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After turning down the opportunity in 2018, Rihanna will be performing at the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime show.
So, is this Rihanna’s way of telling us a new album is on the way?
On Sunday [September 25th] Rihanna went to Instagram and confirmed earlier reports from TMZ that she would be the Super Bowl LVII Halftime performer.
The singer posted a photo where she’s holding an NFL football.
After she posted the picture, the NFL confirmed the news. In a statement released in a press release, JAY-Z, who is currently in a partnership with the NFL where he helps picks the Super Bowl performer, talked about why they picked Rihanna to headline the show:
“Rihanna is a generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn… A person born on the small island of Barbados who became one of the most prominent artists ever. Self-made in business and entertainment.”
This isn’t the first time the NFL approached Rihanna to perform at the Super Bowl. The NFL asked her to do the 2018 show, but she turned down the opportunity to stand in solidarity with quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who was in the middle of a controversy with the NFL after kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality. [She told Vogue: “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.”]
This year will also be the first time Pepsi won’t be sponsoring the Super Bowl Halftime show in 10 years. This time Apple will be taking over. Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats, released a statement saying:
“Rihanna is an incredible recording artist who is a favorite for many millions of Apple Music customers around the world… We’re excited to partner with Rihanna, Roc Nation and the NFL to bring music and sports fans a momentous show — what an incredible artist for the inaugural Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show.”
Rihanna has not released an album since 2016, when she dropped Anti. Halftime shows tend to be greatest hit performances. But this performance has to be an indicator new music is on the way, right?
Rihanna has confirmed she will headline the Super Bowl 2023 halftime show next February, marking her first time headlining the event.
In addition to a statement released by Halftime Show executive producers Roc Nation, Rihanna herself confirmed the news in a post to her Instagram earlier today [Sunday September 25], sharing a photo of an NFL-branded football.
Roc Nation founder Jay-Z called Rihanna “a generational talent”. “[She is] A woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn,” the rapper said. “A person born on the small island of Barbados who became one of the most prominent artists ever. Self-made in business and entertainment.”
NFL Head of Music Seth Dudowsky said they were “thrilled” to welcome Rihanna as the Halftime Show’s headliner. “Rihanna is a once-in-a-generation artist who has been a cultural force throughout her career,” Dudowsky said. “We look forward to collaborating with Rihanna, Roc Nation and Apple Music to bring fans another historic Halftime Show performance.”
The Super Bowl LVII takes place on February 12, 2023, at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. It will be the first year that Apple Music will serve as a sponsor for the halftime show, replacing the NFL’s long-time partner, Pepsi.
Announced by the NFL last week at midnight [via Variety], the new partnership prompted speculation that Taylor Swift – whose forthcoming album is called ‘Midnight’ – was being considered as a potential headliner.
Those rumours were later reported to be false, Swift said to have turned down the offer because she “didn’t want to perform until she finished re-recording all of her first six albums”.
In 2018, Rihanna was offered the chance to headline the 2019 Halftime Show. She turned the offer down in a bid to show solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, who was the first NFL player to take a knee in protest against police brutality in 2016.
Notably, Rihanna hasn’t released an album since 2016, when she dropped her eighth studio album ‘Anti’. The artist hasn’t performed live since her appearance at the 2018 Grammy Awards.
Last year’s Super Bowl was headlined by Dr. Dre with special guest performers Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg and Mary J. Blige.