Super Bowl Halftime Shows: Every Time Latin Music Stepped Up to the Game

Super Bowl LVIII is just around the corner. While football fans may be excited to watch the Chiefs and Eagles play for the Lombardi Trophy, many people tune in just to see the halftime show. This year, Rihanna is set to make her stage comeback, headlining the awaited performance, but many Latin singers got to show off their talent at the halftime show long before her.

Shakira & JLO

Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira and Puerto Rican-American superstar Jennifer Lopez headlined the halftime show at the 2020 Super Bowl. Together, the artists showed the world the power, energy and charisma of both Latin music and Latina women. Their performance ended up making that halftime show one of the most-watched ever, with over a hundred million views live.

They sang some of their greatest hits, including “She Wolf,” “Whenever Wherever,” “Jenny From the Block,” and “On the Floor.” They were also joined by other Latin artists; Shakira performed “I Like It” and “Chantaje” with Bad Bunny, honoring Maluma and Cardi B. On the other hand, Jennifer got to sing “Mi Gente” with J Balvin. Finally, Lopez’s daughter, Emme Muñiz, joined both women on stage to sing “Let’s Get Loud,” before ending the show with the successful “Waka Waka.”

The performance received praise from critics, who highlighted their dance skills, the message against Donald Trump’s government and the inclusion of Latin music in a mainstream event. It also received four Primetime Emmy nominations, winning the award for Best Lighting Design and Direction in a Variety Special.

Gloria Estefan

However, Latinos have been performing at the Super Bowl halftime show for years. Gloria Estefan was the first Latin artist to sing on the most-watched stage in the US, in 1992. In fact, the Cuban artist performed even before the legendary Michael Jackson got the chance to show his dance moves on the stage.

She starred in the “Winter Magic” halftime show along with Olympic figure skaters Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill. The snowflake-theme stage witnessed the performance of the skaters surrounded by dancers, with the University of Minnesota’s marching band accompanying the artist’s melodies. During the performance, she sang two of her songs in English, including “Get On Your Feet.”

Even though the show wasn’t as successful as expected, Gloria was called seven years later to headline the halftime show again. She shared the 1950’s themed performance, called “Celebration of Soul, Salsa and Swing,” with singer-songwriter and activist Stevie Wonder and swing band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. The star got to perform her songs “Oye” in Spanish and “Turn The Beat Around.”

Fun fact: Gloria was invited by Jay Z to participate for the third time in the Super Bowl along with Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, but she denied the offer.

Christina Aguilera

In the year 2000, Disney was in charge of delivering the Super Bowl halftime show called “Tapestry of Nations.” Phil Collins, Toni Braxton, Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias and a choir of 80 people took to the stage to show the diversity of music. Alongside them, Latin America was represented by Christina Aguilera.

The Ecuadorian-American singer joined forces with Iglesias to celebrate the new millennium by singing the song “Celebrate the Future, Hand in Hand.”

Bruno Mars

Even though it is not talked about enough, Bruno Mars was born Peter Gene Hernández, son to a Puerto Rican father. The artist headlined the 2014 Super Bowl halftime show alongside his band The Hooligans, with special guests The Red Hot Chili Peppers. At the time of airing the halftime show attracted the largest audience in the history of the Super Bowl, with 115.3 million viewers. The show, which received two Primetime Emmy nominations, had Mars singing some of his most famous hits, including “Treasure,” “Just The Way You Are,” and “Billionaire.”

The performance was so successful that Bruno was called again just two years later to join Coldplay, Beyoncé and Mark Ronson on the stage, the latter with whom he sang “Uptown Funk.” Bruno later battled Beyoncé and her army of dancers in one of the most epic musical performances of halftime show history. The stage was also shared by Venezuelan orchestra director Gustavo Dudamel, along with the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles.

Carlos Santana 

Even though it wasn’t technically the halftime show, Mexican guitarist Carlos Santana accompanied Beyoncé at the 2003 Super Bowl pre-game concert. Thirteen years later, it was rumored that he would headline the actual show in 2016, alongside bands such as Metallica, Steve Miller and Journey. However, it turned out that none of these artists would end up performing.