Rihanna’s boyfriend — and father of their 9-month-old son — A$AP Rocky supported her from the stands
This is what we came for!
Rihanna took the stage at Super Bowl LVII for the Apple Music Halftime Show Sunday night, and dazzled the crowd with a career-spanning setlist in what was her first public performance since 2018.
The singer ran through an incredible set that began with “Bitch Better Have My Money,” “Where Have You Been?” “Only Girl in the World,” “We Found Love,” “Rude Boy,” “Work,” “Wild Thoughts,” “Pour It Up,” “All of the Lights,” “Run This Town” and “Umbrella,” before ending with a crowd-rising rendition of her hit song, “Diamond.”
The set started with Rihanna balancing on a platform hanging high above the field and ended with her walking up and down a stage that almost ran the length of the field. Throughout the show, she was surrounded by dancers wearing white puffy spacesuits.
Rihanna mostly stuck to one outfit throughout the show; a red Loewe jumpsuit with a shiny plastic breast piece. She topped off her show-stopping look with a high ponytail, with some pieces braided. Rihanna also wore dangly diamond earrings — a perfect nod to her finale song — and MM6 Maison Margiela x Salomon Cross Low sneakers in orange. For her final song, she rocked a custom Alaïa leather maxi puffer coat with integrated gloves designed by Pieter Mulier.
The 34-year-old 2023 Super Bowl Halftime performer also revealed a baby bump, and became the first pregnant woman to star in the halftime show.
Rihanna played up the big reveal in the opening moments of her performance, rubbing her stomach and leaving the zipper of her outfit — a jumpsuit layered over a close-fitting bodysuit and sculpted bandeau — down to reveal her belly.
A rep for Rihanna confirmed the news to PEOPLE Sunday night.
Rihanna’s boyfriend — and father of their 9-month-old son — A$AP Rocky supported her from the stands, even taking video of the singer on his phone while she performed.
The “Needed Me” singer previously played coy as to what fans should expect from the performance at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, but said at a press conference on Thursday that narrowing down her prolific song catalog into just 13 minutes “was the biggest challenge.”
Rihanna Is ‘So Focused’ on Super Bowl Halftime Show That She ‘Forgot’ Her Birthday and Valentine’s Day
“That was the hardest, hardest part — deciding how to maximize 13 minutes but also celebrate,” she said, noting there were some 39 versions of the setlist. “That’s what this show is gonna be — it’s gonna be a celebration of my catalog in the best way that we could’ve put it together.”
Though Rihanna has remained largely out of the musical spotlight since the release of her last album Anti in 2016, she’s stayed plenty busy.
The nine-time Grammy winner launched the uber-successful Fenty Beauty in 2017 (which helped her become Forbes’ youngest self-made billionaire) and also welcomed her first child with A$AP Rocky in May.
Rihanna said Thursday that the birth of her son was one of the main reasons she decided to tackle the halftime show, as she wanted to show him what representation looks like.
“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,” she said. “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.”
Rihanna didn’t offer too many details as to what her performance would contain but did tease that she’d be incorporating elements of Caribbean culture as a nod to her native Barbados.
“That’s a big part of why this is important for me to do this show — representation, representing for immigrants, representing for my country of Barbados, representing for Black women everywhere,” she said.
“That’s really important,” she added. “That’s key, for people to see the possibilities. And I’m honored to be here. I’m honored to be doing this, this year.”
Super Bowl LVII, in which the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs, is airing now on Fox.
News
The Game Reveals How Diddy Made Him A Boy Toy To Sleep With Him
In a shocking revelation, rapper The Game has opened up about his two-year stint of partying with Diddy and hinted at disturbing allegations involving shopping sprees and…
Video shows Taylor Swift’s parents in shock seeing Travis Kelce party celebration in Las Vegas
She highly recommends “accidentally going clubbing with your parents“ Taylor Swift shocked the world by posting a rare video on TikTok, revealing the inside story of her Super Bowl after…
Watch Taylor Swift Tell Travis Kelce His Public Serenade Was the ‘Most Romantic Thing Ever’
What did Taylor Swift think when Travis Kelce serenaded her when “You Belong With Me” came on at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl after-party? She was…
Everyone shocked by horrible Travis Kelce news
Travis Kelce has had to deal with harassment. It’s pretty clear that Travis Kelce is enjoying his relationship with Taylor Swift based on everything he had to…
SHOCK POLL: 1 in 5 Believe Bonkers Taylor Swift-Joe Biden Conspiracy ‘Exists’ — Whopping 83% Are Trump Fans
A shocking one-in-five Americans believe a “covert” plan for pop star Taylor Swift to help reelect President Joe Biden “exists” — a whopping 83% of whom plan to vote for former…
Megan Fox unleashes her response to critics amidst the storm sparked by the double date snapshot featuring Machine Gun Kelly, Travis Kelce, and Taylor Swift.
Megan Fox responded to comments made online about her looks in a group photo with Machine Gun Kelly, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift during a Super Bowl…
End of content
No more pages to load