Ayra Starr, the first African artist to perform at an NFL halftime show, on October 11 in London
Nigerian artist Ayra Starr became the first African performer to headline the halftime show at an NFL International Games match on Sunday, October 11, 2026, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, during the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to the Nigerian channel Arise News and the NAN news agency.
From a stage set up in the center of the field, she opened with "Heaven Baby," then followed with "Santa," "Rush," and "Dangerous," before finishing with a medley of "Hot Body" and "Ms. Paper," according to details provided by NAN and reported by Premium Times. Arise News, for its part, only mentioned "Rush" and "Heaven Baby."
A milestone claimed by the artist herself
It was Ayra Starr who announced this record on her X account, presenting herself as the first African artist to headline a halftime show for the NFL International Games. For several seasons, the American football league has been hosting regular-season games outside the United States, and London has become its most frequent stop. The halftime show is a slot usually reserved for big names in American pop.
From Lagos to the center of the field
Born Oyinkansola Sarah, the singer began her career in 2020 and established herself with her debut album, "19 & Dangerous," released in 2021. "Rush," "Bloody Samaritan," and "Commas" have made her one of the most exported voices of the new Afrobeats generation, a generation that grew up with streaming platforms and did not need to go through Western record labels to make a name for itself.
What happens in these few minutes goes beyond entertainment. Afrobeats is no longer content with dedicated festivals and diaspora stages: it is entering the most-watched mainstream events in the English-speaking world, at the time and in the place reserved for American stars. And it is a Nigerian who got there first.
No audience or attendance figures have been released for this performance.
This article was written in French with the help of artificial intelligence from the sources cited below, then translated from French automatically. Read the original.
