“Rihanna” was already trending on Twitter forward of her much-anticipated Tremendous Bowl LVII halftime present, her first dwell efficiency since 2019. However when the Fenty mogul appeared at Arizona’s State Farm Stadium, “pregnant” turned a prime trending time period as properly.
Main press shops like the Unbiased, TMZ, PageSix, Pop Crave, Consequence and the Solar all instantly jumped to the conclusion that Rihanna was pregnant along with her second little one, with the singer’s consultant confirming the glass-ceiling-shattering information to the Hollywood Reporter and different publications about an hour later. Rihanna has now made historical past as the primary lady to headline a Tremendous Bowl halftime present whereas pregnant.
Whereas Rihanna didn’t make an official being pregnant announcement on the large recreation, a la Beyoncé’s onstage baby-bump reveal on the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, her repeated rubbing of her stomach — which was on distinguished show in an avant-athleisure pink bodysuit and molded bustier with an identical low-slung belt — was apparently the same sign. The pop icon first made the internet-breaking gesture throughout her opening quantity, a (censored) model of “Bitch Higher Have My Cash,” whereas suspended over the 50-yard line on a hydraulic illuminated glass platform; when she ascended again into the sky throughout her triumphant, fireworks-enhanced remaining quantity, “Diamonds,” she gave her abdomen one other fast however impossible-to-ignore caress.
The 13-minute present’s noticeable lack of superior choreography, costume modifications and different huge manufacturing methods — at the least in comparison with different current halftime exhibits like final yr’s Dr. Dre-curated all-star hip-hop tour de power, the Weeknd’s pandemic-era high-concept spectacle, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s 2020 double-bill or Woman Gaga’s electrifying 2017 look — additionally indicated that Rihanna was taking it straightforward for good cause.
And eventually, whereas Rihanna wasn’t joined by any famous person friends throughout her 12-song medley — no Calvin Harris for “We Discovered Love,” no Drake for “Work,” not even Jay-Z for “Umbrella” — she had cheekily hinted to CBS’s Nate Burleson {that a} shock “particular visitor” may seem onstage along with her, which followers now consider was a reference to her unborn little one.
In Could 2022, Rihanna welcomed her first little one, a son, along with her companion, rapper A$AP Rocky. Talking throughout a press convention Thursday, the singer, whose full identify is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, admitted that she was hesitant when the NFL initially approached her — when she was simply three months postpartum — about performing on the 2023 Tremendous Bowl. However she then revealed that motherhood had bolstered her confidence, saying, “Once you change into a mother, there’s one thing that simply occurs the place you’re feeling like you possibly can tackle the world. You are able to do something, and the Tremendous Bowl is without doubt one of the greatest levels on the earth. So, as scary as that was … there’s one thing exhilarating in regards to the problem of all of it, and it’s vital for me to do that this yr. It’s vital for illustration. It’s vital for my son to see that.”
Nevertheless, the multi-hyphenate entertainer additionally confessed that discovering work-life stability had been difficult after giving beginning. “The stability is sort of not possible, as a result of irrespective of the way you take a look at it, work is at all times one thing that’s going to rob you of time together with your little one,” she defined. “That’s the foreign money now, and that’s the place it goes. The magnitude of how a lot it weighs. Once you make choices on what you’re going to say sure to, it needs to be value it.”
Rihanna has not launched a full album since 2016’s critically acclaimed Anti, though she did seem on two tracks on final yr’s Black Panther: Wakanda Perpetually soundtrack and is reportedly engaged on her ninth studio album whereas nonetheless attempting to take care of work-life stability. She actually had sufficient basic materials from her illustrious 18-year profession to create a hits-packed Tremendous Bowl setlist; the truth is, she went via 39 totally different variations of that setlist earlier than selecting the greatest-hits revue detailed under:
“Bitch Higher Have My Cash”
“The place Have You Been?”
“Solely Woman within the World”
“We Discovered Love”
“Impolite Boy”
“Work”
“Wild Ideas”
“Pour It Up”
“All the Lights”
“Run This City”
“Umbrella”
“Diamonds”
Tremendous Bowl LVII, with the Philadelphia Eagles going through off towards the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs, befell on Feb. 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Different musical performers throughout the pregame present included nation famous person Chris Stapleton, 12-time Grammy winner Babyface, and Emmy-winning actress-singer Sheryl Lee Ralph.
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