Football is going to get a little more prismatic in 2015. Today (Oct. 9) after months of speculation, it was confirmed that pop megastar Katy Perry will be performing during the halftime show at Super Bowl XLIX.
Perry was reportedly one of three acts shortlisted to perform at the 2015 Super Bowl, according to Billboard. She bested out fellow musical juggernauts Rihanna and Coldplay for the honor of the halftime show amidst numerous NFL scandals revolving around a pay-to-play effort and the Ray Rice domestic violence scandal.
Earlier this year, rumors surfaced that the NFL was asking the shortlisted musical artists to pay for the pleasure of performing in front of the massive American Super Bowl audience. Last year's performer, Bruno Mars, played his hits in front of a televised audience of 111.5 million. His albums, Unorthodox Jukebox and Doo-Wops and Hooligans subsequently got huge sales bumps.
The pay-to-play rumors are by no means the most controversial news to happen in the NFL this year, even regarding music.
Rihanna's collaboration with Jay Z "Run This Town" was infamously dropped from the Thursday Night Football lineup following footage of Rice beating his now-wife Janay Rice surfaced. Rihanna's own connection to domestic violence and Chris Brown led to CBS dropping the song from its promos.
Regardless, Perry is an obvious choice for the Super Bowl. She's a mass appeal pop star with a friendly attitude toward kids and adults alike, and her latest album Prism has spawned some huge hits, including "Roar" and "Dark Horse."
Despite sources speaking to Billboard, neither Perry nor the NFL have confirmed the halftime show as of publication time.
Super Bowl XLIX is scheduled to take place on Feb. 1.
