Rihanna makes a career comeback headlining the Super Bowl LVII halftime show, dubbed the “Fenty Bowl,” and announces her second pregnancy. The singer is the second artist in Super Bowl history to lead the entire halftime performance without any feature artists to collaborate. Well, do we count Fenty Beauty’s Invisamatte Blotting Powder compact?
The 34-year-old follows the footsteps of Madonna, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, The Weeknd, and other internationally-acclaimed singers in this performance of a lifetime.
Apple Music, who sponsored this year’s halftime show, fought to give the “Needed Me” singer 13 minutes, and it paid off. Filled with dancers in Y2K aesthetic fur-hooded jackets and levitating platforms, Rihanna was literally a diamond in the sky.
However, there’s one tiny caveat: no one gets paid for the Super Bowl halftime show. Instead, the payment is exposure. I mean, 11 out of the 12 super bowls pulled in 100+ million viewers. Meanwhile, last year, Super Bowl LVI peaked at 208 million viewers.
So how does this exposure equal a paycheck? Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s halftime performance in 2020 saw 267% and 187%in music streaming gains the week following their performance, according to Billboard.
Billie Eilish, HER, Adele, Cara Delevingne, Tim Cook, and TikTok beauty influencer Mikayla Nogueira were amongst the stars waiting for the Fenty Bowl.
Fenty Beauty’s Invisamatte Blotting Powder Is Rihanna’s Special Guest In Halftime Show
(Watch the full Super Bowl LVII halftime performance here.)
Once the second half ended with the Philadelphia Eagles in the lead, the lights dimmed for the main event: the Fenty Bowl. The show starts with floating platforms in a pyramid layout, with Rihanna at the top for “B*tch Betta Have My Money.” She performed mostly in a custom Loewe fuchsia jumpsuit before wearing a floor-length puffy jacket.
Rihanna’s look seems to pay tribute to the iconic Andre Leon Talley and his red Norma Kamali sleeping bag coat. Before his passing, the fashion legend referenced Rihanna’s canary yellow Guo Pei couture gown from the 2015 Met Gala as his “proudest moment.”
The 13-minute set featured 12 songs with a sonic emphasis on her later efforts of 2016’s ANTi. While no new music saw stage time, this interview gives the Rihanna Navy a glimmer of hope for new singles rather than an album.
Regardless, the singer pulled a dynamic performance together, cataloging nearly two decades’ worth of music. Whether rocking choreography with her dancers or glowing in the sky during the “Diamonds” finale, all eyes were on RiRi and her surprise baby bump. Later that night, her representative confirmed the star’s second pregnancy.
But nothing could’ve prepared for Rihanna’s mid-performance touch-up of her makeup line’s Invisamatte Blotting Powder. The billionaire entrepreneur couldn’t help but think business first. That quick second left everyone scavenging the internet for the $34 compact.
Full Set List
1. “B*tch Better Have My Money”
2. “Where Have You Been”
3. “Only Girl (In The World)”
4. “We Found Love”
5. “Rude Boy”
6. “Work”
7. “Wild Thoughts”
8. “Pour It Up”
9. “All of the Lights”
10. “Run This Town”
11. “Umbrella”
12. “Diamonds”
Who should follow Rihanna’s footsteps in headlining next year’s Super Bowl halftime show? Let us know in the comments!
