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Katy Perry to perform halftime show

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NEW YORK -- Will Katy Perry be a firework at the Super Bowl? Will she show them what she's worth? Will she let her colors burst?

The NFL announced late Sunday -- after rumors swirled for weeks -- that the pop star will headline the Pepsi Super Bowl halftime show Feb. 1 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona. It will air on NBC.

Perry, 30, has dominated the Billboard charts since she released her debut in 2008. She has had nine No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Her sophomore effort, 2010's multiplatinum "Teenage Dream," matched the record for most No. 1 songs from a single album, which Michael Jackson set with five from his album "Bad."

Perry released "Prism," another platinum effort, last year. It includes No. 1 smashes "Roar" and "Dark Horse."

The Grammy-nominated star's upcoming performance is the fourth consecutive halftime show that displays the NFL's push to include younger acts on its stage. Bruno Mars had a show-stopping set at this year's Super Bowl at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey; Beyonce electrified in 2013 in New Orleans; there was Madonna with Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. in 2012; and the Black Eyed Peas performed in 2011.

Other halftime performers in the past decade have included the Rolling Stones, Prince, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen and the Who.

The girl-power singer will perform at the culmination of a season in which critics have assailed the NFL for its response to domestic violence cases involving women and its initial handling of former Baltimore Ravens star Ray Rice's assault on his then-fiancee. Both led the league to toughen its penalties for such crimes, including a later, indefinite suspension of Rice.

Perry is currently on her Prismatic World Tour. Her other hits include "I Kissed a Girl," "California Gurls," "Firework" and "Wide Awake."

The NFL has reportedly been seeking to have the halftime performer pay for the privilege to perform. When asked if Katy Perry paid them, league spokesman Brian McCarthy told ESPN.com's Darren Rovell, "We don't comment on our arrangements."

Perry said as a guest on ESPN's "College Gameday" last month that she was "not the kind of girl who would pay to play the Super Bowl."

Information from ESPN.com's Darren Rovell and The Associated Press was used in this report.

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