Everything We Know About Rihanna's Super Bowl Halftime Show
As Rihanna prepares for her Super Bowl Halftime Show debut, L'OFFICIEL is keeping track of everything we know about her first performance in seven years.
One of the most anticipated events in pop culture is Rihanna's return to the stage. In a video posted on her Instagram, Rihanna teases her fans with a new Super Bowl Halftime Show video.
"It's been 2190 days. Dude, Rihanna, we waited for you. It's been over six years since the nine-time Grammy winner dropped her last album. Riri, where have you been?" are some of the voices heard in the video. To be fair, we know where she's been: building an empire with Fenty Beauty and her successful clothing line Savage x Fenty, and having her first child. But the anticipation of her return to performing, at one of the most watched events on television no less, leaves us with a lot of questions. Will there be umbrellas? New music? A well-crafted choreographed version of "We Found Love?" Nothing is out of the question, and anything can happen. It's official: Rihanna is making a comeback in music!
The beloved singer and entrepreneur first took to Instagram to confirm her performance. On September 25, 2022, Riri uploaded a picture of her hand holding a football. She broke the internet with her announcement, flooding her comment section with wholesome emojis celebrating the artist. As the cameo voices in her Super Bowl Halftime show video say, Rihanna has not released any new music since 2016, but with the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, she dropped a new single. Is this the platform she's been waiting for to showcase her new work?
During a press conference with Apple Music on February 9, 2023, Rihanna announced that choosing "the setlist was the biggest challenge" of preparing for her Super Bowl halftime show, her first performance in seven years. She goes on to say that this 13-minute show will be a "celebration of [her] catalog." Excitingly, Rihanna emphasized that she is indeed working on new music. She says that she wants to explore and "play" with her new work.
In addition to new music, some fans are speculating about whether or not RiRi will be joined by guests during her performance. Some artists in the past have brought friends and previous collaborators on stage. Will Rihanna do the same? Perhaps Beyoncé, Drake, or Eminem will stop by. Needless to say, we have questions. Watch this space for all the info.
In the meantime, set your calendars for Sunday, February 12. The 2023 Super Bowl kicks off at 4:30 pm MST from Glendale, AZ. Watch the action live on Fox, or stream the event on the Fox Sports website, the Fox Sports app, NFL+, Hulu, FuboTV, and Sling TV.
