Rihanna stole the show at the Super Bowl on Feb. 12 during her first solo performance in seven years. After touring for her last album in 2016, “Anti,” the famous pop and R&B artist had taken a step back from the spotlight to focus on other projects. She launched her makeup brand Fenty Beauty, her lingerie brand Savage X Fenty, and her skincare brand Fenty Skin in 2017, 2018, and 2020, respectively. She also started dating rapper A$AP Rocky in 2021 and gave birth to their first child in May 2022.
Rihanna revealed that she turned down an opportunity to perform at the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show to support former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick was dropped from the NFL after kneeling during the national anthem in protest of social injustice. But in September 2022, the NFL announced that Rihanna would headline the next halftime show. This year’s show, massing over 115 million viewers, ended up being the second-most-watched halftime show in history after Katy Perry’s iconic performance in 2015.
Days before the halftime show, Rihanna revealed in an interview with Nate Burleson that she was planning on bringing a surprise guest. She left the country in shock when this guest ended up being none other than her future baby — the show served not only as a comeback performance, but also as a pregnancy announcement for her and A$AP Rocky’s second child.
Rihanna opened her fabulous show with a bang. The camera focused on her face, zooming out a second later to reveal that she was suspended high in the air on a floating platform. Surrounded by hundreds of background dancers in all-white puffy outfits, somewhat resembling “marshmallows,” according to viewers, Rihanna’s striking red coat and jumpsuit did not fail to stand out. It was impossible to take your eyes off her. All attention focused on her as she began with “B***h Better Have My Money.” The next 13 minutes consisted of many popular throwbacks like “Diamonds,” “Where Have You Been?,” “Only Girl in the World,” “We Found Love,” “Rude Boy,” “Work,” “Wild Thoughts,” and “Umbrella.” Banger after banger, Rihanna executed her songs with such expertise and grace that you wouldn’t believe this was her first show in seven years. It was also hard to believe she delivered such a performance while both pregnant and 60 feet in the air. Her voice was truly captivating, the camerawork was wonderful, and the show overall most definitely deserved a top-ten spot of all Super Bowl halftime shows. The innovative technology used in this performance to move the platforms sets a new standard for future shows.
Rihanna performed solo as opposed to many other Super Bowl performers. Yet, her alone was more than enough. Her energy and confidence radiated through her songs, and it was clear that she is a natural-born performer. Her subtle dance moves enhanced the show and at one point, she even stopped to touch up her Fenty Beauty makeup — only Rihanna knows how to perform and promote her brand at the same time. Now, we can only wait and see what the multi-talented artist has in store for us next!
Written by Sahana Thyagarajan of Walt Whitman High School
Photo courtesy of NBC News