Jennifer Lopez

Pop stars, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira have been confirmed as headliners for the 2020 Super Bowl half-time show.

The Super Bowl concert is one of the biggest in the world, with over 98 million people estimated to have watched the show this year.

In a statement, the National Football League (NFL) said the duo would perform on February 2 in Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. The show will be the first to be produced by Roc Nation, an entertainment company founded by rapper and businessman, Shawn ‘Jay Z’ Carter.

Both artistes have released chart-topping songs in English and Spanish since the 1990s. Colombian singer, Shakira is one of the world’s best-selling Latin American music stars. She has won three Grammy Awards since after she rocketed to international fame in 2001 with her single, Whenever, Wherever.

Lopez, an actress and singer is known for hits such as Love Don’t Cost A Thing. She also starred in the recent movie Hustlers which has been tipped for an Oscar.

The concert comes as the NFL seeks to rebuild its image following a public backlash over the treatment meted out to Colin Kaepernick, a quarterback who plays for the San Francisco 49ers.

 Kaepernick knelt down during pre-game renditions of the United States national anthem as a sign of protest against racial injustice in the United States.

The protest developed into a movement as many other players followed suit. It soon caught the attention of President Donald Trump, who suggested that kneeling players should be fired.

Last year, the NFL said it would fine the teams of any players who knelt, forcing Kaepernick to opt out of his contract in March 2017. He has not played since then. 

Following the controversy, several big-name artistes including Rihanna, Pink and Cardi B reportedly turned down offers to perform at last year’s half-time show.

Last year’s concert was eventually headlined by pop band, Maroon 5 and rappers, Travis Scott and Big Boi.

To counter criticism, Maroon 5 teamed up with the NFL and their record label, Interscope to donate $500,000 to educational charity organization, Big Brother, Big Sister.

Their gesture followed that of Travis Scott who agreed to perform on the condition that the NFL would contribute towards a $500,000 joint donation to the social justice organization, Dream Corps.

The most-watched Super Bowl show of all time was Katy Perry’s shark-infested spectacular in 2015, which drew over 120.7 million viewers world wide.