As we anticipate Rihanna’s sure-to-be epic Super Bowl 2023 halftime performance, fans wonder what to expect. Like most major performances, details have been almost nonexistent but looking back at her past shows, we know muva is going to bring it. It’s been five years since Rihanna’s last televised performance when she hit the stage with DJ Khaled for their song “Wild Thoughts” at the 2018 Grammy awards. When it comes to music, her last album, Anti, was released in 2016, and while she released two new songs for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, fans are still wanting her to release a Rihanna album.
Performing at the Super Bowl is just another milestone the mogul can add to her esteemed list of achievements. Since launching Fenty Beauty, the 34-year-old made history as the wealthiest female musician after becoming a billionaire, she also owns the highly successful Savage X Fenty lingerie and Fenty Skin. And in 2022, she became a first-time mom after welcoming a son with rapper A$AP Rocky. With so many major changes in the “Love on the Brain” artist’s life, fans are hungry to see their queen remind everyone why Rihanna is still that girl.
Here are the top things that we are expecting from the iconic singer at the Super Bowl.
Fashion
If it’s one thing Rihanna has become known for outside of music, it’s fashion. Whether she’s on the red carpet or on the go, the mother of one always serves a look and she approaches her performances the same way. Who can forget when she won the 2016 MTV Video Vanguard award at the VMAs and performed several times throughout the show? She slayed every look with each performance and we can’t wait to see what she wears during the Super Bowl.
New Music
As I mentioned earlier, the Rihanna Navy is demanding new music from the Bajan beauty and we are hoping that she finally gives in and premieres a new song or announces a concrete date for her upcoming album. On another note, we also can’t wait to see what her set list will be. Rihanna has so many bops from “Needed Me” to “What’s My Name?” and of course the song that made her a household name “Umbrella.” Whichever songs she chooses, I’m sure she will have us singing at the top of our lungs.
(L) A$AP Rock and (R) Rihanna.
Photo by Lester Cohen/WireImage
Surprise Guests
Speaking of her songs, there’s also the question of whether she will have surprise guests hit the stage with her. Not that she needs anyone to perform with her, but it would be cool to see her perform with some of the people she has collaborated with over the years like her beau A$AP Rocky or N.E.R.D. (If you're like me then you are also thinking Drake, but we know that’s out of the question.) And while we continue this fantasy, wouldn't it be such a cute moment if she also brought her son on stage?
Tour Announcement
It has been rumored that RiRi will be going on tour following her Super Bowl performance. While nothing has been confirmed yet, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary. Many artists have announced tour dates after performing at the legendary halftime show, so why not Rihanna? But what we do know after watching the “Diamonds” singer over these years is that no matter what, she marches to the beat of her own drum.
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Feature image by Amy Sussman/WireImage
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To help you better understand why this was such a mental awakening for me, I first need to give a bit of my backstory. I’m in my late thirties. I’m an attorneyand a journalist. I own a home and have traveled the world extensively. Essentially, I’ve done everything in life I set out to do. However, when it comes to dating, I struggle. Not because there is anything wrong with me per se, but because my career and “lifestyle” often create problems in my romantic relationships.
View from my hotel room
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I’ve been told everything from, ‘I can’t continue to date you because you seem to choose your career over wanting to settle down and have kids’ by a man after only the second date to ‘Maybe if you just sat down somewhere for a while, I’d actually wife you’ by someone who has honestly never proven themselves to be the settle down type. And these are only a handful of the things I’ve been told over the years.
It’s been frustrating, to say the least, and there have even been seasons where I purposely dimmed my light in hopes that my career wouldn’t push away potential suitors. I know what you’re thinking, “Girl, why would you even consider that? If they’re for you, it won’t matter what you do.” Hey, don’t judge me, but also, I one hundred percent agree.
My hotel bathroom
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That’s why this recent moment in Switzerland was right on time. When I first walked into the hotel to check in, I was blown away by the surrounding beauty. It was a five-star property with one of the world’s most famous thermal bathhouses. Yet, it was something about seeing that 90% of the hotel’s guests were couples, that forced me to sit back for a bit of introspection—while soaking in the thermal spa, of course.
As I went through the mental conversation, there was a battle of sorts. On one hand, I knew that being able to partake in experiences like the one I was having at that moment was important to me. I knew that, at times I actually love being able to dabble in the finer things—after all, I’ve worked hard to be able to afford them. On the other hand, and sadly, I knew that sometimes being a single Black woman that publicly showcases her “luxurious” habits can intimidate men and even scare them off from pursuing you under the guise of them feeling like they “can’t do anything for you, because you have everything.”
My hotel room
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So, what is a girl to do?
Do I minimize/hide the life and experiences that I have? Do I play down the hard work I’ve put in to get where I am professionally? Or, do I risk being single in exchange for being able to have said life, without backlash?
Luckily, the joy that I felt while being at this property won. There was something about taking a full day to simply pamper myself at the bathhouse and in my in-room steam shower and soaker tub, indulging in cuisine from a 2-star Michelin restaurant and doing all of this while surrounded by an amazing group of Black women that reminded me—this is certainly the life I was meant to live and that I deserve. Even if it means that right now, I’ll just have to provide it for myself until the right partner comes along. And honestly, I’m okay with that.
Restaurant at 7132 hotel
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