While we’ve known for months that Rihanna and a slew of other phenomenal singers would be performing during the Super Bowl this year, the big question was who would play in it. However, now that we know the Chiefs will take on the Eagles at Super Bowl LVII, there’s a question about the lineup of performers since Jason Derulo, who is scheduled to perform during the TikTok Tailgate, was seen walking with a cane.
It was announced on January 27 that Jason Derulo and The Black Keys would kick off the Super Bowl festivities during The TikTok Tailgate. However, the “Watcha Say” singer was seen walking around with a cane, which may alter his ability to “Wiggle" during the pre-game. TMZ posted a photo of the singer using said cane, explaining he was reportedly injured while playing basketball three weeks ago.
During the game, Derulo reportedly went in for a rebound, and landed on someone else’s foot. Due to this, he now has a small break in his foot as well as a torn ligament. The article explained that he has reportedly avoided surgery, but did have stem cells injected to speed up the recovery.
However, despite his injury, which sounds really painful, he’s still set to perform. While it sounds like Derulo will perform, it likely won’t be as dance-heavy as his sets typically are. The singer is known for his smooth voice and sick moves, and with an injured foot, I highly doubt the “Talk Dirty” singer will be dancing all around the stage like he normally does.
Derulo was injured three weeks ago, according to the article, and he announced his involvement in the Super Bowl lineup last week on Twitter. So, while we only learned about his injury recently, per TMZ’s timeline, he was injured before he made the performance announcement.
We're baaaaaack for year 3️⃣ of #TikTokTailgateMe and @theblackkeys are kicking things off for us at our 2023 TikTok Tailgate! Catch the show on Feb. 12 on @NFL @tiktok_us #superbowl pic.twitter.com/zVrjbYBjsVJanuary 28, 2023
This will be the third year of the TikTok Tailgate, a pre-show that has really upped the ante when it comes to creating an epic lineup of Super Bowl performers. As long as Derulo is healthy, he and The Black Keys will kick off the Super Bowl performances.
Following Derulo and The Black Keys an eclectic group of singers and actors will perform during the pre-game. Country singer Chris Stapleton will sing the “Star Spangled Banner” and Troy Kotsur, who won an Oscar for CODA, will perform the song in American Sign Language. Then, Abbott Elementary star, and Broadway darling, Sheryl Lee Ralph will sing the Black National Anthem, with Justina Miles performing the song in ASL. Epic, right? And I haven’t even mentioned the halftime show yet.
Rihanna is making her big comeback to music, after dropping her first single in years for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The pop star has spoken about her feelings around her Super Bowl performance, saying she’s “nervous” and “excited.” I totally get why she’s nervous, but there’s also no question that she’ll kill it. I mean just look back at some of Rihanna’s most iconic performances, and you’ll know she’s more than ready for this.
Hopefully, Derulo will also be ready to rock come February 12. While it’s a bummer he might not be performing at the level he typically does, it’s exciting that he’s still a part of this epic lineup of musicians, that will culminate with Rihanna’s halftime performance.
The Super Bowl will air on the 2023 TV schedule on February 12 at 6:30 p.m. ET on Fox. Make sure to tune in a little early and keep up with the NFL’s TikTok to see Derulo’s performance, and look at all the ways you can stream Rihanna’s performance so you don’t miss a second of the epic Super Bowl lineup.
