Kendrick Lamar will perform with SZA at the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
The musician is providing the entertainment for the big game at at the New Orleans Caesars Superdome on February 9 and he’s now confirmed he will be joined on stage by his pal and collaborator SZA. The Superdome, which has hosted seven Super Bowls previously, can accommodate up to 76,468 spectators.
Lamar announced the news in a promotional video posted on Instagram in which he is seen walking across a football field talking on his cell phone, saying: “I’ve been thinking about a guest performer,” when SZA walks up behind him and throws a bucket of blue liquid all over him. The playful announcement video garnered over 5 million views within hours of posting.
The clip was captioned: “Catch @kendricklamar with guest @sza. #AppleMusicHalftime #SBLIX.” This marks Apple Music’s second year as the Halftime Show sponsor, following their multi-year partnership deal worth an estimated $50 million annually.
The show comes shortly before Lamar and SZA are due to hit the road together for their 2025 ‘Grand National Tour’, which kicks off in Minnesota on April 19 and make stops in cities including Atlanta, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Detroit and Los Angeles. Industry experts predict the tour could gross over $100 million in ticket sales.
The trek concludes in Washington, D.C. on June 18. Pre-sale tickets for the tour have already broken several venue records for demand.
The pair have previously collaborated on projects including 2017’s ‘Doves in the Wind’ and 2018’s ‘All the Stars’ to December’s ’30 For 30′ from SZA’s reissue of ‘SOS’ (‘LANA’), as well ‘Luther’ and ‘Gloria’ on Lamar‘s latest LP ‘GNX’. Their collaborations have amassed over 2 billion streams across platforms.
“I would love that. I think that would be amazing. He’s such a genius. And a part of his genius is like him being so elusive and so mysterious and I love it,” SZA – whose real name is Solána Rowe – previously revealed learns a lot whenever she works with the “genius” rapper and would jump at the chance to create a full record with the ‘HUMBLE’ hitmaker, speaking on ‘Sherri’ on Wednesday (08.01.25).
When it came to ‘GNX’, SZA had no idea what tracks her vocals would end up on, but she did approve of her takes. The album has already been certified platinum, selling over 1 million copies worldwide.
“I don’t know what’s going on as much as you don’t know what’s going on,” she explained. “When ‘Luther’ came out, I said, ‘OK, that’s the vocals we’re using, period.’ Same with ‘Gloria.’ I said, ‘OK.'”
The Super Bowl Halftime Show has become one of music’s most prestigious platforms, with performers typically seeing significant spikes in streaming and sales following their appearances. Last year’s performers saw an average 150% increase in streaming numbers in the week following the show.
This performance will mark Lamar’s second Super Bowl appearance, following his participation in the 2022 show alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, and Eminem. That performance went on to win three Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
For SZA, this will be her Super Bowl Halftime Show debut, adding to an already impressive year that saw her collect multiple Grammy nominations and break streaming records with her latest releases. Her debut performance at the Super Bowl comes after her album ‘SOS’ spent multiple weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
The collaboration between these two artists represents a combined total of 29 Grammy Awards and numerous chart-topping hits. Their previous collaborations have earned them critical acclaim, including an Academy Award nomination for “All the Stars” from the Black Panther soundtrack.
