Aaron Bruno, the songwriter and frontman of AWOLNATION, will perform the halftime show at Allegiant Stadium when the Las Vegas Raiders host the Arizona Cardinals, the team announced Thursday. Singer Alexia Jayy is slated to sing the National Anthem, while the Raiderettes and Junior Raiderettes will appear during pregame festivities.
Veteran rock project headlines NFL halftime
Bruno, who leads the Los Angeles-based project AWOLNATION, has guided the group through more than a decade of recording and touring. The band broke through commercially with the 2010 single that became its signature track, went on to release multiple albums and EPs, and has maintained a sizable audience through streaming and live performances. The new set of material arrives with the group’s fifth album, The Phantom Five, which the team noted as the latest step in AWOLNATION’s evolving sound.
The halftime appearance places Bruno and his band before a national television audience and the NFL’s large in-stadium crowds, continuing the league’s practice of enlisting contemporary rock and pop acts for game-day entertainment. For Bruno, a self-described longtime Raiders supporter who first took notice of the club while attending a game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the slot represents both a musical platform and a homecoming of sorts.
National Anthem, dance squads and game-day programming
Alexia Jayy, an Alabama-born R&B and soul singer-songwriter, will perform the National Anthem. Jayy’s career includes the release of a debut EP, Mixed Emotions, and national exposure following her participation on a major televised singing competition. The Raiders’ announcement highlights her victory on Season 29 of The Voice, where she became the program’s first Black female winner — an achievement that has raised her profile across the country.
Pregame entertainment will include performances by the Raiderettes and the Junior Raiderettes. The Junior Raiderettes program, an annual preseason tradition established in 1998, allows young dancers the opportunity to perform on the field alongside the professional squad. The organization behind the Raiderettes also operates training and community programs that feed into the team’s broader game-day presentation.
| Game-day element | Performer |
|---|---|
| National Anthem | Alexia Jayy |
| Halftime | Aaron Bruno (AWOLNATION) |
| Pregame | Raiderettes & Junior Raiderettes |
Context and impact
The Raiders’ choice of Bruno and Jayy reflects two parallel trends in NFL entertainment: booking artists with established catalogues and streaming presence, and elevating breakthrough performers with recent television exposure. Halftime slots at NFL games provide artists with concentrated exposure to millions of viewers and can help drive streaming numbers, ticket sales for forthcoming tours and wider media attention.
For Jayy, whose win on a national talent show brought a surge of attention, singing the anthem at a high-profile home game aligns with the next phase of a post-competition career: large-scale live appearances that showcase vocal range to both existing fans and new listeners. For Bruno and AWOLNATION, the halftime platform arrives amid promotion for a new studio record, offering a moment to reach beyond the band’s established alternative-rock audience.
- Halftime exposure often boosts artist visibility and streaming activity.
- National Anthem performances can act as career milestones for emerging singers.
- Raiders’ pregame traditions continue to involve the Raiderettes and community-focused Junior Raiderettes program.
The Raiders House Band, an in-stadium ensemble that has entertained fans in recent seasons, also returns for its sixth year, contributing to the team’s layered approach to live entertainment on game days.
Fans seeking more information about the Raiderettes or how to participate in youth programs can visit the team’s affiliated studio website for details on auditions and community initiatives.
