[1] It featured Usher as the headline performer, with guest appearances by Alicia Keys, will.i.am, Lil Jon, Ludacris, H.E.R, and Sonic Boom of the South.

[6] Still, Swift was in attendance,[7] leading to speculation that her popularity helped cause the actual football game (and the halftime show as a carryover) to become to the most-viewed television broadcast in modern history.

Speaking to Apple Music's Zane Lowe on potential guests, he said, "Well, one thing I can say is that I have collaborated with a lot of incredible artists throughout the years," including fellow singers and rappers Alicia Keys, will.i.am, Lil Jon, Ludacris, and H.E.R.

As a nod to Black History Month, the HBCU marching band Sonic Boom of the South played on-field brass and percussion.

In the YouTube upload of the halftime show, the NFL scrubbed the mistake[15] by editing in the correct notes from a prior rehearsal performance to fix Keys' off-key and pitchy vocals.