Fans eagerly await Rihanna’s performance as the headliner of the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show on February 12th. Her devoted NAVY has been eagerly anticipating new music from the singer since the release of “Anti” in 2016, and counting down the months to this highly-anticipated performance. This year’s show follows the hip-hop spectacle of 2022 (featuring Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, 50 Cent, and Anderson .Paak), as well as past headliners The Weeknd in 2021 and Jennifer Lopez/Shakira in 2020.
Rihanna announced her comeback to the stage on September 25th with a photo holding an NFL football, which was shortly confirmed by both Roc Nation and the NFL as her headlining act for the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show. Roc Nation, Jay-Z’s production company, has been producing the Super Bowl Halftime Show since 2020.
Rihanna announced at Apple Music’s press conference three days prior to the Super Bowl that her halftime show would be 13 minutes long. She described it as a celebration of her musical catalogue, and emphasized the amount of preparation and effort that goes into putting on such a massive show. Despite the intense focus on the Super Bowl performance, Rihanna mentioned that she had to remind herself of her upcoming birthday and Valentine’s Day. She spoke of the magnitude of the production, involving hundreds of people working to set up and break down the stage in just eight minutes. She added that they have been working on the performance for some time now and it’s getting closer to the final product each day.
Rihanna expressed her excitement and nerves about headlining the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show in an interview with Entertainment Tonight in November 2022. “It’s an entertainer’s dream to perform on such a huge stage, but it’s also nerve-wracking,” she said. As a new mother, Rihanna saw this as an opportunity to challenge herself and step out of her comfort zone. “I wouldn’t have left the house if it wasn’t for this challenge,” she added. Although she remained tight-lipped about her plans for the performance, she hinted at incorporating elements of culture into her show.