Let’s be honest, if you’re not a football fan the only interesting part of the Super Bowl is the halftime show.
We all remember in 2012 when Beyoncé further solidified her position as pop music icon by performing a medley of her hits during the Super Bowl halftime. She pulled in a record-estimated 108.41 million viewers according to Nielsan television ratings, making it the third-most-watched program in history behind the Super Bowl in 2011 and 2010.
With the Super Bowl festivities taking place on Feb. 1 at the University of Phoenix Stadium, who else in the galaxy of female pop stars can fill such shoes and rock this year’s Super Bowl halftime?
The only logical answer is Katy Perry. She’s America’s teenage dream.
In 2008, Perry released her album, One of the Boys that catapulted her into superstardom. The album had singles like “Hot N Cold,” “Waking Up in Vegas” and, of course, “I Kissed a Girl.”
Perry released Teenage Dream in 2010, which earned her seven Grammy Award nominations and massive worldwide appeal. My favorite song was the title song, “Teenage Dream.”
Most people don’t know this, but in the beginning of my freshmen year at UB, I even sang it at an open mic on campus.
Yes, I did an acoustic rendition of one the best pop songs in recent years, while being accompanied by a friend on guitar.
Yes, there was an encore performance.
Whether you want to admit it or not, you know these songs. Katy Perry has taken over American pop culture.
We shouldn’t forget that Teenage Dream is the second album in history to have five No. 1 singles. Perry is the first female to reach this level of success – Michael Jackson’s Bad being the other album.
Take that Taylor Swift!
Last year, Perry released her album Prism. It sold 286,000 copies in its first week. At the time of its release, the album gave her the highest debut that year of a female artist.
Perry’s popularity has been growing. She has been continuously touring the world playing sold out shows and currently has the most Twitter followers, surpassing Taylor Swift, Barack Obama and Justin Bieber.
“Dark Horse” has sold 7.9 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the best selling singles of all time. Almost a year after it was released, “Dark Horse” is still playing on the radio and continues to introduce people to Perry’s music.
I come from a musical family, and growing up, we played all genres of music.
My father bought Prism on a whim, and let me tell you, you’ve made it in the music industry once you can get my dad to sing along to a song like “Birthday.”
When it comes to the Super Bowl halftime show this year, you can bet your money, not on your favorite team, but on Katy Perry getting my dad to dance. She’s ruling the pop stratosphere like few others have.
The people of America are going to see why Katy Perry has earned the opportunity to be among the greats that have performed during Super Bowl halftime shows.
The world is going to be watching a pop superstar, and my teenage dream, claim her title as musical royalty.
email: kaspauld@buffalo.edu
Disagree? Read the con Katy Perry performance column here.
