J. Lo, Shakira shake it up at Super Bowl

MIAMI - Singers Jennifer Lopez and Shakira brought Latina star power to Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show, delivering a medley of pop hits and hip-shaking choreography on one of the world's glitziest stages.

Latin artists Bad Bunny and J Balvin, in addition to Lopez's 11-year-old daughter, appeared as surprise guests in an extravaganza that signalled its Latin American influences from the outset, when Shakira greeted the stadium audience in Spanish with "Hola, Miami".

Dressed in a sequined, ruby-red outfit with matching boots, Shakira led her team of dancers through snippets of hits such as Whenever, Wherever and Hips Don't Lie.

She was joined on stage by Puerto Rico's Bad Bunny before giving way to Lopez, who is also known as J. Lo.

Lopez made her entrance in black leather and studs on a stage set resembling the top of the Empire State Building, as Jenny From The Block proudly announced she was from the Bronx, New York.

The 12-minute half-time show, along with commercials, has become a popular feature of the Super Bowl spectacle on a par with the game, which draws some 100 million television viewers in the United States.

In Miami, a majority Latino city, where the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers for the National Football League championship, the backgrounds of the two headliners were both women and Latina, two of the demographics the American football league wants to attract.

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J. Lo, a Bronx-born child of Puerto Rican parents, rose from humble roots to become an international star of Hollywood movies and popular music with her own fashion and fragrance lines.

As her set progressed, she changed in a wink into a lacy body suit that highlighted a fit, youthful appearance belying the singer's 50 years.

Sharing stage with Colombia's J Balvin, J. Lo strutted to hits such as On The Floor and showed off the pole-dancing skills she honed for the movie Hustlers (2019).

Next came a mash-up of the Lopez hit Let's Get Loud with singer Bruce Springsteen's Born In The USA, during which Lopez unfurled a rectangular boa with the US flag on one side and the Puerto Rican flag on the other.

It was a reminder that Puerto Ricans - hit by a Category 5 hurricane in 2017 and more recently set back by a series of earthquakes - are Americans too.

Shakira, 43, who is from Barranquilla, Colombia, had let it be known in the build-up to the show that she sympathised with Latinos in the US, where anti-immigration rhetoric has become more open in recent years.

"Latinos are going through a difficult time in the US right now and I think it's very important for us to convey a message of unity," Shakira told reporters last Thursday.

This year's Super Bowl broke ground for women in high places, including in the ownership of both teams, and on the sidelines, where San Francisco's offensive assistant Katie Sowers became the first woman to coach in a Super Bowl.

The Super Bowl half-time once featured university marching bands, but has evolved into a showcase for A-list talent, including Michael Jackson, the Rolling Stones, Madonna and Lady Gaga.

One of the more notable performances came in 2004 when singer-actor Justin Timberlake tugged on singer Janet Jackson's top, briefly exposing a breast adorned with a nipple shield.

The US Federal Communications Commission sought to fine broadcaster CBS US$550,000 for indecency over the incident, but the fine was overturned in the courts.