14 November 2019
Newsdesk
Jennifer Lopez is aiming to use her 2020 Super Bowl Halftime Show to celebrate Latin culture and unify Americans against the rise of racism.
The Waiting For Tonight hitmaker will co-headline the entertainment with Shakira, and Lopez is proud to have two Latinas take centre stage at the American football extravaganza on 2 February.
"I am excited," the superstar told Robert Pattinson in an interview for Variety's Actors on Actors series.
"I'm putting it together now. Me and Shakira together. We're both excited to have been given the opportunity to do that, as two Latin women, in Miami."
Lopez goes on to reference the importance of bringing people together during a time when racial tensions are at an all-time high, thanks in part to the actions and comments from U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration regarding the influx of illegal immigrants from Central and South America - although the singer/actress doesn't mention the Republican leader by name.
"I think it's important in this day and age for two Latin women to be standing on that stage - when Latinos are being treated a certain way in this country, or looked at a certain way - to show that we have a really specific and beautiful culture and worth and value, and we bring something to this country that's necessary," she explained.
"I think that's going to be an amazing moment. That night, I want it to be a celebration of who we are. All of us, because we're in this together. That's how I feel. I want to bring everybody together in that moment."
Lopez's remarks echo those made by Shakira, who recently revealed the Super Bowl performance would help her fulfill a dream with "a very important purpose".
"(The purpose is) to celebrate that culture, to showcase it in a country where Latinos have also struggled a lot," she told The Associated Press.
"I feel really humbled and with a great responsibility in my hands to represent the Latino community."
