Rihanna performed an exciting and hit-laden halftime show at the Super Bowl on Sunday, but social media erupted into a frenzy when she revealed an unexpected visitor.
In an interview last week, the Bajan singer was asked if her concert at State Farm Stadium in Arizona would contain any surprises.
“I’m considering bringing someone,” she responded. “I’m not sure, we’ll see.”
Fans naturally concluded she was referring to one of the several musicians with whom she has cooperated during her distinguished career. A guest appearance by Jay-Z, Drake, or Eminem appeared probable and in keeping with the tradition of halftime show surprise duets.
However, Rihanna was not referencing any of them. She was actually alluding to the fact that she was expecting her second child, but no one caught it at the time.
The performer may not have unveiled any new music during her Super Bowl performance on Sunday, but her big bump nearly shattered the internet.
Rihanna, dressed in a special red jumpsuit by Loewe, appeared on one of several floating platforms that rose high above the crowd, as a swarm of white-clad, frenetic dancers gathered below.
Given that she is not being compensated for her Super Bowl performance, the audience went absolutely wild when the singer launched directly into Better Have My Money.
As the 34-year-old enthralled the audience from above, her dancers performed at breakneck speed with choreography that remained razor-sharp for the duration of the performance.
Front-loading her set with some of her most danceable and upbeat songs, such as Only Girl (In The World) and the brilliant Where Have You Been, the singer performed a number of well-known singles.
Even after she had been brought to the ground, the halftime show did not lack for spectacle. As she began singing the ecstatic We Found Love, fireworks were set off above the stadium.
The decision to rely on her huge back catalog, one of the strongest in pop, was a wise one, despite the fact that the artist did not perform any new material despite rumors to the contrary.
The performer crammed a multitude of hits into a 14-minute set, performing only the verse or chorus of certain songs. However, massive singles such as Rude Boy were countered by the somewhat edgier and less popular Pour It Up.
Disappointingly, the setlist featured some of her most well-known collaborations, but none of her partners actually joined her on stage.
During her performance of Run This Town, All the Lights, and Wild Thoughts, Jay-Z, Ye (formerly Kanye West), and DJ Khaled, who often appear on those songs, did not make a presence.
However, their absence was irrelevant. At this juncture, everyone’s focus was on a completely different, highly conspicuous special visitor.
Social media was originally rife with confusion as followers hurried to speculate about Rihanna’s possible baby bump. Many pointed out that the singer, who is known for her body positivity, may have been displaying her curvier shape after her previous pregnancy.
Rihanna did not attract as much attention to her baby bulge as Beyoncé did in 2011 at the MTV Video Music Awards, when she dropped her microphone, unbuttoned her jacket, and stroked her stomach.
However, as Rihanna’s Sunday performance went, spectators grew increasingly convinced she was pregnant again, nine months after she and A$AP Rocky had their baby.
Within an hour of Rihanna’s performance coming to an end, as her admirers questioned which trimester she may have been in, the singer’s management confirmed her pregnancy.
Social media reacted with overwhelming joy to the news that Rihanna’s much-anticipated ninth studio album will likely be delayed once again. Despite the fact that some fans expressed a tinge of disappointment at the news, which is likely to result in yet another delay of the album’s release, the majority of fans were ecstatic
Rihanna’s performance lacked outfit changes, which was understandable, and her band appeared minuscule in comparison to the number of dancers.
In contrast to last year’s halftime show, in which Eminem took a knee on stage, Rihanna’s performance was notably devoid of political messages, which may surprise some who recall why she previously declined the Super Bowl.
The singer confirmed to Vogue in 2019 that she had declined the offer in support of Colin Kaepernick, the controversial quarterback who kneeled during the national anthem in protest against racism and police brutality. “I just couldn’t be a sellout. I could not be a facilitator “She commented at the time.
Four years later, “taking a knee” is much more prevalent, especially in light of the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, and Rihanna’s decision to headline the Super Bowl may indicate her appreciation of the NFL’s recent improvement.
Fans generally agreed that her performance was worth the wait; she had joked earlier in the week that the set list went through 39 iterations before being finalized.
Even during her performance, Rihanna took the time to gently promote her cosmetics line by adjusting her make-up, which immediately became another viral moment of the evening.
Meanwhile, the annual jokes about the clash of cultures between pop music fans and sports fans were rampant on social media, and Rihanna embraced them.
Prior to the performance, her clothing line produced T-shirts with the slogan: “A football game disrupted Rihanna’s concert. Strange, but whatever.” On Sunday, model Cara Delevingne was among the attendees wearing one.
Fans of Rihanna acknowledge that her voice is not necessarily the best in music. It is more distinctive than it is forceful, the type of voice you would immediately recognize as hers even if the music was new.
Tom Breihan of Stereogum stated prior to her Super Bowl appearance, “Rihanna never needed to over-sing anything; she always sounded too cool to emote.”
But what has set Rihanna apart from some of her contemporaries is the sheer volume of her hits. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, she produced chart-topping hits faster than the industry’s best songwriters could write them.
She released seven albums in the same number of years and scored an international smash every few weeks. Consequently, the number of songs she was unable to perform during her Super Bowl performance was likely a source of regret.
Some of her previous hits, such as Pon de Replay and SOS, as well as the pounding, Don’t Stop The Music and the snappy What’s My Name?, would have gone over well (although we did get a tiny snippet of the latter right at the beginning before she appeared on stage).
Given the Super Bowl’s history of pop singers insulting family audiences during the halftime show, it would have been prudent to ignore other fan favorites like the rather violent S&M.
However, the song was not entirely absent; its vocal hook was overlaid over We Found Love, and a few seconds of another risqué but popular song, Birthday Cake, was teased just prior to Pour It Up.
And surely everyone can be thankful that her most recent single, Lift Me Up, from the soundtrack to Marvel’s Wakanda Forever, did not bring down her performance.
A perfectly pleasant song that merits its Oscar nomination, but one that would not have been suitable for the Super Bowl.
Rihanna instead utilized some of her biggest singles as she sped towards the finish of her concert, culminating with her ode to the British weather, Umbrella, and the rousing, anthemic Diamonds.
Fans will never forget Rihanna’s halftime performance, despite the fact that it was not for the reasons they had anticipated.
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