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The Super Bowl halftime show has become one of the most watched and culturally iconic stages in live entertainment— now it’s time to find out what it really takes to make it happen. Marketing executive Bozoma Saint John joins Kristin Robinson on Billboard On The Record to pull back the curtain on the Super Bowl halftime show, from booking superstar talent like Beyoncé and negotiating with artists and brands to coordinating with the NFL and Roc Nation. Saint John shares how she convinced Beyoncé to take the stage and reflects on her experience blending music, sports and culture to create unforgettable moments. She breaks down the logistics and precision required to deliver those 13 unforgettable minutes—from rehearsals and stage builds to balancing sponsorships and artist priorities — offering a rare inside look at what it takes to make the Super Bowl Halftime show a spectacle of music, culture and strategy.
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Billboard On The Record is a podcast in partnership with SickBird Productions.
Kristin Robinson:
What does it take to book a Super Bowl halftime show? Every year, superstar talent has taken the stage during the 30 minute break in the middle of the big game, and it’s seen as the crowning achievement in an artist’s career. And every year, it feels like the spectacle seems to get bigger and better than ever. So in this special episode of the podcast, we’ll be talking about all things music in the Super Bowl, from the planning of the halftime show to getting music placed in the biggest ads of the entire year. Bozoma Saint John, thank you so much for coming to On the Record.
Bozoma Saint John:
Yay!
How are you?
I’m great. I’m really good.
Well, thank you for coming, because this is our very special Super Bowl episode, and I felt like you were the perfect person to ask, because it’s widely reported that you’re one of the people who convinced Beyonce to do the Super Bowl halftime show once upon a time. And on top of that, you’ve worked at so many different iconic brands who have had ties to the Super Bowl in some way or another. Over time, you’ve worked at Pepsi, Uber, Apple Music, Beats, Endeavor, etc, etc, etc. So thanks for coming and doing this.
Yeah, this is so exciting. I mean, first of all, I love sports and I love music, and so it’s like the perfect, like, combination of those two things, yeah.
And I feel like recently, like at Billboard, my coworkers and I have been leaning more into covering the intersection of sports and music because I feel like it only increases over time.
Yes, yes.
But that’s actually one thing that I wanted to talk to you about before we get into Super Bowl stuff. I mean, you worked at Beats, and when I think of a company that did the sports and music thing, right, I think of Beats.
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