Lady Gaga Super Bowl 2017 Halftime Show Performance Cancelled? ‘Perfect Illusion’ Misses Billboard Top 10

Lady Gaga is reportedly set to headline the 2017 Super Bowl halftime show following her powerful rendition of the national anthem at the iconic sporting event early this year. With the release of her fifth studio album, Joanne, slated October 21, Super Bowl 51 would be the biggest promotional opportunity for the singer.

According to Us Weekly, Lady Gaga has officially signed on to perform at the 2017 Super Bowl event at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017. The exciting news came days before the outlet reported that the “Perfect Illusion” singer was in talks to headline one of the world’s biggest sporting events.

Lady Gaga fans, fondly called the Little Monsters, however, may be in for a disappointment. In spite of the positive buzz her Super Bowl performance generated on social media, a representative for NFL told Entertainment Weekly that the report was not true.

“Nothing has changed from what we said earlier in the week,” the representative said.

Last week, NFL reps told the publication that they have spoken with several artists but have not closed the deal just yet.

“We have had conversations with several fantastic artists about the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show. However, at this point we do not have a final decision. We’re happy there is so much excitement about the show.”

Natalie Ravitz, the senior vice president of communications at the NFL, also tweeted that Us Weekly “ignored her on record response.” Ravitz explained that while they had conversations with several artists about performing at the Super Bowl 2017 halftime show, they have yet to make their final decision.

Lady Gaga sang the national anthem at the Super Bowl in February before Coldplay, Beyonce, and Bruno Mars performed at the halftime show. Ahead of her performance, she shared that singing during the Super Bowl has been “one of the highest honors” of her career.

“I get a chance to sing for all the athletes — who have been working so hard their whole lives for this moment — the coaches, as well as the fans in the stands who are waiting for this moment. I think it marks what being an American is all about,” she said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyqkN3zezso

After her three-year hiatus from pop music, Lady Gaga dropped her first single from her new album, Joanne, called “Perfect Illusion.” According to Yahoo Music, “Perfect Illusion” entered Billboard Hot 100 at No. 15. Although this is clearly not a disappointing debut, the outlet pointed out that there is an expectation for Gaga’s first single to at least be in the top 10, especially following her short break. After all, her first singles from her last three major projects, “Bad Romance,” “Born This Way,” and “Applause,” all debuted in the top 10. So far in 2016, nine singles have debuted in the No. 1 spot.

“Perfect Illusion,” however, debuted at No. 2 at the Top Digital Songs chart just behind Chainsmoker’s “Closer.” “Perfect Illusion” reportedly sold 100,000 copies in its first week, while “Closer” sold 170,000 copies in its seventh.

LADY GAGA / JOANNE
NEW ALBUM
OCT 21 pic.twitter.com/YzKQbtVEZO

— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) September 15, 2016

The new album was named after Lady Gaga’s aunt, who died from lupus at age 19. Joanne is also Lady Gaga’s middle name. (Her birth name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta.) In an interview with Rolling Stone, the singer shared that the album’s title track is the “true heart and soul of the record.”

“It’s everything about Joanne… it’s all the toughness of the pain of losing her that made us all strong and made us who we are. She is the woman of my past who is becoming and helping me bring more of my honest woman self into the future.”

[Featured Image by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images]