One of the most watched musical performances of the year is about to take place during half-time of Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.
Almost 119 million people saw singer Rihanna give the most viewed delivery to date at the showpiece in 2023, and the event’s music strategists, Roc Nation, will be hoping for another record-breaker in 2025.
Usher and Alicia Keys led the musical line-up last year, when the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in Nevada.
As the Chiefs defend their title against the Philadelphia Eagles, 101GreatGoals.com has all the details on the Super Bowl half-time show.
Halftime show: Super Bowl performers
Seventeen-time Grammy Award winner Kendrick Lamar will be headlining the Apple Music-backed show this time around in his second Super Bowl appearance.
The rapper featured alongside Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Mary J Blige at Super Bowl LVI at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium in 2022.
Frequent collaborator SZA will also be involved. “What I can say is he’s worked really hard on it,” she told the New York Daily News.
“I’m so honoured to be a part of it and I’m so honoured to even know him and exist in the same time as someone as brilliant as him.”
Halftime Super Bowl 2025: Kendrick Lamar ‘the right one’
“Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date,” 37-year-old Lamar said when the news was announced. “I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one.”
NFL head of music Seth Dudowsky predicted the show would be “unforgettable”. “Few artists have impacted music and culture as profoundly as Kendrick Lamar,” he added.
“Time and time again, Kendrick has proven his unique ability to craft moments that resonate, redefine and ultimately shake the very foundation of hip-hop.”
2025 Super Bowl: What time is the halftime show?
The Super Bowl starts at 6.30pm ET, which is 11.30pm GMT.
Although timings are liable to vary significantly from last year, half-time in the 2024 Super Bowl was at approximately 8.15pm ET, or 1.15am GMT.
The half-time show started approximately 10 minutes later, and the game ended at around 10.50pm ET, which was 3.50am GMT.
Born for the biggest stage ✨ pic.twitter.com/hPb5Ha98Tx
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) February 4, 2025
Taylor Swift: Super Bowl halftime show?
As a friend and collaborator of Lamar’s, there has been inevitable speculation that Taylor Swift could be part of the spectacle.
The involvement of Swift’s boyfriend – Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce – appears to make that unlikely, with reports suggesting it could be seen as a conflict of interest on the NFL’s part.
“As long as Trav’s playing and we’re in the Super Bowl, it’s going to be hard for her to do the half-time show,” Chiefs quarterback Mahomes replied when he was asked about the possibility. “Hopefully, Trav keeps playing and we keep making it to the Super Bowl.”
Super Bowl national anthem
Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jon Batiste will sing the pre-game national anthem, while Trombone Shorty and Lauren Daigle will collaborate together and Ledisi will also be part of the line-up in the build-up.
Nine-time Grammy nominee Post Malone headlines the Tailgate Concert earlier in the day, which is described as the NFL’s “ultimate pre-game party” and will take place by Super Bowl venue the Superdome.
That show will be streamed live on YouTube from 4pm ET, which is 9pm GMT.
Super Bowl LIX Pregame is set to be a celebration in New Orleans. See you Feb. 9. 🎶 #SBLIX@JonBatiste @Tromboneshorty @Lauren_Daigle @ledisi @RocNation @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/mOVrHEhpMK
— NFL (@NFL) November 28, 2024
2025 Super Bowl: When is the game?
The Super Bowl takes place on Sunday, February 9 at the 83,000-capacity Superdome, which is the home of the New Orleans Saints.
As usual for NFL games, the Super Bowl is split over four quarters of 15 minutes each, but clock stoppages and the half-time show mean that it usually takes at least three hours to complete.
Kansas beat the Buffalo Bills 32-29 on January 26 to win the AFC Championship and reach the Super Bowl, with Philadelphia earning their place in one of the most watched sporting spectacles of the year by defeating the Washington Commanders 55-23 on the same day.
The city. The culture. The history.
New Orleans is built for another Super Bowl celebration. #SBLIX pic.twitter.com/9BQbMDaE29
— NFL (@NFL) February 4, 2025
Super Bowl: How to watch in the UK
In the UK, fans can tune in via ITV or Sky Sports at no extra cost, while the action is also available on NFL Pass on DAZN, starting at 99p.
Mahomes and Saquon might need to swap favorite colors for the week 😂 #SBOpeningNight pic.twitter.com/iwDxnJOPGO
— NFL (@NFL) February 4, 2025
UK TV Super Bowl coverage
Coverage on ITV1 starts at 10.45pm GMT and runs until 4am. Sky Sports Mix’s show starts 45 minutes earlier, ending at the same time.
Super Bowl stream: Where to watch online
Viewers can stream the action through ITV, Sky Sports or DAZN’s websites or use the broadcasters’ apps – ITVX, SkyGO and DAZN – to watch on a huge variety of devices.