With a photo of her hand with her signature tattoos holding up a football, Rihanna announced that she will be performing at the Super Bowl LVII halftime show. The music, makeup, and fashion icon seems to be able to do it all, with also just becoming a mom a few months ago. But why now? What’s in store for her upcoming performance and music career?
Why Rihanna?
While many anticipated a variety of different artists to perform on Feb. 12, such as Taylor Swift after the NFL’s sponsor switch, football fans and music lovers alike awaited the announcement. However, many were shocked to find out Rihanna was picked, especially because she gave birth to her first child a few months ago and her lack of new music. Even though Rihanna has hinted at new music in the past, nothing has been released yet. With her last studio album being released in 2016, Rihanna’s fans are anxiously anticipating her ninth studio album and hoping her halftime show appearance will spark her revival in the music industry.
Though many were surprised that Rihanna would be the performer, this is not an uncommon decision for the NFL. The Super Bowl halftime show, while always wildly popular, is not notorious for scheduling performers with current and up-and-coming music. In recent years, the halftime show has showcased performers such as Dr. Dre, Eminem, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, and Madonna. While these artists are widely known and popular, their most popular music was released years before their halftime show performance. Therefore, Rihanna fits this trend perfectly, since her last studio album came out in 2016, and her most popular songs were from the early to mid-2010s.
Rihanna Rejected Performing at Super Bowl LIII
This is not the first time Rihanna has been offered the halftime show. In 2019, Rihanna was invited to perform at the Super Bowl LIII halftime show. However, at the time, Colin Kaepernick, an NFL quarterback known for playing with the San Francisco 49ers, had been suspended for kneeling in protest of police brutality and claimed to be ousted by the NFL for his actions. To stand with Kaepernick and his protest, Rihanna declined the halftime show offer. In an article by Vogue, Rihanna was asked why she decided to reject the Super Bowl offer.
“‘I couldn’t dare do that. For what? Who gains from that? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler. There’s things within that organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way,’” said Rihanna.
Luckily for Rihanna fans, Rihanna accepted this year’s offer. With some of her hits like “Umbrella”, “Love On The Brain” and “We Found Love”, Rihanna is sure to put on a show that grabs the attention of those who were dragged to a Super Bowl party, and, hopefully, will either perform or hint at her upcoming music.
Tweet us, @VALLEYmag, with your predictions for the Super Bowl halftime show.
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