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Rihanna is all set to make her long-awaited return to the stage as a singer on February 12 when she will perform at the 2023 Super Bowl. The Barbadian artist’s last studio album, Anti, came out in 2016, and since then the beauty mogul has launched Fenty and the SavagexFenty lingerie line, making her upcoming appearance eagerly anticipated.
Here’s everything fans need to know about Rihanna’s Super Bowl half time show.
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Why did Rihanna agree to perform after all these years?
The singer, who welcomed her first child with A$AP Rocky last year shared that it was a “now or never” opportunity. “If I’m going to leave my baby, I’m going to leave my baby for something special,” she told the AP. Speaking to ET, she said, “Nothing would have gotten me out of the house if it wasn’t a challenge like that. You could get real comfortable being at home as a mom, [so this is] challenging myself to do something that I’ve never done before in my career. I have to live up to that challenge.”
What will the show be like?
While the multi-Grammy winner has not divulged many details, she told ET that the show will be a reflection of her musical career and everything she loves. “I want to incorporate different aspects of entertainment and things that I just enjoy and bring it to the stage,” she said. “I want to celebrate the music that I’ve made.”
“The Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world, it’s an entertainer’s dream to be on a stage like that,” she added. “But it’s nerve-racking. You want to get it right. You know, everybody’s watching. And they’re rooting for you. And I want to get it right.”
Will there be guest appearances?
Many musical guests have been known to join the headlining artist at the half time show over the years. While reports say Rihanna’s label is working through a list of 50 potential guests, the singer herself is yet to make a decision. “It’s one of those things where you can decorate it however you want,” she shared with E! “So whether I choose to do it for myself or whether I choose to bring some of my peers on, it’s gonna be great either way.”
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Does this mean new music?
Speculations on new music soared even higher after Rihanna’s Super Bowl announcement, but the singer shut them down in an interview with AP. “That’s not true. Super Bowl is one thing. New music is another thing. Do you hear that fans?” she said. “The second that I announced this, I said, ‘Oh, my God, they’re going to think my album is coming. I need to get to work.” The 34-year-old did, however, release her first song in over five years named “Lift Me Up”, as part of the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack as an exception in honor of late actor Chadwick Boseman.
Will there be a documentary?
A documentary following a star’s preparation for the Super Bowl half time show is not unheard of after Jennifer Lopez‘s Netflix release titled Halftime covered her performance with Shakira in 2020. As for Rihanna, an inside source alleges that Apple TV+ is planning to document her return to the stage. “She will be recorded during rehearsals and meetings in the lead-up to the big night and give an insight into what her life is really like now that she is returning to pop as a mum,” the source shared with Hypebeast. “Rihanna is a massive force to be reckoned with when it comes to music and so Apple has paid millions.”
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