the field of Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium in yellow and purple, the colours of Bryant’s team, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Before the performance, Lopez said she had wanted to honour the athlete as soon as she learned of the tragedy from her fiance, Alex Rodriguez.
4. Shakira puts on a powerhouse show
Shakira kicked things off, dressed in glittering red with a veritable army of female dancers at her command. She ran through her biggest songs, including ‘She Wolf,’ ‘Whenever, Wherever’ and ‘Hips Don’t Lie.’ She whipped out her notorious belly-dancing skills, played a searing guitar (Shakira was a rock star before she went pop) and crowd-surfed her way during the performance. There was a horn section and a salsa dance break.
5. Jennifer Lopez takes to the pole
The Halftime Show transitioned directly over to Lopez for a rousing set that she kicked off with her classic song ‘Jenny from the Block,’ surrounded by dancers, decked out in black leather and dancing exuberantly. But the highlight came after Lopez made a costume change to a sparkling body suit and sang ‘Waiting for Tonight’ while pole dancing, putting to excellent use the skills she honed while filming for Hustlers. Lopez cycled through songs including ‘Love Don’t Cost a Thing’ and ‘On the Floor’ before ceding the stage to her daughter and a chorus of girls to start off ‘Let’s Get Loud.’
6. Puerto Rico gets a spotlight from Lopez
For ‘Let’s Get Loud,’ Lopez appeared draped in a giant flag coat one side featuring the red, white and blue of Puerto Rico paying homage to her roots and the other the red, white and blue of the U.S where she was born and raised.
7. A statement on immigration injustice adds gravity
In a marked gesture of solidarity toward the Latin community and those impacted by anti-immigration policies, the set design featured glowing cages housing child performers. To drive the point home, they sang a snippet of ‘Born in the U.S.A.’
8. Bad Bunny brings the heat
In a surprise appearance, Shakira brought out Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny for an energetic cover of Cardi B’s 2018 hit “I Like It” halfway through her set. Bad Bunny is one of the original featured artists on that song, delivering a verse in Spanish. They also sang Shakira’s Espanol hit ‘Chantaje’ together, with Bunny filling in for Colombian singer Maluma.
9. J Balvin comes in for ‘Mi Gente’
Colombian reggaeton star J Balvin showed up for a cameo in Lopez’s set with his hit song ‘Mi Gente.’ Mi Gente had featured Beyoncé in a 2017 remix; this time, Lopez accompanied the Latin music superstar. The message of ‘Mi Gente’ is one of Latin unity, making it an especially apt choice for the Super Bowl set.
10. Demi Lovato sings the National Anthem
American pop star Demi Lovato who is also of Latin heritage gave a powerful rendition of the US national anthem.
Standing on a giant, football-shaped platform, and dressed in a simple white suit, Lovato was accompanied by Christine Sun Kim, who provided interpretation in American sign language.
“I think it’s a very important moment for our community, for the Latino community in this country,” Lopez said of the moment ahead of Sunday night at a press conference.
“The Super Bowl is a very American event, as American as it can get. It will also be a reminder of the heritage of this country, which is one of diversity, and that’s what we will be celebrating on Sunday,” added Shakira, who celebrated her 43rd birthday on Sunday.
They followed Maroon 5 in 2019, a show dogged by controversy surrounding the NFL due to the status of Colin Kaepernick.
This year, however, Lopez and Shakira were brought on following the announcement of a partnership between the NFL and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, and were welcomed for the Miami event.
