Jennifer Lopez and Shakira put their hearts (and plenty of fancy footwork) into their Super Bowl LIV halftime show on Sunday (February 2), but a few minutes into the set, the former delivered the most popular meme of the night. Shortly into "Hips Don't Lie," the Colombian entertainer leaned towards one of the cameras at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida to let out a high-pitched cry and the internet went bonkers.
While many were quick to compare the viral moment to a turkey and characters from SpongeBob SquarePants, the true meaning of the tongue-waging cry was soon revealed to be a nod to her Lebanese heritage. As with the rest of her performance, Shak made sure to fill her performance with a stack of cultural references, including an all-Colombian back-up dance ensemble, sprinkles of Middle Eastern music, a belly dance routine, as well as the moment in question. To be specific, the tongue flickering is actually called a zaghrouta, which is a joyful sound that Arabic speakers make when rejoicing in celebration. In case you didn't know, Shak's father was born in New York City to Lebanese parents and emigrated to Colombia, where she was later born in 1977. Her name is Arabic and directly translates to "grateful."
Over on Lopez's end, the pop titan showed out for her culture by representing Puerto Rico with a cape that turned into a flag. She was also joined by J Balvin and Bad Bunny for the hits-filled set. Scroll on below to relive the spectacle during the NFL showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs!
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