Katy Perry will headline the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday night, with some help from Missy Elliott and Lenny Kravitz. The decision to bring Perry in as the star was nearly a year in the making, as the NFL and its various sponsors had a big say.
The most important corporation outside of the league in the decision-making process was Pepsi. Vice President Adam Harter explained why Perry will follow a long line of halftime stars that includes Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney and Prince.
"She's incredibly positive, very high-energy and has an optimistic point of view," Harter told Billboard. "She's someone that embodies the mind-set that Pepsi strives for. We've always seen her as a great fit, and she is no doubt an amazing artist — not to mention the most-followed person on Twitter. The ability to tap into that fanbase and social network was really appealing."
Then, there's ... you know ... the show itself.
"She's also creative," Harter said. "We knew that she would take a very unique approach to the show and the performance itself that we thought was worthy of the halftime show stage."
It's long been rumored that the NFL looked into Taylor Swift as a halftime headliner. Billboard specifically asked Harter about that possibility; did Swift's Coca-Cola sponsorship hurt her?
"For a performance as big as the Pepsi Super Bowl halftime show, every major artist is in the consideration set," Harter said. "I think competitive relationships are one thing to be considered, but there's several other elements that we look at as well. It's not [a categorical no]."
Maybe next time, Taylor. Then again, Pepsi's halftime contract runs out after the 2017 Super Bowl, so it might be a few years before we get "Blank Space" on the big stage.
.@katyperry is ready for the #pepsi #SB49 halftime show! https://t.co/f1gXrV9NKu
— NFL (@nfl) January 29, 2015
