Bruno Mars, who in 2014 broke the TV record for most-watched Super Bowl halftime show ever with 115.3 million viewers, has been asked to come back and headline 2016's halftime show in Santa Clara, California, on February 7, 2016.
Mars not only would perform, but he would be in charge of selecting a medley of artists (potentially other past performers) to perform during this 50th anniversary event, two sources close to planners of the event told Mashable.
Mars was the youngest artist to ever serve as a sole headliner (watch, below). He opened on the drums for "Billionaire," a Travie McCoy song on which he was featured in 2009, before launching into a hip-swinging performance of "Locked Out of Heaven." Mars followed those songs up with a rambunctious rendition of "Runaway Baby." He closed the set with "Just The Way You Are," which began with an emotional video of troops addressing their loved ones. Between "Runaway" and "Just The Way You Are," the Red Hot Chili Peppers joined Bruno Mars onstage to rock out on "Give It Away."
Aside from the "Uptown Funk" singer, Taylor Swift and Britney Spears both have been heavily rumored to headline this halftime show, but some observers are quick to shoot down this rumor because Swift has a sponsorship deal with Diet Coke, which would conflict with Pepsi's halftime show sponsorship. Meanwhile, Spears is a longtime Pepsi advocate and performed 15 Super Bowls ago during Aerosmith's 2001 headlining set.
The Spears rumor began after a mysterious commercial, featuring Spears in football attire (watch, below), aired during this year's Super Bowl.
Nothing has been officially confirmed from NLF representatives, and don't expect any confirmation from the league or Mars' team anytime soon.
If history repeats itself, we won't officially know the headliner until September at the earliest. In the past few years, the NFL confirmed Katy Perry in November 2014, Mars in September 2013, Beyoncé in October 2012 and Madonna in December 2011.
Perry's halftime show broke Mars' viewership record this year with 118.5 million viewers.
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