Super Bowl LIV: Empowering performances dominated this year’s game

This year’s Super Bowl was marked by a number of powerful performances, first from Demi Lovato and then from Shakira and Jennifer Lopez.

While many people tuned into Super Bowl LIV to actually watch the game (weird, right?), it’s probably fair to say that just as many viewers were interested primarily in the evening’s entertainment. Those viewers were in for a treat this year, as every performance, from the National Anthem to the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show, proved to be powerful and enthralling — and after watching them all, it’s hard to deny this year’s game was dominated by empowered women with a statement to make.

Not only was the National Anthem sung by a young woman who’s making it clear that she’s back in action after spending time in recovery for substance abuse, but the Halftime Show featured an all-Latin performance that put women of color in the spotlight — and kept its focus on them for the entirety of its run.

Let’s look at exactly how women took over the Super Bowl this year.

Demi Lovato singing the National Anthem

The first performance of the night — which is obviously much less flashy than the Halftime Show — is always the National Anthem. This year’s Super Bowl saw Demi Lovato singing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and it wasn’t just her stunning voice that had fans excited to see her on the field.

Lovato has been mostly absent from the music scene since she began seeking recovery for her struggles with addiction, and her first live performance in two years occurred just a week ago at the 62nd Grammy Awards. The Super Bowl marks her second major appearance, and honestly? She nailed it. It’s hard not to be proud after seeing how far she’s come.

Shakira & J.Lo’s Halftime Show

The biggest part of the night — OK, other than who actually won the game, and who really cares about all that? — was when Shakira and Jennifer Lopez put on what may be one of the best Halftime Shows in recent years, if not ever. (Twitter has certainly deemed it as such.)

Shakira took the stage first, combining impressive Latin dance moves with a lineup of catchy songs that included “She Wolf,” “Empire,” and “Whenever, Wherever.” Bad Bunny showed up to perform a couple of duets — “I Like It” and “Chantaje” — and then Shakira closed out her set with the popular “Hips Don’t Lie.” Confidence positively radiated from the singer throughout her entire performance, and the same can be said for J. Lo, who appeared on a pedestal almost as soon as Shakira was done singing.

J. Lo opened up with “Jenny From the Block,” showing off some seriously amazing choreography with her backup dancers from the moment she arrived on the field until the moment she walked off. Included in her lineup were hits like “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” and “Let’s Get Loud,” and the star welcomed J Balvin onstage to perform with her as well. The most exciting surprise appearance, however, was that of J. Lo’s 11-year-old daughter, Emme. She joined her mother in singing “Let’s Get Loud,” right before Shakira came back to round out the show by performing “Waka Waka” with J. Lo.

And the significance of two Latin women — one of whom also is also of Lebanese descent — dominating the show wasn’t lost on viewers, many of whom took to Twitter to voice their excitement seeing these two embrace their heritage onstage. This alone was iconic, and that’s not accounting for the fact that this year’s Halftime Show was genuinely fun and engaging — unlike some of the more gimmicky performances seen in previous years. This one will go down in history, and hopefully, lead to more just like it in the future.

What did you think of the performances at this year’s Super Bowl? Sound off in the comments below.