The halftime show at the Super Bowl each year is about as huge as it gets. Last year's Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show featured Rhianna and hit a new high of over 121 million concurrent viewers. Reports suggest the singer had song sales boosted by almost 400 percent and streaming of her music up by 140 percent after appearing in 2023. That must have delighted Rhianna and first-time show sponsor Apple Music.
So you’d imagine there is a long queue of artists all eager to claim that headline spot each year. Taylor Swift seems an obvious star to take that spot. It seems she’s had a few invitations from the NFL to do so, including last year's show, but has declined so far.
There’s a reason or two for her declining. There are some complications and hurdles that need clearing first. Let’s look at why we may have to be patient for longer to see her in that iconic halftime show and to find out where she might like that to happen.
Reasons why we haven’t seen Taylor Swift performed at a Super Bowl yet
One of the potential blocks in recent years has now been removed. Swift had a contract with Coca-Cola and the halftime show was in association with Pepsi. That was too fizzy a clash at the time. But now Apple Music is the sponsor, and Swift has updated her contracts with business partners so there's no clash like that anymore.
The main reason for Swift not performing at a Super Bowl show is still contractual. She’s in the process of re-recording six of her early albums after losing her rights to them in a serious dispute with producer Scooter Braun. Her reworked 1989 album in October was the fourth, so that leaves just two to go, Reputation and Taylor Swift. She wouldn’t want any extra earnings from her original albums heading back to Braun.
The remaining two albums will have to be re-recorded when Swift has time available. And there's yet another reason for her no-show at the Super Bowl. Swift is still on her The Eras World Tour. That's scheduled through to December 2024 with gaps only in April and September. She’s not got much in the way of spare time at all in such a heavy concert schedule.
Where Taylor Swift would like to be on the Super Bowl halftime stage
Swift though isn't anxious about the gap in her CV. She’s too busy filling it with other stunning achievements. As UK newspaper Daily Mail reports, a source close to Swift has confirmed it’s something she’d like to do, but when the time is right. The source also tantalizingly indicated that Swift is "leaning towards doing it in a few years, especially if the Super Bowl is in Nashville." So far the venues for the Super Bowl are booked up until 2027 and don’t include Nashville, so we will have to keep waiting for now.
And that’s why we haven’t seen Taylor Swift perform in a halftime Super Bowl show and may not for a year or two yet. But at least we know why and where she might favour as a venue, hopefully, the NFL is aware!