Super Bowl is one of the biggest events on the planet and almost every artist dreams of performing during the event’s halftime show. Earlier this year, Rihanna just lit up the event with her incredible performance at Super Bowl LVII. However, British singer Ed Sheeran isn’t too keen to perform at the iconic event. With a net worth of $200,000,000, Ed Sheeran seems to be steering clear of headlining the grand halftime show.
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During a conversation with Andy Cohen, Ed Sheeran revealed that he has little to no interest in performing at the Super Bowl. He hinted that it might be worth considering being a part of the show if he were to collaborate with another artist. As fans speculate on who might grace the next Super Bowl stage, it seems that it won’t be Ed Sheeran.
Ed Sheeran Doesn’t Have the ‘Pizzazz’ to Perform at the Super Bowl
The ‘Perfect’ singer has put an end to the speculations of him performing at the Super Bowl halftime show. Talking about the same on ‘Andy Cohen’s Deep & Shallow Podcast on SiriusXM‘, ‘The Shape Of You’ singer said, “I think that would be the only way that I would do it, is if I was joining someone else”. Ed thinks that the gig is an “American thing” and he wouldn’t be able to do justice to the American crowd and the NFL.
Sheeran further stated, “I don’t have pizzazz”. He was highlighting how different he is from other musical superstars like Katy Perry, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, etc. He said, “Like, all of these amazing performers — I’m just not that. I’m not gonna have dancers on stage. I’m not gonna have fireworks and blah blah”. Ed believes that his musical approach would not resonate with the powerful performances the above-mentioned stars can put forth.
“I just can’t, that’s not me. I don’t think that anyone wants to see me do the Super Bowl either,” said Sheeran before joking, that he “could wear sparkles for it“. Ed didn’t completely shut the door on Super Bowl as he said at the end, “I think I would do it as a guest”. Looks, like there’s hope for the NFL fans after all to hear one of the best voices in the world at the Super Bowl.
Numbers Don’t Lie: Rihanna’s Super Bowl Performance
As Ed Sheeran shies away from the Super Bowl stage, Rihanna’s halftime performance earlier this year showcased the immense potential of such appearances. Even though Rihanna didn’t receive a direct paycheck for her performance, owing to NFL policy, she definitely reaped enormous benefits in other ways.
After the performance, Rihanna’s music saw a massive surge on streaming platforms and in sales. As per Luminate (formerly Nielsen), the on-demand streams for Rihanna shot up by 211% from the day before to the next day of the Super Bowl. Coming to her digital albums saw a rise of 301%, while digital song sales exploded to 390%, as per Forbes.
According to Variety, Spotify streams of Rihanna’s music in the U.S. surged 640% immediately after her halftime event. On Apple Music, her worldwide listeners increased by 331%. As a matter of fact, her opening song at halftime, ‘B*tch Better Have My Money’ performed the best with an increase of 2600% in streams. The results show that while a direct payday may not be involved by performing at the Super Bowl, the marketing opportunity and the chance to earn millions indirectly makes the gig totally worthwhile.
