Shakira Reveals Her Plans to Perform the 'Best Show of My Career' at the Super Bowl on Her Birthday
Shakira is guaranteeing that her upcoming Super Bowl performance with Jennifer Lopez will be a major spectacle!
The singer, who is set to headline the Super Bowl 2020 halftime show on Feb. 2 — which also coincides with her 43rd birthday — recently opened up in an interview about her highly anticipated performance, which she revealed has been a personal bucket list item.
“It’s gonna be on my birthday!” she told Zane Lowe on his Apple Music radio show. “I’ve always wanted to perform at the Super Bowl. I think it’s the holy grail of the entertainment industry.”
“It’s a sports event but it has a huge relevance for us artists and I think it’s gonna be fantastic and I’m gonna be celebrating my birthday with 100 million people,” Shakira, 42, continued. “Just a small party, it’s surreal, actually.”
Since the halftime performance is something she’s always wanted to do, Shakira said she had no hesitations when JAY-Z, who is producing the show, called her and asked if she wanted to be involved.
“Of course, I didn’t hesitate, I said, ‘Of course, count on me,'” Shakira recalled, adding that her excitement grew when she learned Lopez, 50, was also performing — in part because of what they each represented as singers.
“I feel that’s gonna be great because she also represents a really important part of the Latino community who lives in the U.S. — who’s being born and raised in the U.S. — and in a way, I feel that I’m representing another part of the Latin world, which is all those people around the globe who barely speak English and a huge portion of the demographic that also arrived in the U.S. with the American dream.”
“I think this is gonna be an event to celebrate Latin culture and the importance of women also in the industry,” the singer added.
Shakira also spoke to Lowe about how she’s been preparing for the show since confirming the gig last month and promised that the performance will serve as a turning point in her career.
“It’s gonna be very short, therefore very nerve-wracking, I think,” she admitted. “The wheels are already turning and I can’t stop thinking of ideas. Every day, I have a new idea so now it’s a matter of making them all work together and having the time to consolidate all of that and present the best show of my career.”
“A whole performance in five minutes!” she jokingly added.
RELATED: Jennifer Lopez and Shakira to Co-Headline Super Bowl 2020 Halftime Show
It was only three weeks ago that Shakira and Lopez confirmed they’ll be performing at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida in February for Super Bowl 54.
Shakira shared a photo of Lopez captioning it “Get ready 02.02.20.” Meanwhile, Lopez tweeted, “This is happening. 02.02.20,” alongside a photo of Shakira.
Finally, a shot of the two together was shared, with the caption: “Going to set the world on 🔥🔥🔥 @shakira #PepsiHalftime #SuperBowlLIV @pepsi.”
Shortly after the news broke, the singers appeared in a taped segment during Thursday Night Football, in which they teased their upcoming performance together.
“This is gonna be so much fun!” Lopez exclaimed before raving about Shakira. “She’s such a dynamic performer, she does her own thing.”
“There’s nobody like her so I know that the two of us together are going to bring that special brand of what we do and there will be people who haven’t even seen us perform who get to see something special that night,” she continued. “It’s going to be an exciting show.”
“That’s what you can expect,” Lopez went on. “When you think about Shak and you think about what I do, the combination of that, I think of an explosion of fun and energy!”
Shakira then quickly chimed in and told her, “Don’t spoil the surprise!” and while Lopez agreed not to ruin anything, she promised fans, “It’s going to be the best super bowl ever! See you in Miami, mwah!”
Lopez and Shakira follow in the footsteps of last year’s Super Bowl headliners Maroon 5, Big Boi and Travis Scott. Previous performers include Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, Coldplay, Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga.
