Rihanna shines in singular Super Bowl spectacle

Rihanna went against all the conventions of a typical Super Bowl halftime show and turned the show’s biggest stage into something all its own.

And she did so by revealing that she is pregnant with her second child.

The presentation was more of an avant-garde piece than a concert. The Barbadian superstar, dressed in a full bright red suit, rode 12 of his hits in 13 minutes surrounded by dozens of androgynous white-clad dancers who matched his every move on and above the giant stage at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

In case anyone missed it, it was Rihanna. There were no special guests. There were no interruptions. No change of pace. From her debut on a platform suspended above the stage to her powerful rendition of her inspirational song “Diamonds”, Rihanna captured everyone’s attention as she sang one hit after another, from “Work” to ” umbrella”.

It was totally his vision, polite and playful and completely confident. He didn’t include any ballads to show the power of his voice because he doesn’t need to prove it to anyone. And she didn’t need to say anything other than “thank you, Arizona” to express herself either.

It was all an unconventional extension of what was an unconventional decision to show up at this particular time.

While most artists use their Super Bowl halftime appearance to release new albums, Rihanna insisted that production following her 2016 album “Anti” is not yet complete.

She didn’t even perform “Lift Me Up,” her contribution to the soundtrack to “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which is currently nominated for an Oscar.

Before the reveal that Rihanna is pregnant, there were rumors of a possible tour, but that seems unlikely now, with a new child on the way and her firstborn who will be nine months old on Monday.

His fashion label Savage X Fenty released a t-shirt that reads “RIHANNA CONCERT INTERRUPTED BY FOOTBALL MATCH, WEIRD BUT NEVER MATTERS.” The jersey was sold out before the start of the match.

Performing on the biggest show stage with an expected audience of over 100 million viewers in the United States alone is not bad for business. Something that the billionaire, the youngest to make a fortune according to the listings, knows.

But in reality, Rihanna does not sell anything.

The 34-year-old star clearly accepted the gig because of the challenge and because she had something to say.

He previously refused to show up at halftime in 2019 in solidarity with quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s protest against racial inequality. But a lot has changed since then, including the fact that his friend and mentor Jay-Z’s company, Roc Nation, has teamed up with the NFL to do halftime.

And her performance made a big point about equality, as her dancers huge body was completely covered, including their faces, so that race and gender differences were erased. They will only be judged on their dancing and their ability to entertain.

This post shows how much Rihanna has changed since her last solo performance, when she received the Video Vanguard award at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards. She also performed without special guests, just dancers, but there she put in highlights different aspects of his musical personality. with four different performances. Whether it’s hip hop, dance pop, reggae or ballads, Rihanna has shown how she can approach genres as she pleases.

With her Sunday halftime show, Rihanna simply created her own genre and raised expectations for upcoming shows.