Call it Super Bowl Weeknd.
Pepsi just announced that Grammy-winning singer The Weeknd will be performing at the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show.
“We can’t wait to welcome multi-award winning artist The Weeknd to the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show stage,” said Adam Harter, senior vice president of PepsiCo’s Sports, Media and Entertainment division.
The Canadian rapper (real name Abel Makkonen Tesfaye), 30, also announced his Super Bowl debut in a Thursday tweet, which read: “performing on the iconic stage. see you 02/07/21.”
The genre-bending musician is honored to etch his name into halftime history. “We all grow up watching the world’s biggest acts playing the Super Bowl and one can only dream of being in that position,” The Weeknd said. “I’m humbled, honored and ecstatic to be the center of that infamous stage this year.”
The performance will no doubt prove another feather in the cap for the vocalist, who, in less than a decade, has garnered a global fanbase, three Grammy awards and the honor of being named one of Time magazine’s most influential people of 2020.
He was even lauded by hip-hop icon Jay-Z as having a “soulful uniqueness” that has “defined a new generation of greatness in music and artistry.”
“Halftime show performances have a history of excellence and creativity and we look forward to seeing what he will bring to Super Bowl LV,” said Brian Rolapp, NFL chief media and business officer.
The Pepsi Super Bowl LV halftime show kicks off at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on Feb. 7, 2021. It will air on CBS.
