Jennifer Lopez, Shakira Preview Super Bowl Halftime Show; Remember Kobe Bryant
By Cata Balzano
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Shakira and Jennifer Lopez came together for a press conference on Thursday afternoon at the Hilton in Downtown Miami ahead of their upcoming Super Bowl halftime show performance on Feb. 2.
The two Latina powerhouses each graced the stage and sat side by side to share slight details on the long awaited moment when two of the most important female performers in the world join together for the first time on a Super Bowl stage.
“It would be something hard to believe and it’s a reality today and I just think that this is a palpable example that it’s possible and that the only thing that matters is the size of your dreams,” said , recalling the earlier years of her career when she still lived in Barranquilla, Colombia. “It’s an opportunity to remind us all [Latinos] of what an important force we are.”
Heavily dominant topics during the question and answer portion included Kobe Bryant’s passing, Latino representation as well as insight on how they collaborated to produce a show that they hinted will perfectly display the harmonious merge of their musical and artistic style.
“The creative process is really intense when it comes to a show of this magnitude,” said Lopez, in Spanish while replying to a Hispanic media outlet.
”But we worked together to make this the best show possible. I also think that sports and music are the two things that can join people together in any part of the world, and we have that opportunity this Sunday, and we are going to do our best,” she added.
Regarding Kobe Bryant’s passing, they both shared their sentiment when finding out, with Shakira explaining that she found out from her husband and Lopez told the story of how she found out through Alex Rodriguez.
“Alex walked in with tears in his eyes and said, ‘You’ll never believe what just happened.’”
Shakira also found out through her partner, Gerard Piqué. “Well Gerard, my partner, called me with the sad news,” she recounted. “He was very affected. I can’t imagine the pain that his family must be going through right now. Life is so fragile — that’s why we have to love every moment as intensely as we can. I think we will all be remembering Kobe on Sunday and we’ll be celebrating life and celebrating diversity in this country. I’m sure he will be very proud to see the message that we will be trying to convert on stage because I think it’s a very important moment for the Latino community.”
While hinting at a possible tribute to Bryant, the duo revealed a part of the show the Miami audience will appreciate: powerful women and Latino representation. Other artists will include DJ Khaled, Pitbull, Dan + Shay as well as Demi Lovato who’s performing the National Anthem.
