RIHANNA’S SUPERBOWL PERFORMANCE WAS ENTERTAINING BUT DISAPPOINTING

Sunday Feb. 12 was the 57th annual Super Bowl and if you’re anything like me then you only watch the game for the halftime show.

The highly anticipated halftime show brought out the most anticipated artist, Rihanna. Rihanna made her comeback after seven years of not performing and without any new music (excluding the 2022 original song for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever).

Rihanna took the stage in an all red puffer coat over a red jumpsuit and glossy bustier.

The show started off with a close up of Rihanna’s face as she smirks to the audience. The camera zooms out onto the entire stage and fans could quickly tell the nine-time Grammy winner was pregnant.

Rihanna later revealed she was indeed pregnant and many people started to forgive her for her alleged “lack of energy” in the performance.

Rihanna’s performance lasted about thirteen minutes and she was still only able to squeeze in a few of her hits out of her entire discography.

Rihanna started her performance with “B**** Better Have My Money” and followed with “Where Have You Been,” “Only Girl (In The World),” “We Found Love,” “Rude Boy,” “Work,” “Wild Thoughts,” “Pour It Up,” “All of The Lights,” “Run This Town,” and “Umbrella.” Rihanna ended the show with her hit melody “Diamonds.”

For a long awaited performance it wasn’t what I was expecting. I completely love the idea of bringing motherhood and announcing her second child on the biggest stage in the world, but it was not my favorite halftime show.

Starting off with the song choice, I don’t think “B**** Better Have My Money” was the perfect opener.

The perfect opener in my opinion would have been “Don’t Stop The Music.”

Imagine the beginning of “Don’t Stop The Music” looping while the lights flash and eventually she reveals herself to the crowd, then it cuts to “S&M.”

Rihanna is one performer who doesn’t need a guest star, so her being completely solo is something I’m not mad at.

But the amount of potential to have the best Super Bowl Halftime Show ever was missed for someone as big as Rihanna.

Overall it was a good performance, and I give her all of my respect for doing this while pregnant.

I absolutely loved the Fenty Beauty advertisement/break she did. Then the perfect closing song was definitely chosen right. “Diamonds” could not be beat by any other song as a closing to the millions of fans watching.

With the performance, Rihanna broke the record for the most watched Super Bowl Halftime show with 118.5 million viewers. Surpassing Katy Perry of 114.4 million in 2015.

In my books, my favorite halftime show would be Katy Perry’s (2015), followed by Lady Gaga (2017) at second, Beyonce (2013) at third, JLo & Shakira (2020) fourth, Madonna’s (2012) fifth, and Rihanna’s at sixth. Katy offered a variety of hits that the entire world knows.

When she told the crowd at the stadium to sing a verse in “California Girls,” everyone yelled the lyrics out loud and well.

The dancing and live vocals created a hype like no other and hard shoes to fill in for upcoming performers.

Also the iconic Super Bowl meme of the “left shark” was born. Katy also offered different outfit changes and a variety of stage props. I feel this is something Rihanna could have done but entirely missed.

After seven years you would think Rihanna would have at least one new song to drop at the Super Bowl. But I love how she is bringing back the hype for her music, and the anticipation is definitely higher than ever for Rihanna’s upcoming album.

After the Super Bowl performance Rihanna’s music on Spotify spiked more than 640% in streams inside of the United States. She also told British Vogue she wants to release a new project this year. She will definitely have all of us waiting.

BY JOE SANTANA