Canadian singer The Weeknd will star at the next Super Bowl halftime show, the final of the American Football Championship, although it is not yet clear how the concert will be adapted to the context of the pandemic.
The choice of R&B singer, real name Abel Tesfaye, for the final on February 7, 2021 in Tampa, Florida, confirms the desire of the NFL, the professional American football league, to select younger artists and to contribute to more diversity.
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In Your Eyes,
the new bloody clip from The Weeknd
"
I am touched, honored, and delighted to find myself at the center of this famous scene this year,
" said the 30-year-old star, known for hits like
Blinding Lights
or
Starboy
, in a
press release
, in collaboration with the French duo Daft Punk .
This is the second year that the NFL has collaborated, to organize this show, with the group Roc Nation of Jay-Z, with the idea of promoting social justice.
The rapper had indicated in 2019 that he wanted to help the NFL overcome the controversy that followed the protest movement launched by former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2016, who dropped on one knee to protest against police violence against African Americans.
This gesture had earned him insults from Donald Trump, and ultimately cost him his career.
Support for Black Lives Matter
But Jay-Z had been heavily criticized for the NFL deal, with some criticizing him for wanting to make money at Kaepernick's expense.
The Weeknd gave him his support for the Black Lives Matter movement, and contributed some $ 200,000 to the legal aid fund launched by Colin Kaepernick after the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police in late May, which sparked large protests in the United States.
Read also: Lady Gaga crowned at the very BlackLivesMatter MTV Video Music Awards
“
It's very difficult for me to be happy right now,
” The Weeknd said when accepting the award for best R&B video at the MTV Video Music Awards last August.
“
Justice for Jacob Blake and justice for Breonna Taylor,
” he continued, referring to two other recent black victims of police violence.
No one knows how the pandemic could affect the February show.
Having reached mid-season, the NFL has already had to reorganize several matches due to cases of Covid-19 in its teams.
“
Our intention is to have as many fans at the Super Bowl as safe as possible,
” NFL President Roger Goodell said recently.
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