Brilliant halftime show: Pregnant Rihanna enchants the Super Bowl

What would the Super Bowl be without its legendary and gigantic halftime show? For some, the superstar appearances are the real highlight of the mega sporting event.

Brilliant halftime show: Pregnant Rihanna enchants the Super Bowl

What would the Super Bowl be without its legendary and gigantic halftime show? For some, the superstar appearances are the real highlight of the mega sporting event. This year, Rihanna celebrates a stage comeback after years. She hasn't forgotten anything.

After years without performing, pop superstar Rihanna has returned with a brilliant halftime show at the Super Bowl. In the medley during the National Football League (NFL) finals, the 34-year-old stringed together a number of her greatest hits. For "Bitch Better Have My Money" and "Diamonds," the singer from Barbados and her dancers floated on movable stages in the stadium.

The Super Bowl halftime show, also called the "biggest stage in the world", was Rihanna's first appearance in over five years. She couldn't have chosen a more befitting occasion: the NFL final between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles in Glendale (Arizona) was expected to attract around 100 million TV viewers in the USA alone. The Super Bowl is considered the largest single sporting event in the world. However, the top ratings are always reached by the approximately 13-minute halftime show, which can be seen as a muscle flexing of the US entertainment industry.

Rihanna performed her songs like "We Found Love" all in red, surrounded by dancers dressed in white. But fans worldwide had to do without a star guest: Rihanna sang the super hit "Umbrella" alone, without co-musician Jay-Z. Many had previously speculated that the superstar rapper, previously spotted at the stadium, would take the stage for the song. The online reactions to Rihanna's appearance were mostly positive. In view of a small tummy, however, Twitter also discussed intensively whether the singer might be pregnant again. Lo and behold: it's her! During the second half, the pregnancy was officially confirmed!

At the Super Bowl, not only the halftime show, but even the advertising is popular. The commercials are shot exclusively for the mega event at great expense. Stars often appear in them. According to media reports, the broadcasting TV broadcaster Fox will receive up to seven million US dollars this year for a 30-second commercial. In American professional football, even the course of the game and the pauses between plays depend on the length of the advertisements that are shown.

In front of more than 60,000 spectators in the arena in Glendale, Rihanna was not the only music star: the American anthem was sung by country legend Chris Stapleton and traditionally ended with US fighter jets flying roaring over the stadium. US singer Babyface also made an appearance.

Rihanna, who had rejected an appearance at the Super Bowl a few years ago because of the structural racism in the NFL, had to meet great expectations because the performances in recent years have been nothing short of sensational. In 2022, rap superstars Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar in Los Angeles. And the year before, musician The Weeknd brought the arena to a boil with his performance. The appearance of Shakira and Jennifer Lopez in 2020 quickly became legendary.

(This article was first published on Monday, February 13, 2023.)