World-famous artist Rihanna is set to headline the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show next year, which will mark her first live performance in over five years.
The singer will be front and center when the biggest game in American sports blows for halftime, with Roc Nation and Apple Music, and the pop star herself has confirmed that she will be on stage after the Super Bowl breaks for a quarter of an hour at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on February 12, 2023.
Jay-Z’s Roc Nation has been a co-producer of the NFL Halftime Show since 2020, and Rihanna has been with the brand since 2014.
“Rihanna is a generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn,” Jay-Z said of the development. “A person born on the small island of Barbados who became one of the most prominent artists ever. Self-made in business and entertainment.”
The singer and fashion mogul hasn’t performed live since she joined DJ Khaled on stage for a rendition of hit sing “Wild Thoughts” at the 2018 Grammy Awards. Late last month, she took to Twitter to post a photo of herself holding a football as a way of announcing that she will be the one who does the honors this time around.
This year’s Super Bowl was graced by a star-studded lineup, including Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar. The game featured the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals, with the former going on to win in front of a home crowd.
At this point in the season, it’s pretty difficult to say which teams will head to the Super Bowl, but Caesars Sportsbook Arizona will be sure to be one of the betting outlets from which fans could get some of the best deals when the day rolls around.
The Buffalo Bills are the current betting favorites to win the AFC at 11/5, while the bookmakers have tipped the Philadelphia Eagles to win the NFC. The Bills are the outright favorites for the Super Bowl itself at 4/1.
Rihanna has turned down opportunities to headline the Super Bowl Halftime show on two occasions, both in 2018 and 2019, citing solidarity with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick following the player getting blackballed.
The former San Francisco 49ers star put his career on the line back in 2016, taking a knee during the American National Anthem before a match in protest of racial injustice and has not played in the NFL since.
Speaking to Vogue magazine in 2019, Rihanna revealed she rebuffed the league’s offers because she couldn’t be a sellout or enabler.
“I couldn’t dare do that,” she said. “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.”
It was understood that Taylor Swift was penciled in to headline the show next year but turned it down to focus on personal projects.
According to TMZ, there could be another performer alongside Rihanna. Kanye West has since hinted that he could be involved. The hip-hop artist shared a Daily Mail article via Instagram that highlights 50 possible stars who could join Rihanna as part of the Super Bowl Halftime Show next year. West was one of the performers mentioned but did not caption or make any comment.
Meanwhile, Dr. Dre claims to be looking forward to seeing Rihanna perform and succeed him as the next halftime highlight.
“Oh, my God. Let me tell you something, man. I actually just got the news that Rihanna’s going to do [the Halftime Show], and I’m a super fan of Rihanna,” the star producer told Ebro Darden in an interview on Apple Music 1 (H/T Variety). “I can’t wait to see what she’s going to do.”
“I just like her and what she does and her get down and how she approaches her artistry and the whole nine. It’s fantastic,” he added.
Dre, who noted that his crew from this past February set the bar pretty high, admitted he was nervous but had the right people around him.
“All of these people came through for me, and everybody was extremely enthusiastic about the show,” he remarked. “We had a good time, although it’s a lot of things and a lot of people you have to depend on. So it is an extreme amount of pressure, but it’s fun at the same time. When it’s done, it’s like goosebumps, bro. I got goosebumps, especially from the reaction that we got from the show, and especially being able to do the show with all of my friends.”
