Three of the last five headliners of the Super Bowl were solo female performers, but over the 20 years before that, only one other woman took center stage.
On Thursday, Lady Gaga confirmed that she will be the 2017 Super Bowl halftime performer.
While the halftime show has included plenty of featured female performers over the years — including Britney Spears, Shania Twain, Christina Aguilera, Gloria Estefan, Janet Jackson– they all shared the stage with other acts.
The four women who came before Gaga:
Katy Perry, 2015
Katy Perry started big, emerging on a massive animatronic lioness for “Roar,” and ended even bigger, standing on a dangerously tiny platform as a soaring firework transported her around the arena for “Firework.” She also called on some famous friends to join her, Missy Elliott and Lenny Kravitz, to the stage.
Beyonce, 2013
Three years before she stole the 2016 Super Bowl halftime show, Beyonce had her own showcase, where she put on a dancing-in-stilettos master class and reunited the ladies of Destiny’s Child. Her DC bandmates emerged from below the stage for a mini-set before popping right back down to concede the spotlight back to Queen Bey.
Madonna, 2012
Madonna opted for “Vogue,” “Like a Prayer” and a medley of “Open Your Heart” and “Express Yourself,” while also highlighting her new song “Give Me All Your Lovin'” with Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.
Diana Ross, 1996
After New Kids on the Block and Michael Jackson ushered in a new era of pop-star halftime shows, Diana Ross broke into the boys’ club to command her own stage. It would be another 16 years before a woman would headline again. What took so long?
Source: Hollywood Reporter
