Entertainment

Has Katy Perry Performed At The Super Bowl Before?

by Jaclyn Anglis

As we all know, the Super Bowl half-time show is a pretty big deal. Set in the middle of America's most-watched event of the year, it's always interesting to see which performer gets the chance of a lifetime to take the stage. As confirmed last November, Katy Perry perform at this year's Super Bowl, and it was recently revealed that Idina Menzel and John Legend would both be performing — the national anthem and "America the Beautiful," respectively — before the game starts. While this is all obviously very exciting for Perry and her fans, some might be wondering whether the California gurl has ever performed on the Super Bowl stage before.

As it turns out, this will be Perry's Super Bowl debut, a pretty big honor considering past performers have included The Who, Michael Jackson, and Madonna, among others. But there is an interesting backstory behind her getting the opportunity this year.

Last August, the NFL was reportedly trying to decide between Perry, Rihanna, and Coldplay to be the half-time performer, and when they were talking to the stars' representatives about their candidacy, they reportedly asked them if they would be willing "to contribute a portion of their post-Super Bowl tour income to the league, or if they would make some other type of financial contribution, in exchange for the half-time gig." As you can imagine, this did not go over well with the artists, Perry included.

While making an appearance on an ESPN College Game Day show (pictured above), Perry made her views on that negotiation very clear. "I'm not the kind of girl who would pay to play the Super Bowl," Perry said.

It is unclear as to whether the NFL dropped the "pay to play" offer or if Perry changed her mind about what she said on the show, but either way, someone has definitely been singing a different tune than was the case in August.

For Perry's part, she seemed ecstatic over the confirmed news from her tweet. She told Today on Jan. 12 that she cried when she first found out that she would be the performer and revealed that she has a major case of the butterflies for the show.

And the sports world has shown her no shortage of love lately, too. She recently covered ESPN magazine for the music issue with Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt

It'll be interesting to see what Perry has planned for game day. While she might not be the most knowledgeable about football itself, she undoubtedly has the spirit to back her performance up — and of course, the outfits to match.

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