Comeback of superlatives: Rihanna retired for a good five years, now she is exploding the Super Bowl arena with hits like “Umbrella” and “Diamonds”. But another star guest is missing.
Glendale – After years without performing, pop superstar Rihanna is back with a smashing halftime show at the Super Bowl. In the medley during the finals of the National Football League (NFL), the 34-year-old lined up a series of her greatest hits on Sunday evening (local time). For “Bitch Better Have My Money” and “Diamonds”, the singer from Barbados and her dancers floated on movable stages in the stadium.
The biggest surprise of the evening, however, was confirmed by Rihanna’s management after the performance: As reported by “Rolling Stone” and the “Hollywood Reporter”, Rihanna is pregnant with her second child. Previously, many users on the Internet had suspected that she was expecting another baby due to a slight tummy. Rihanna gave birth to a son last year.
The Super Bowl halftime show, also called the “biggest stage in the world”, was Rihanna’s first appearance in over five years. She couldn’t have chosen a more befitting occasion: the NFL final between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles in Glendale (Arizona) was expected to attract around 100 million TV viewers in the USA alone. The Super Bowl is considered the largest single sporting event in the world. However, the top ratings are always reached by the approximately 13-minute halftime show, which can be seen as a muscle flexing of the US entertainment industry.
Jay-Z in the stadium, not on the stage
Rihanna performed her songs like “We Found Love” all in red, surrounded by dancers dressed in white. But fans around the world had to do without a star guest: Rihanna sang the super hit “Umbrella” alone, without co-musician Jay-Z. Many had previously speculated that the superstar rapper, previously spotted at the stadium, would take the stage for the song. The online reactions to Rihanna’s appearance were mostly positive.
At the Super Bowl, not only the halftime show, but even the advertising is popular. The commercials are shot exclusively for the mega event at great expense. Stars often appear in them. According to media reports, the broadcasting TV station Fox will receive up to seven million US dollars this year for a 30-second commercial. In American professional football, even the course of the game and the pauses between plays are based on the length of the advertisements that are displayed.
Traditionally also US fighter jets
In front of more than 60,000 spectators in the arena in Glendale, Rihanna wasn’t the only music star: the American anthem was sung by country legend Chris Stapleton and traditionally ended with US fighter jets flying overhead. US singer Babyface also made an appearance.
Rihanna, who had rejected an appearance at the Super Bowl a few years ago because of structural racism in the NFL, had to meet great expectations on Sunday evening, because the performances in recent years have been nothing short of sensational. In 2022, rap superstars Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar in Los Angeles. And the year before, musicians “The Weeknd” brought the arena to a boil with his performance. The appearance of Shakira and Jennifer Lopez in 2020 quickly became legendary. dpa
