Rihanna to headline the 2023 Super Bowl half-time show
Rihanna is “a once in a generation artist who has been a cultural force throughout her career,” the NFL head of music says.
With the announcement that Rihanna will be headlining the 2023 NFL Super Bowl Half-time Show, fans are going wild about the star’s first live music performance in numerous years.
The nine-time Granny winner shared an image of her holding an NFL-branded football on Twitter on Sunday (25 September) confirming the news.
The 34-year-old singer will be taking to the stage at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, in February for what is considered one of the most coveted slots in music.
Jay-Z, the founder of Roc Nation, said that Rihanna is a “generational talent,” adding that the star is a “woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn”.
“A person born on the small island of Barbados who became one of the most prominent artists ever. Self-made in business and entertainment,” he added.
Seth Dudowsky, NFL head of music, also said that they are looking forward to collaborating with Rihanna, calling the singer “a once in a generation artist who has been a cultural force throughout her career.”
This excitement is echoed by Rihanna’s fans who are “screaming” in excitement ahead of the performance.
“I want her to recruit Tom Holland as one of her dancers, is all I know,” one fan commented, referencing Holland’s incredible Lip Sync Battle performance to Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella’.
Another shared: “This is unreal”
Many are also hopeful that her return to live music indicates that she may be releasing long-awaited new music soon: “I CAAAAAAAAAAANT!!!!!! It’s like a religious experience 😂😂😂 Okay, though: I need that dancehall album. NOW!!!!!!!!!”
Rihanna’s move marks a sharp about turn from the singer, who turned down an offer to headline the show in 2019 to show solidarity with the NFL star Colin Kaepernick.
Kaepernick, a former starting quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers, stopped playing in the league in 2016 after he took a knee during the national anthem in protest at racial injustice in the United States.
Rihanna said at the time that if she was to take the performance slot she would be an “enabler”.
“I just couldn’t be a sell-out,” she told Vogue magazine. “There’s things within that organisation that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.”
The Attitude September/October issue is out now.