“Rihanna” was already trending on Twitter forward of her much-anticipated Super Bowl LVII halftime show, her first stay efficiency since 2019. But when the Fenty mogul appeared at Arizona’s State Life Stadium, “pregnant” turned a prime trending time period as nicely.
Major press shops like The Independent, TMZ, PageSix, Pop Crave, Consequence, and The Sun all instantly jumped to the conclusion that Rihanna was pregnant with her second child, with the singer’s consultant confirming the glass ceiling-shattering information to The Hollywood Reporter and different publications about an hour later. Rihanna has now made historical past as the primary girl to headline a Super Bowl halftime show whereas pregnant.
While Rihanna didn’t make a giant, official being pregnant announcement on the large sport, a la Beyoncé’s onstage baby-bump reveal on the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, her repeated rubbing of her stomach — which was on distinguished show in a molded-breasted, avant-athleisure pink bodysuit with matching low-slung belt — was apparently an analogous sign. The pop icon first made the internet-breaking gesture during her opening quantity, a (censored) model of “Bitch Better Have My Money,” whereas suspended over the 50-yard line on a hydraulic illuminated glass platform; when she ascended again into the sky during her triumphant, fireworks-enhanced remaining quantity, “Diamonds,” she gave her abdomen one other fast however impossible-to-ignore caress.
The 13-minute show’s noticeable lack of superior choreography, costume modifications, and different large manufacturing methods — a minimum of in comparison with different latest halftime reveals like final yr’s Dr. Dre-curated all-star hip-hop tour de power, the Weeknd’s pandemic-era high-concept spectacle, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s 2020 double-bill, or Lady Gaga’s electrifying 2017 look — additionally indicated that Rihanna was taking it simple for good purpose.
And lastly, whereas Rihanna wasn’t joined by any celebrity visitors during her 12-song medley — no Calvin Harris for “We Found Love,” no Drake for “Work,” not even Jay-Z for “Umbrella” — she had cheekily hinted to CBS’s Nate Burleson {that a} shock “special guest” would possibly seem onstage with her, which followers now imagine was a reference to her unborn child.
In May 2022, Rihanna welcomed her first child, a son, with her accomplice, rapper ASAP Rocky. Speaking during a press convention Thursday, the singer, whose full identify is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, admitted that she was hesitant when the NFL initially approached her — when she was simply three months postpartum — about performing on the 2023 Super Bowl. But she then revealed that motherhood had bolstered her confidence, saying, “When you become a mom, there’s something that just happens where you feel like you can take on the world. You can do anything, and the Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world. So, as scary as that was… there’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all, and it’s important for me to do this this year. It’s important for representation. It’s important for my son to see that.”
However, the multi-hyphenate entertainer additionally confessed that discovering work-life steadiness had been difficult after giving beginning. “The steadiness is sort of unattainable, as a result of irrespective of the way you take a look at it, work is at all times one thing that’s going to rob you of time with your child,” she explained. “That’s the currency now, and that’s where it goes. The magnitude of how much it weighs. When you make decisions on what you’re going to say yes to, it has to be worth it.”
Rihanna has not released a full album since 2016’s critically acclaimed Anti, although she did appear on two tracks on last year’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack and is reportedly working on her ninth studio album while still trying to maintain work-life balance. She certainly had enough classic material from her illustrious 18-year career to create a hits-packed Super Bowl setlist; in fact, she went through 39 different versions of that setlist before settling on the greatest-hits revue detailed below:
“Bitch Better Have My Money”
“Where Have You Been?”
“Only Girl in the World”
“We Found Love”
“Rude Boy”
“Work”
“Wild Thoughts”
“Pour It Up”
“All of the Lights”
“Run This Town”
“Umbrella”
“Diamonds”
Super Bowl LVII, with the Philadelphia Eagles facing off against the Kansas City Chiefs, took place Feb. 12, 2023, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Other musical performers during the pregame show included country superstar Chris Stapleton, 12-time Grammy-winner Babyface, and Emmy-winning actress/singer Sheryl Lee Ralph.
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