22 musicians we'd love to see perform the Super Bowl halftime show

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bad bunny perform

Bad Bunny is headlining the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show. Todd Owyoung/Peacock/Getty Images

Updated 2025-09-29T18:04:22Z

  • Bad Bunny will headline the Super Bowl LX halftime show on Sunday, February 8.
  • It will be an amazing show, but there are some others we'd love to see perform in the future.
  • We'd love to see Ariana Grande or Miley Cyrus headline the halftime show in 2027 and beyond.

The Super Bowl halftime show is part of the most-watched TV event of the year — it's sometimes viewed more than the game itself.

That's why the choice of performer is important: It's the biggest stage in the country.

For the next Super Bowl, Bad Bunny was chosen to perform at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, home of the San Francisco 49ers. This is amazing news for any American fans of the "DtMF" rapper, as he skipped the US entirely on his ongoing world tour — something he referenced when he announced the show.

"I've been thinking about it these days, and after discussing it with my team, I think I'll do just one date in the United States," he wrote on X.

Bad Bunny — who in recent years has expanded his career to acting with roles in "Bullet Train" and "Caught Stealing," and a knockout episode as host of "SNL" — is known for his lively shows. Just ask Austin Butler.

While this year's show is sure to be iconic, we have some suggestions for performers for the next couple of years, from Stevie Wonder to Pink.

Ariana Grande has many successful albums, and she always brings the vocals.

ariana grande grammys

Ariana Grande at the Grammys. John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Grande has seven albums worth of hits, including "The Way," "Problem," "Thank U Next," "Into You," "Everyday," "Positions," "The Boy Is Mine," "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)," plus the entire "Wicked" soundtrack ... the list goes on. Many of her hits include collaborations with other giant stars, like Nicki Minaj, Lizzo, Childish Gambino, Future, Jessie J, Zedd, and Missy Elliot, which would make for a great halftime show.

The Super Bowl halftime show is just the next logical step in her quest for world domination, and we're here for it.

We're living in a golden age of female rappers — let's bring some out for an Avengers-level crossover event.

doja cat and sza

Doja Cat and SZA with their Grammys. Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images

We'd love to see Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, Cardi B, SZA, Sexyy Red, Ice Spice, Latto, GloRilla, and Nicki Minaj together onstage.

Think about the music that's defined the last few years: "Kiss Me More," "Savage," "Best Friend," "Say So," "Kill Bill," "Super Freaky Girl" ... the list goes on. Even if some of these women don't exactly get along, imagine how legendary it would be for them to squash their beef onstage. We can dream, right?

It's surprising that Taylor Swift, arguably the biggest musical artist in the world, has never headlined the halftime show.

Taylor Swift performs during the Eras Tour.

Taylor Swift performs during the Eras Tour. Gareth Cattermole/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

Everyone knows Taylor Swift can put on a show, whether you love her or hate her. Just think about the Eras Tour. Imagine that level of production at the Super Bowl.

Swift is also known for her cross-genre music — she could perform songs that appeal to everyone.

And now that she officially owns all her own music and is set to release her 12th album, "The Life of a Showgirl," Swift has more content than ever to pull from.

Jay-Z and Beyoncé released their collaborative album in 2018, and they've proven their ability to put on a show as a duo with two joint tours.

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Beyoncé and Jay-Z perform onstage during the "On The Run II" Tour. Larry Busacca/PW18/Getty Images for Parkwood Entertainment

First of all, we're looking for any excuse to get Beyoncé back on the Super Bowl stage. Her performances in the past have been nothing short of iconic. Both Carters have decades worth of material to pull from, including their joint album, "Everything Is Love."

The Super Bowl's never had a husband and wife perform onstage together, and we can think of no better couple to be the first.

We're all still obsessed with Queen, who have been touring with Adam Lambert as the lead singer for more than a decade.

adam lambert queen

Brian May of Queen and singer Adam Lambert perform at the Forum. Kevin Winter/Getty Images

The NFL loves a classic rock performance, as evidenced by past performers such as The Who, the Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, and more. But Queen, arguably one of the most theatrical rock bands of all time, has never taken the stage.

Lambert has been touring with Queen for years, and he even performed with them at the 2019 Oscars, so clearly, he is fan-approved as the band's lead singer. Just picture an entire stadium stomping along to "We Will Rock You" — it's a guaranteed good time.

Pink is famous for her aerial stunts while performing — just picture her hanging from the ceiling of a stadium.

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Pink onstage at Wembley Stadium on June 29, 2019. Jo Hale/Redferns/Getty Images

After her moving performance at the 2018 Grammys, Pink showed that she can do both: serious performances and high-flying spectacles.

Over 20 years after her debut album (and still cranking out hits like "Can We Pretend," "Walk Me Home," and "Never Gonna Not Dance Again"), Pink more than deserves her turn at the halftime show.

Britney Spears appeared alongside Justin Timberlake (in his *NYSNC days) in 2001. She should have headlined the show before he did.

Britney Spears performs during Now! 99.7 Triple Ho Show 7.0 at SAP Center on December 3, 2016

Britney Spears in 2016. Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

In the words of Spears herself, she's "a put-on-a-show kind of girl." One of the most iconic live performances of all time involved Spears and a gigantic python. There's no limit to what she could do on a Super Bowl-sized budget.

Now that she's been released from her restrictive conservatorship, Spears is free to perform (or not!) if she wants to, and there would be no better place than the Super Bowl.

Justin Bieber is firmly back at the top of the charts, so he has both new songs and plenty of hits to pull from.

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Justin Bieber performs at the 2016 Purpose World Tour. Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images

It's been a good year for the Biebs. He released two albums this year ("Swag" and "Swag II") and was announced as one of the headliners of Coachella in 2026. It would've been cool for him to do the Super Bowl show as well, but we predict he'll be releasing hits for years to come.

Besides his jams like "What Do U Mean," "Sorry," "Where Are U Now," "Baby," "Boyfriend," "Daisies," and "Yukon," Bieber also has a solid stable of collaborators he could bring onstage with him — of course, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee for "Despacito," but also Chance the Rapper, Quavo,  DJ Khaled and Lil Wayne for "I'm the One," and "No Brainer," Post Malone for "Forever," The Kid Laroi for "Stay," Daniel Caesar and Giveon for "Peaches," and even Billie Eilish on their version of "Bad Guy."

Miley Cyrus clearly knows how to put on a show.

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Miley Cyrus onstage during the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Festival. Denise Truscello/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

The "Bangerz" tour will always be famous for one thing: Miley Cyrus entering through a gigantic version of her head and sliding down her tongue.

Cyrus has always known how to get people talking, starting with her pole-dancing at the VMAs during "Party in the USA" and her twerking on Robin Thicke.

After a subdued album, "Younger Now," the wilder side of her is back with a vengeance, with her eye-popping music video for "Mother's Daughter," and the heartbreak bop "Flowers," an ode to being single and loving it.

Her 2020 album "Plastic Hearts" was her first foray into real rock music, and — as we know — there's nothing the NFL loves more than rock 'n' roll. She could even bring out Talking Heads to perform "Psycho Killer," which she covered in 2024.

Janet Jackson deserves to make a return.

Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson onstage. Francois Nel/Getty Images

Janet Jackson will forever be known as the first-ever Super Bowl victim of a wardrobe malfunction. But she's so much more than that: an amazing dancer and a talented vocalist for starters.

And she's paid for "Nipplegate" ever since, even though it wasn't her fault. According to Rolling Stone, CBS rescinded Jackson's invitation to the Grammys that year, while Timberlake attended ... and even won. (He has since apologized for "falling short" and benefiting "from a system that condones misogyny and racism.")

If we're dreaming big, perhaps Outkast could reunite on the Super Bowl stage.

outkast performing in 2014

Big Boi and André 3000 of Outkast perform onstage. Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Firefly Music Festival

Outkast consists of two of the greatest rappers of all time, Big Boi and André 3000. Those two provided us with some of the best rap songs (or just songs, in general) of all time, including "Hey Ya!," "Ms. Jackson," "So Fresh, So Clean," "B.O.B.," "Roses," and more.

As the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show proved, classic rap and hip hop is becoming just as "classic" as classic rock and inspires the same amount of nostalgia. What would be more fun than seeing Outkast reunite for the first time in almost a decade — they last performed together in 2016 — and on the biggest stage of the year?

Being the youngest headliner of the Super Bowl would just be another record for Billie Eilish to break.

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Billie Eilish at the 2022 Coachella music festival. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Coachella

Eilish is already the youngest person to win the big four at the Grammys (best new artist, song, record, and album of the year), the youngest person to headline Coachella, the youngest artist to record a theme for a Bond film ... the list goes on.

Bruno Mars is currently the youngest musician to ever do it; he was 29 years old when he headlined in 2014. Eilish, who's now 23, still has some time to take the record. Perhaps when she releases her highly anticipated fourth album, it'll be time.

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