Singer and actor Kris Wu, a former member of hugely popular South Korean-Chinese group EXO, was recently tapped to sing for this year’s Super Bowl Live in Minnesota.
Wu, whose performance is scheduled during the 10-day live concerts leading up to the game, was also named Super Bowl LII Ambassador for NFL China by the National Football League.
The NFL announced that Wu’s slot is set at 4 p.m. Central Time (CT) on February 3, 2018, a day before the Super Bowl, on the Verizon Up Stage in Minneapolis.
Wu, who is considered to be among China’s top influential artists, has millions of international fans and a huge following on social media (over 27 million followers on Weibo and 5.6 million on Instagram).
Wu is best known for his chart-topping hits such as the singles “6”, “Juice” and “July”.
Wu is best known for his chart-topping hits such as the singles “6”, “Juice” and “July”.
He also recently became the first and only Chinese artist to hit No. 1 on iTunes with his latest smash hit “Deserve”.
According to CGTN, Wu thanked NFL and Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee for making him the ambassador and inviting him to join the live festivities.
According to CGTN, Wu thanked NFL and Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee for making him the ambassador and inviting him to join the live festivities.
Wu was quoted as saying that it was his great pleasure to be named “ambassador to one of the world’s most recognizable sports and entertainment events.”
“I look forward to participating in Tencent’s coverage and sharing my gameday experience with fans around the world,” he added.
“I look forward to participating in Tencent’s coverage and sharing my gameday experience with fans around the world,” he added.
NFL China Managing Director Richard Young noted that the organization considered Kris “an extremely talented individual” who will be “a great representative for NFL’s rapidly growing fan base in China.”
Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee CEO Maureen Bausch expressed a similar sentiment, noting that they were thrilled to host Kris Wu.
The annual Super Bowl in the United States, which is the championship game of the NFL, is consistently the country’s most-watched show on television. Last year, Super Bowl LI was watched live by 111.3 million TV viewers.
As American football is not popular in China, the move to include a Chinese international musical talent such as Wu is seen as a strategy in NFL’s bid to expand its business globally.
In China, local coverage and broadcast of the Super Bowl LII games, other events, including Wu’s performance will be done by Tencent Sports.
