While most of us are more concerned with which teams will represent their conferences in next year’s Super Bowl, those who stick around for the halftime show are just as curious to see who will be selected to perform the halftime show for Super Bowl 57 in 2023. The NFL and Pepsi will not release who will perform until next fall, but here are some of the early favorites fans want to see at the Super Bowl 57 halftime show in 2023.
Five Super Bowl 57 halftime show candidates
As one of the biggest musical events of the year, who performs at the Super Bowl is a significant deal to many. Here are some early candidates who could perform in Super Bowl 57 in Glendale.
Drake
The NFL is careful in who they select to perform the Super Bowl halftime show. It needs to be trendy enough to get people excited but not so edgy where they risk something going wrong. Drake is the perfect mashup of these two. While he has dozens of hits he couldn’t play, he has just as many that would be fantastic for the live crowd.
Drake released his sixth album in 2021, “Certified Lover Boy,” and his name is big enough to carry the entire show. Arguably one of the most successful names in Billboard history, Drake would be a slam dunk selection for the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show. They could draw off the who’s who list of fellow artists he has collaborated with to pull off another mega show a la Super Bowl 56.
Ariana Grande
When it comes to vocals, few can match Ariana Grande’s level. That is not just her studio voice, either. Ariana Grande is known as one of the better live performers out there. She has produced six albums with many hits, including 22 Billboard nominations (with most hitting the top spot).
Grande is the most streamed female artist ever. She is the most followed female artist on Spotify and the most subscribed female artist on YouTube. She has been on Time’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world twice. Additionally, she was on the Forbes Celebrity 100 in 2019–2020.
Grande was Woman of the Year in 2018. She is the greatest pop star of 2019 and the most successful female artist to debut in the 2010s by Billboard. Add in the collaboration potential Grande brings, and she would be a no-brainer to perform in the 2023 Super Bowl 57 halftime show.
Taylor Swift
Love her, like her, or tolerate her, there is no denying Taylor Swift’s place in the music industry. Indeed, her cross-genre style of music allows her to perform songs that appeal to virtually anyone. After a lengthy court battle, Swift has begun to re-record and re-release her songs, giving her full autonomy and control over them.
The NFL consistently wants to appeal to a younger audience to create future fans. Due to this, Swift is a logical choice. Swift has done basically everything else there is to do except the Super Bowl. There is little doubt she has been asked before. Maybe now is the right time for Swift to take the stage and perform the Super Bowl 57 halftime show in 2023. I know, for me, it would make for a great time…to go get some food and refills.
Rihanna
Is now the right time? Rihanna publicly turned down the opportunity to perform in the halftime Super Bowl in 2019 due to the NFL’s stance and fallout surrounding former San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick. “I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler,” Rihanna told Vogue. “There’s things within that organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.”
“Until the league changes their policy and support players’ constitutional right to protest, no artists should agree to work with the NFL.” If the NFL is ever going to be serious about making a change, doing it and having Rihanna perform the 2023 Super Bowl 57 halftime show could be a substantial statement by both parties. Also, Rihanna works with the Roc Nation record label, owned by Jay-Z. He has been pulling the strings for the last few Super Bowl halftime performances.
Creed and Nickelback
Go ahead, lie to me in my face and tell me you wouldn’t be intrigued by this. I mean, you did see Creed’s 2001 Thanksgiving performance, right? But imagine that show on a Super Bowl level. Then, add in a bit of Chad Kroeger on top of it, belting out “How You Remind Me,” “Animals,” “Figured You Out,” and “Burn It To The Ground.” It’s the ultimate 2000s rock tribute.
It would be 12-14 minutes filled with post-grunge music, denim jackets, and flowing highlighted hair. If you told me Nickelback and Creed were performing the 2023 Super Bowl 57 halftime show concert, I might start trying to book tickets now.