Last Updated on February 8, 2023
Rihanna’s legion of devoted fans, known as her “Navy,” and everyone else who enjoys her music just got some great news! On September 25, the R&B pop star announced in a glaring fashion that she would headline the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show on February 12 in Glendale, Arizona.
Through an Instagram post of her hand holding an NFL football that has since gone viral, the singer declared her intent to make a comeback to the music scene. This news couldn’t come at a better time for fans worldwide, with her last performance dating back six years ago when she released ANTI – her last album.
Everyone, including Jay Z and Dr. Dre, who performed at this year’s Half Time Super Bowl Show with a host of artists, couldn’t hide their excitement upon hearing the news, and many share the same feeling. Here’s why:
She’s an Iconic Recording and Performing Artist
Since Rihanna signed with Def Jam in 2005, she’s been nothing short of sensational. From her first studio album, Music of the Sun, with hits such as Pon de Replay, to her latest masterpiece, ANTI, we’ve grown accustomed to hearing RiRi through our speakers for nearly two decades.
By 2012, Rihanna had sold over 100 million records and 60 million digital singles worldwide. In 2016, she became the first black woman to spend 300 weeks in Billboard’s top 200 albums with 15 billion streams of her ANTI album. She was later awarded the Michael Jackson Vanguard Award for her contribution to music in 2018. Say what you want about the artist, but such feats prove the Talk That Talk singer is an industry trailblazer who backs her words with results.
She’s “One of Few Stars” Who Can Carry a Huge Show on Her Own
Performing at the highest level (and on the biggest stages), like the Super Bowl, requires an artist with unmatched energy and aura. Not all musicians fit the bill in that regard. But for RiRi, it’s like she was born for the spotlight.
The Barbados native has repeatedly shown that she can command the biggest stage with poise and authority. As a result, she is one of the few artists to hold tours worldwide, even performing for “prominent leaders.” In 2011, her Loud Tour was the seventh highest-grossing tour in the world, with her Diamonds Tour surpassing that record later in 2013.
Princess Riri has also performed at award shows, including the Grammys, BET, Billboard, and MTV Video Vanguard Awards, where she pretty much ran the show in what was to be one of her final appearances on stage before her hiatus.
Fans Are Thirsty for New Material
For those living in Utopia, Rihanna recently became a mom after announcing she was expecting her first child with fellow musician Asap Rocky in January. While she’s now focused on her child, the We Found Love singer has been busy building her empire since taking a break from music.
Over the last six years, we’ve only gotten small doses of RiRi when other artists featured her on their songs. As such, the thirst for new material from the now-mom has generated loads of buzz for the halftime show.
In fact, on Twitter, fans gushed over the news of what they termed “making it through the Rihanna drought,” while others said, “they’d specifically watch the show for the singer’s performance.” Among the reactions by prominent icons was one by Dr. Dre.
While speaking to Apple Music’s Ebro Darden, Dre said, “Oh my God! I just got the news, and let me tell you, man, I’m a super Rihanna fan and can’t wait to see what she’ll do.”
The Potential for Guest Appearances is Limitless
If there were a “queen of collaboration” title, RiRi would bag it every time. She’s worked with some of this generation’s most prominent artists, from Jay Z to Kanye West, Eminem, Drake, and Calvin Harris, to name a few.
Such wide-spread industry connections mean her options for guest appearances during the Super Bowl Halftime Show are potentially limitless. She could even bring out a record-breaking artist like Drake or an icon like Britney Spears for a scintillating S&M Remix. As fans, we can only dream of the possibilities.
The Performance Might Inspire Another Album
Rihanna’s last official album, ANTI, released in 2016 through ROC Nation, was her last big music project. We’ve craved the singer’s vocals ever since, and she hasn’t made the wait any easier, teasing fans numerous times along the way.
In 2019, RiRi posted an Instagram video with the caption, “Me listening to R-9 (expected to be the name of her next album) but refusing to release it.” So we can only hope that this live performance—from the reception to the stadium atmosphere will spark the musical genius that we all know her to be, so she blesses us with another album.
She Has Access to Unlimited Funding
While Rihanna has been missing from the music scene for quite a while, she’s still making headlines for her monetary ventures. Of course, you didn’t expect her to sit around the house all day binge-watching Netflix, did you?
The Unfaithful singer used her time off music to build a multi-million dollar cosmetic company (Fenty Beauty) from the ground up, among other successful ventures. Forbes recently acknowledged her billionaire status in an official post. With such an unlimited source of funds, she can set whatever budget she sees fit to put on the kind of show she wants.
It’s Unexpected Considering Her 2019 Stance
No one expected Rihanna to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show, let alone headline it less than three years after she very publicly declined the gig. In an interview with Vogue, Rihanna said she refused the NFL’s request to perform at the show so as not to be labeled a sellout amidst ongoing protests over the treatment of Colin Kaepernick by the League.
Whatever inspired the decision to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2023 (perhaps it’s Jay Z’s ROC Nation partnership with the NFL), we are all giddy at the thought of seeing Rihanna live on stage again.