Rihanna Super Bowl + Album: What’s the Latest?
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The 2023 Super Bowl halftime show saw pop icon Rihanna return to the stage for the first time in years, giving her fans a taste of the shows and songs they’ve missed while she’s been away from music. Rihanna’s performance certainly made a statement, and the singer said that it would be “ridiculous” not to release an album following it this year. Read on below for all the latest news about Rihanna’s halftime show and potential upcoming album.
What happened at Rihanna’s Super Bowl performance?
What fans may not know is that Rihanna’s performance at the Super Bowl last week was actually her first live performance in seven years and her first since becoming a mother last year. With this in mind, Rihanna came out with a bang. The singer came out with an exciting all-red outfit, surrounded by dancers in white. The performance included floating platforms across which Rihanna and her dancers moved, making for a truly unique halftime show.
In interviews following the performance, Rihanna shared that the most difficult part of the performance was fitting her 18-year catalog of music into a 13-minute setlist. A halftime show is more limited than a traditional concert, so Rihanna sang a medley of 12 of her biggest hits, including “All Of The Lights,” “Diamonds,” and “Umbrella.”
How was the performance received?
While not every Super Bowl halftime show is met with love from the audience, Rihanna’s show seemed to receive almost universal acclaim from both fans and critics. Rolling Stone called Rihanna “absolutely amazing” and “all the way in charge” during the show and praised her for putting on a show with no costume changes or guest features. This show was solely carried by Rihanna’s excellent catalog of music.
Following the Super Bowl was a huge uptick in Rihanna’s streaming numbers, and her album Anti re-entered the Billboard Top 200 for the second time last week. The album had hovered around #50 for a while before the show, which is still impressive considering how long it’s been since it was first released.
Rihanna’s pregnancy
One surprising twist from Rihanna’s Super Bowl performance was the announcement that she’s pregnant again! Rihanna had her first child with boyfriend A$AP Rocky in May last year, a son whom the couple has kept out of the public eye so far. During the performance, some people speculated that Rihanna was showing a baby bump, and afterward, a representative from her team confirmed that she is pregnant. The due date and gender of the baby haven’t yet been announced.
When is Rihanna’s next album coming?
Although she’s one of the best-selling artists of all time, Rihanna has been absent from the music world for several years, in part because of her time spent starting a family. Rihanna’s last album was 2016’s Anti, seven years ago. In an interview after the Super Bowl, however, the singer said that she’s hoping to release a new album this year. A name or official release date hasn’t been given yet.