Rihanna Is Headlining the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show
Music superstar and beauty mogul Rihanna is making her grand return to the stage at the Super Bowl LVII halftime show on February 12, 2023. The Barbados-born singer’s return to music has been highly anticipated by fans, as she’s largely focused on her business and family since the release of her 2016 album Anti.
Rihanna is performing at the Super Bowl LVII halftime show
Rihanna was announced as the headliner for the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show in September 2022. The game is set to take place at State Farm Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Rihanna shared the news on her Instagram with a photo of her hand holding an NFL football.
Jay-Z, whose Roc Nation agency took over the production of the halftime show in 2019, made a statement about his signee‘s upcoming halftime show extravaganza.
“Rihanna is a generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn,” he said in a statement. “A person born on the small island of Barbados who became one of the most prominent artists ever. Self-made in business and entertainment.”
Since Roc Nation has helmed the production of the Super Bowl halftime show, the Super Bowl has seen unforgettable performances from the likes of Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, The Weeknd, and in 2022, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, and Kendrick Lamar.
She’d previously turned down the halftime show
Rihanna’s decision to play the halftime show is a sharp turnaround from the singer’s position just a few years ago. After Colin Kaepernick was effectively pushed out of the NFL after he took a stand against police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem, Rihanna — along with Cardi B — felt that performing at the halftime show would do more harm than good. She was offered the Super Bowl in 2019, which ended up being headlined by Maroon 5, but declined because of her strong convictions.
“I couldn’t dare do that. For what?” Rihanna told Vogue in 2019 of her position. “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.”
Taylor Swift was asked and declined
For the 2023 show, Rihanna reportedly wasn’t the NFL’s first choice for a performer. Sources close to the matter told TMZ that Taylor Swift was approached several months before Rihanna’s announcement to headline the show. Ultimately, Swift declined to focus on finishing re-recording her first six albums.
Swift released Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version) in 2021, with her albums Taylor Swift, Speak Now, 1989, and Reputation remaining to be re-recorded.
