MIAMI (AP) – Jennifer Lopez and Shakira said their Super Bowl halftime show will pay homage to Latino culture, promising a joint performance that has an empowering message and also one that will remember NBA icon Kobe Bryant.
Lopez and Shakira on Thursday held a press conference before Sunday’s big game in Miami, telling media they worked hard to put together an eye-popping, high-energy 12-minute performance before the San Francisco 49ers take on the Kansas City Chiefs at Hard Rock Stadium.
“When I was living in Barranquilla, my hometown, as a little girl no one would have thought that I would be performing at the Super Bowl,” Colombian singer Shakira said. “It would be so hard to believe. And it’s a reality today, now. I think that this is a palpable example of how anything is possible really and I think what matters is the size of dreams.”
Shakira and Lopez have separately released a number of chart-topping hits that dominated both the pop and Latin charts in the last two decades. While rehearsing days ago, Lopez said her beau Alex Rodriguez came to her in tears to let her know Bryant, a friend of his, had passed away. Lopez said Thursday she wanted to send love and support to Bryant’s wife and family.
“We have to love people when they’re here and not wait,” said Lopez “I think about Vanessa as a mom and losing her best friend and partner and losing her child, you know, how awful that must be for her right now, and I just wanted to send the message and praying God guides her through every moment because she has three more babies to take care of.”