NFL Super Bowl LV Halftime Show: The Weeknd confirmed to perform in Jay-Z backed show

The NFL has announced that Canadian R&B singer The Weeknd has been chosen to perform for the Super Bowl LV Halftime Show in February at the Raymond James Stadium.

The much-anticipated event will likely look very different this time around due to safety restrictions brought about by the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.

The Weeknd will be featured in the high profile performance, which has typically drawn audiences from all over the world including those who are not really interested in the Super Bowl itself. The TV broadcast of the Super Bowl and its halftime show offer the most lucrative time slots when it comes to advertising revenue.

This season, with the number of tickets for the live audience likely to be drastically lowered due to social distancing measures, the revenue from TV advertising is even more important.

The Super Bowl will take place on Sunday, February 7, at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. There is no doubt that the NFL is hoping to gather as much hype and interest for the show as possible, which led them to choose the popular singer.

"We all grow up watching the world's biggest acts playing the Super Bowl, and one can only dream of being in that position," said The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye. "I'm humbled, honored and ecstatic to be the center of that infamous stage this year," he continued, in a statement shared by The New York Times.

The 30-year-old hitmaker has had five No. 1 hits, and is widely popular among a very diverse, young audience. The Super Bowl halftime show will once again be produced in part by Jay-Z and Roc Nation.

Jay-Z started working directly with the NFL in 2019, to produce the show and to help draw the biggest and most influential musical artists on the Super Bowl stage.

The Super Bowl LV will be scaled back significantly, with the halftime show along with it. The United States is still the most ravaged nation when it comes to the number of infections and lives lost during the novel coronavirus pandemic. It is believed that only approximately 20 percent of the seats will be filled inside the stadium.