The NFL is bringing La Vida Loca to Rio.
The league announced Monday that Grammy Award-winning singer Ricky Martin and Brazilian DJ Pedro Sampaio will perform at halftime of the Sept. 27 game between the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro — the first NFL game played in the famed South American party city.
The Puerto Rican-born Martin first gained fame in the 1980s as part of the Latino pop boy band Menudo before his song “Livin’ la Vida Loca” became a global hit in 1999. He has sold more than 95 million albums in his career and was a part of Bad Bunny’s halftime show at Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, Calif., in February.
Sampaio sports an online following of more than 16 million with 14 billion combined streams, making him one of his native Brazil’s most successful musicians.
“I grew up in Rio de Janeiro, seeing Maracana Stadium as a place where history was made,” Sampaio said in a news release. “I never imagined that my first time performing on that field would be alongside Ricky Martin, who has always been a huge inspiration to me. It’s hard to put into words.
“Maracana is part of the history of both sports and music, and being part of this moment — especially at the first NFL game in my hometown — is something I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life. I’m incredibly happy and grateful to be part of a night that will go down in history.”
Martin added, “There’s nothing quite like the energy of the Brazilian people, and I can’t wait to reunite with our fans and perform live at the iconic Maracana. Get ready to move! See you all in September!”
The NFL previously announced that the Jonas Brothers would serve as the halftime entertainers in Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 10 (U.S. time) for the Week 1 game between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers. Other international cities hosting regular-season games this season are London, Madrid, Mexico City, Munich and Paris.
