February 13, 2023, 6:30 PM
February 13, 2023, 6:30 PM
The singer Rihanna dazzled the audience at the Super Bowl halftime show, in her first live performance after spending more than six years offstage.
Rihanna put on an electrifying, success-filled show at halftime in the Kansas City Chiefs’ win over the Philadelphia Eagles, a win that gave them their second National Football League title in four seasons.
Although it is considered one of the most prestigious concerts in the United States -with an estimated audience of 190 million viewers-, social networks went crazy when the singer revealed the presence of an unexpected special guest.
In an interview last week, the singer was asked if there would be any surprises during her performance at State Farm Stadium in Arizona.
“I’m thinking of bringing someone”, answered. “I’m not sure, we’ll see,” the artist replied that she had not given a show since the concert with which she closed the tour of her last album, Anti, in November 2016.
Naturally, fans assumed that he was referring to one of the many artists he has collaborated with throughout his popular career. Taking Jay-Z, Drake or Eminem as a guest seemed more than likely and in keeping with the tradition of surprise duets in this type of show.
But Rihanna wasn’t referring to any of them. Although no one noticed at the time, she was actually hinting that she was pregnant with her second child.
The singer may not have released any new songs during her performance at Sunday’s Super Bowl, but the baby bump she sported instead got all the attention online.
Clad in a custom-made red jumpsuit by Loewe, Rihanna appeared on one of the floating platforms rising above the audience, while a swarm of energetic dancers, all dressed in white, gathered below.
The public went crazy when the singer launched herself fully with Better Have My Moneya somewhat ironic start when you consider that he doesn’t get paid for his Super Bowl performance.
While the 34-year-old singer dazzled the audience from on high, her dancers performed below her at breakneck speed, in a display of choreography that they would maintain throughout the performance.
Singer He reviewed several of his best-known hitswith some of his most danceable and lively songs, such as Only Girl (In The World) and Where Have You Been.
The show was not missing from the show, even after she was lowered to the ground. Fireworks were launched above the stadium as the artist sang the euphoric We Found Love.
Although rumors that the star could take the opportunity to perform new music did not materialize, the decision to draw on his extensive catalogue, one of the most solid in pop, was a wise move.
The singer gathered a great number of hits in a tight 14-minute performance, in which he only performed the first verse or the chorus of some songs. greatest hits like rude boy were balanced with Pour it upsomething harder and less known.
Somewhat disappointing was the fact that she chose some of her most well-known collaborations for the show, without any of her collaborators accompanying her on stage.
while interpreting Run This Town, All of the Lights and Wild ThoughtsJay-Z, Ye (formerly Kanye West) and DJ Khaled, who normally appear on those songs, did not appear.
But his absence did not matter. At that moment, everyone’s attention was drawn to a totally different and highly visible special guest.
Confusion initially engulfed social media as fans rushed to share their theories about Rihanna’s apparent baby bump. Many pointed out that the singer is known for her body positivity and she may well have been showing off the curvier figure of hers after her previous pregnancy.
Although the star’s baby bump was on display throughout, Rihanna didn’t command attention as explicitly as Beyoncé did at the 2011 MTV VMAs, where she dropped her microphone, unbuttoned her jacket, and rubbed her baby bump.
But as Rihanna’s show progressed on Sunday, viewers became convinced that she was pregnant again, nine months after she and her partner A$AP Rocky welcomed their son.
An hour after Rihanna’s performance came to a close, as her fans debated which quarter she might be in, their representatives officially confirmed the good news of the singer.
Although some fans admitted to being disappointed by the possible delay of Rihanna’s highly anticipated ninth studio album, the reactions on social media were overwhelmingly happy.
no political statements
Otherwise, at halftime there were no costume changes during Rihanna’s performance – understandably so – and her band seemed really tiny compared to the number of dancers.
Unlike last year’s halftime show, which saw Eminem take a knee on stage, Rihanna’s show was slightly different in terms of political statements, something that may surprise those who remember why the singer previously turned down performing at the Super Bowl.
The singer confirmed to Vogue in 2019 that she had declined the invitation in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback who controversially took a knee during the national anthem in protest against racism and police brutality. “I just couldn’t be a sellout,” he said then.
Four years later, “kneeling” is much more common, especially in light of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, and the fact that Rihanna headlined the Super Bowl is perhaps a sign of her approval of the NFL’s progress. (National Soccer League) in recent years.
In general, the fans agreed that the wait was worth itwith a track list that Rihanna had joked earlier in the week had gone through 39 drafts before being finalized.
Rihanna even had time to promote her cosmetics brand, fixing her makeup mid-performance, something that quickly became another of the night’s viral moments.
Meanwhile, the annual jokes about the culture clash between pop music fans and sports fans were in full swing on social media, and even Rihanna took them up on it.
Before the show, her clothing brand made T-shirts with the slogan: “Rihanna’s concert interrupted by a football game. Weird but it doesn’t matter.” Model Cara Delevingne was among those in attendance who sported one on Sunday.
For the first time in Super Bowl history, the military overflight that inauguratedeither the day was in charge of four women pilotswho made the diamond formation in honor of the women who have flown in the US Navy for the past 50 years.
Earlier, the singer Shakira, who sang at halftime along with Jennifer López in the 2020 edition, wished Rihanna good luck through her social networks.
For Afro-descendant women and migrants
In an interview with Apple TV on Thursday, Rihanna said she wasn’t sure she would accept the challenge to perform at the Super Bowl.
“Are you sure?” She replied when they called her with the proposal. She felt it was important to say yes to “represent immigrants, represent my country, Barbados, represent black women everywhere.”
The star, born in Barbados 34 years ago, assured that the most important change she has experienced in recent years has been motherhood, which has made her more selective with the projects she undertakes because they involve spending time away from her 10-month-old baby.
“The balance is almost impossible because no matter how you look at it, work is always going to be something that is going to steal time from being with your son,” he said. “When you make decisions about what you’re going to say yes to, it has to be worth it.”
“C.hen you become a mom, something happens that makes you feel like you can conquer the world, that you can do anything… As scary as it was, because I haven’t been on a stage in seven years, there’s something exhilarating about it.”
“And it’s important for me to do this, this year. It’s important for representation, It is important that my son seesyoueither“, he stated before the show.
His most recent project in the world of music was with Marvel, for the movie Wakanda Forever.
Forbes magazine estimated his fortune at US$1.4 billion in 2022thanks to his musical successes and three companies dedicated to fashion and beauty.
His real breakthrough moment occurred in 2007 with the single Umbrella, the hit he recorded with Jay-Z that led his album Good Girls Gone Bad to become number 1 in the UK for 10 weeks.
Also, Rihanna has more Top 40 hits than the Beatles and is the fastest artist to reach the 1 million record sales markknown as a platinum record, after Samsung signed a contract of more than US $ 25 million to give the disk to buyers of its phones.
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