Taylor Swift is reportedly set to play the Super Bowl halftime show for the first time in 2023, according to a new report from Variety. The report points out that one of the reasons this long-awaited performance is finally happening is that Apple is taking over the Super Bowl halftime sponsorship from Pepsi.
The Taylor Swift Super Bowl halftime show is finally happening
The report cites three sources “close to the situation” and says that Taylor Swift is set to headline the Super Bowl LVII halftime show in 2023. This report comes just 12 hours after it was announced that Apple and the NFL had reached a deal for Apple Music to take over the sponsorship of the Super Bowl halftime show starting next year.
Taylor Swift fans quickly started to read the tea leaves when the Apple Music deal was announced overnight. One of the most common reasons was that Swift’s upcoming album is called “Midnights,” and the deal between Apple and the NFL was announced at midnight. That’s certainly a bit of a reach, but Variety points to a more compelling theory.
Pepsi has been the Super Bowl halftime sponsor since 2013, the same year that Swift inked a long-term deal with Coca-Cola. It’s unclear whether this partnership prohibited Swift from performing at a Pepsi-sponsored halftime show, but it certainly “would have been awkward.”
But beyond those theories, Variety says it has three sources close to the situation who have confirmed that Swift is indeed lined up to be the Apple Music Super Bowl halftime performer in 2023.
Apple and Taylor Swift have had a tumultuous relationship over the years. In 2015, Swift publicly called out Apple for the company’s plan not to pay artists for streams during Apple Music free trials. Apple, however, quickly conceded and agreed to pay artists for free-trial streams.
Since then, Swift has appeared in Apple advertising campaigns, been spotlighted during “Today at Apple” sessions, and released exclusive content on Apple Music.
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