Rihanna to Make Musical Comeback at Super Bowl
The pop star-turned-entrepreneur has had a few busy years despite not having released any music since 2016. She started her own makeup line, Fenty Beauty, in 2017, and her lingerie brand launched the following year. She gave birth to her first child in May of this year with rapper ASAP Rocky. It seems she’s done everything except put out new music.
While fans are in total support of whatever the musician chooses to do, the release of her latest album, ANTI (stylized in all caps), albeit six years ago, left us all wanting more. The massive success of her businesses is undeniable, but it’s hard to compare with having 14 number one singles that the whole world knows whether they like it or not.
It’s safe to say that due to her musical hiatus, Rihanna isn’t the first person to come to mind when thinking of the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show. As it turns out, she wasn’t the first contender to perform, either.
Originally, the NFL contacted Taylor Swift to play the halftime show. She turned down their offer, for multiple respectable reasons. She announced the release of her next album when she won a VMA for Artist of the Year last month. On top of this, she’s been spending time re-recording her old albums so she can own the rights to her music.
Swift is easily comparable to Rihanna in terms of popularity, although she’s had less number one hits. She has been much more active with putting out music in recent years, so it’s certainly a surprise to hear that one of her fellow pop stars who hasn’t been doing so agreed to play at the Super Bowl. A pleasant surprise, at that.
On September 25, Rihanna posted a photo on Instagram (@badgalriri) of her unmistakable tattooed hand holding a football, with a simple period (.) as her caption. This sent the internet into a frenzy, as everyone’s been missing hearing and seeing her perform, and she surely knows this considering her lack of words in her announcement. Just goes to show that a picture really can speak a thousand words. We can only assume this means she has future plans to continue her music career.
Dr. Dre, who played last year’s halftime show amongst other legendary rappers, gave his approval for Rihanna’s performance. “I can’t wait to see what she’s going to do,” he said, “she has the opportunity to really blow us away.” From one musical artist making history to another, he says he only wishes that she has fun.
Rihanna has proven time and time again that she cannot disappoint, with the success of her business ventures, philanthropy work, and of course, music. There’s hardly a better way to debut her first live performance in years than the Super Bowl halftime show, and we’re all anxiously awaiting what’s sure to be an iconic show.
