Rihanna to make her long-awaited return with Super Bowl half-time show
The phrase "Super Bowl" is increasingly infiltrating its way into the British vocabulary.
After a hefty regular season and playoff campaign, the Super Bowl is that final chance for one American Football team to win it all and secure bragging rights over the NFL’s other 31 sides.
As a relative NFL newbie, I can tell you that the game is very entertaining (once you figure out the rules), but the production that goes into the halftime show is on another level.
It’s a highly-coveted spot to perform on the pitch for people around the world… for about 14 minutes.
More than 100 million watch the Super Bowl in the US alone.
Rihanna will be headlining the musical portion of the 2023 event and announced the news on Instagram - with a photo showing her holding an American football.
Judging by some of the responses in the comments, it’s fair to say that celebrities and fans alike were thrilled by the announcement.
You might be thinking that you hadn’t heard much from Rihanna musically in the past few years and you’d be right.
RiRi’s last album Anti was released back in 2016 and was nominated for a Grammy award.
Despite the lack of contribution to the recent musical charts, Rihanna has been putting in plenty of "work, work, work, work" elsewhere.
She's been focusing on business ventures and reportedly becoming a billionaire in the process through her makeup and skincare brand Fenty Beauty, as well as her lingerie line Savage X Fenty.
Back in 2019, Rihanna - born Robyn Fenty - turned down the chance to perform at the half time show in solidarity with former player Colin Kaepernick.
Kaepernick left the NFL two years earlier after he began to kneel during the national anthem in protest of racial injustice in the US.
The gesture then spread across the world, with athletes from all sports often kneeling before matches.
In response to the announcement, legendary rapper Jay-Z said: "Rihanna is a generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn.
"A person born on the small island of Barbados who become one of the most prominent artists ever. Self-made in business and entertainment."
Earlier this year, Rihanna gave birth to a child with her partner, rapper ASAP Rocky.
The Super Bowl half-time shows sees the music industry’s biggest stars don their shiniest outfits and belt out their most popular hits.
Coldplay rocked the stage in 2016, Paul McCartney headlined in 2005, and U2 had the spot in 2002.
Katy Perry’s performance back in 2015 at Super Bowl XLIX is said to be the most-watched halftime show on network television, with an audience of 118.5 million in the US.
Meanwhile Super Bowl LIV’s extravaganza starring Shakira and Jennifer Lopez is the most viewed on YouTube with 249 million views.
Last year provided what many on social media called the "coolest" half-time show ever.
Watching Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J.Blige, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent all on stage together, it’s hard to disagree.
Planning will no doubt be underway, and Rihanna will show the world her creation on Sunday, February 12 in Arizona.
Her biggest hits include Umbrella, Don’t Stop The Music, and Pon de Replay.
Pyrotechnics, surprise guests and giant dance sequences are just a few of the possibilities.
I, for one, will be staying awake into the earlier hours to see what RiRi has in store.
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