The Christmas Day NFL game tradition has grown in popularity over the years. But with their growing presence on digital platforms, the NFL decided to go for a massive deal in 2024. As a result, the league’s newest digital partnership, a one-night-only exclusive for Netflix, is taking place today.
And the league is pulling out all the big guns for it. Like the Thanksgiving Day games and the Super Bowl, Christmas will have a halftime show as well. Every year, the Super Bowl Halftime Show is an event to look forward to, and with Beyoncé taking center stage, the NFL is looking to capture the same magic this December.
Who Is Beyoncé?
Granted, it’s impossible to do justice to a question like this. After all, Beyoncé might be the biggest star in the music industry in the 21st century. But let’s try to break it down for those who may not be in the know.
Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Beyoncé would go on to become one of the biggest pop culture icons in history. Beginning her career in the late 1990s as part of Destiny’s Child, she took to the limelight early and hasn’t left since.
Beyoncé’s first album, Dangerously in Love, became an all-time hit, and following albums like B’Day, I Am…Sasha Fierce, and 4 have all been similarly successful.
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As commercially successful as she might be, critically, there might not be any comparison to Beyoncé. The winner of the most Grammy Awards (32), NAACP Image Awards (25), BET Awards (32), and Soul Train Music Awards (25) for any artist in history, her legend is undeniable.
Major magazines like Billboard and Rolling Stone have similarly given her titles like the greatest pop star of the 21st century. Beyoncé is the only female artist to have all eight of her solo albums be No. 1 in the U.S. Billboard 200. She has also had the No. 1 hit in four different decades, something no other artist has done.
What To Expect From the Halftime Performance? Beyoncé and Her History With the NFL
Fans of the NFL and the artist herself must know Beyoncé already has two NFL performances to her credit. Back in 2016, she was the star of the show at Super Bowl 50, performing her latest song, Formation, for the first time live.
Despite the success Formation garnered, the performance in particular had a ton of controversy to it. Due to its reference to the 50th anniversary of the Black Panther Party and the NFL’s rule against political statements in performances, the show had some controversy attached to it.
But even before that, Queen Bey had made a name for herself on the Super Bowl stage, performing just three years earlier in 2013.
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Back then, Beyoncé shut down earlier controversies about lip-syncing her performances with live singing taking the stage. Performing alongside Destiny’s Child’s Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, the group had one of the most critically acclaimed Super Bowl performances, finishing with an icon rendition of Halo by Beyoncé.
But as she returns to the halftime stage on Christmas, here’s what fans can expect from Beyoncé’s performance.
The second of the two Christmas Day games, between the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens, will kick off at 4:30 p.m. ET, airing on Netflix, CBS, and NFL+. When Beyoncé takes the stage, the one guarantee is that fans will see her perform Cowboy Carter for the first time live.
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Released earlier this year, the album broke the record for most streams in a single day and had the biggest debut for a country album by a Black woman in Spotify’s history.
As she returns to her hometown of Houston, Texas, Beyoncé’s country roots should take center stage. However, this genre-defying album also had collaborations with names like Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, and Shaboozey, among others.
With the former three already having made a name for themselves on the NFL stage, they could turn out to be surprise performers for the event.
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One guarantee for the event has to be Texas Hold’Em from the album, given the location in mind. Additionally, a teaser Beyoncé posted on Instagram had Ameriican Requiem in the background, which might make it onto the stage as well.
Of course, with her history and music catalog, the icon won’t have any problems choosing other iconic tracks. While the exact details of Beyoncé’s performance remain secret, it’s almost assuredly a given that it will be an event worth remembering.