MIAMI — Jennifer Lopez grew up watching the New York Jets with her parents every Sunday from their home in the Bronx.
But, Lopez said Thursday, her mom and dad would much rather watch her perform at halftime of the Super Bowl than their Jets play in the game.
Her parents will get the chance to do so when Lopez and fellow international pop superstar Shakira headline the Super Bowl LIV halftime show on Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET, Fox).
“Like [Shakira said] being from Barranquilla [Colombia], me being from the Bronx, the two of us could have never imagined that we’d be playing at the Super Bowl one day,” Lopez said at a news conference Thursday. “My mom and dad, if you asked them, would you rather have the Jets in the Super Bowl this year or to see their daughter standing up there representing women and Latinas and Americans and everything that I am and Shakira is, I think they would pick this. I’m very, very proud to be here and to be able to have this moment and very grateful to be able to do that.”
For Lopez and Shakira, the opportunity to perform is especially meaningful because women have prominent roles in the ownership groups for both the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.
“Two Latinas, doing this in this country at this time, it’s just very empowering for us,” Lopez said.
The pair wouldn’t divulge specifics of Sunday’s performance, but they said it would be have a message of diversity and universal love.
A performance with that message is especially meaningful to the pair in the wake of NBA superstar Kobe Bryant’s death. Both artists said they learned of the news from their partners. Lopez is engaged to former MLB player Alex Rodriguez. Shakira’s partner is Barcelona’s Gerard Pique.
“I can’t imagine the pain that his family is going through right now,” Shakira said. “Life is so fragile and that’s why we have to live every moment as intensely as we can. And I think we’ll all be remembering Kobe on Sunday. And we’ll be celebrating life and celebrating diversity in this country. I’m sure he’ll be very proud to see the message that we’re going to try to convey onstage.”