Rihanna's Super Bowl Halftime Show Stuns The World

BYGabriel Bras Nevares5.3K Views
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Between all her classic hits, pregnancy rumors, and her triumphant return to music, RiRi gave a quite literally elevated performance.

After all the wait, hype, and about seven years of waiting for Rihanna to return to the music stage, her Super Bowl halftime show was quite the sight. From her insane stage design, engaging choreography, and abundant catalog of hits, the performance offered a lot to both stadium audiences and fans watching from their couch. While no special guests appeared, the singer gave a wonderful performance and oozed confidence as she sang her best hits. Also, she even took the chance to plug some Fenty products during her performance, as she used a mirror and blush.

Rihanna performs at the Apple Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show held at State Farm Stadium on February 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images)

To start things off, she played a short video with her track "What's My Name?" When we finally saw RiRi above the football field- wait, above the field? Furthermore, she stood on a suspended platform far above the field, with other stages reserved for some of her backup dancers. Her actual performance, though, began with her banger, "B***h Better Have My Money." Also, she showed off a beautiful red ensemble as she sang and floated up and down. Eventually, the star singer returned to Earth, but went back and forth between her main stage and the floating platforms.

Rihanna's Super Bowl Halftime Show Setlist

In fact, the 34-year-old's setlist transitioned and mashed up with itself perfectly. For example, she transitioned her next track, "Where Have You Been," into "Only Girl In The World" as her white-dressed backup dancers seemed like a hive mind of great dance. Then, she played more classics like "We Found Love" with fireworks, "S&M," "Rude Boy," and "Work." In addition, she went seamlessly into "Wild Thoughts" before walking off stage and transitioning into "Pour It Up." Most surprisingly, she played a short snippet of the Kanye West track "All Of The Lights," where she gives an iconic vocal line.

Rounding out her performance, she rose again after playing "Run This Town" with a live band. Finally, she graced fans with two of her most iconic songs to end it off: "Umbrella" and "Diamonds," during which she might've made a crazy announcement. Moreover, many people believe that Rihanna is pregnant with her second child, though that just might be the Internet reading too deeply into a belly. Regardless, let us know what you thought of Rihanna's show down below and come back to HNHH for the latest updates.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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