Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime show was a hit-filled vision of red and white

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On the night of Super Bowl LVII, music fans were gifted the first Rihanna performance in seven years. During the 13-minute halftime show, the Barbadian singer, actor, fashion designer and business person performed a medley from her catalogue of hits, spanning eight albums, including 2016′s Anti.

During the performance, which featured white-clad dancers choreographed by New Zealand native Parris Goebel and floating stages, Rihanna revealed she is pregnant with her second child. Representatives confirmed the news to multiple outlets after the show.

The 34-year-old artist previously declined to perform at the 2019 halftime show in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, who had been shut out of the National Football League for kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality. Maroon 5 ultimately headlined.

Since then, Rihanna, who welcomed her first child with rapper A$AP Rocky last year, had a change of heart. She stated at a media preview ahead of the matchup that she feels “like it could have only been now.”

“When you become a mom, there’s something that just happens where you feel like you can take on the world, you can do anything. The Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages of the world,” Rihanna said. “There’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all.”

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Rihanna now joins a list of celebrated entertainers who have played during Super Bowl halftime shows, including Beyoncé, Madonna, Coldplay, Katy Perry, U2, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira and the Weeknd. Last year, hip-hop was celebrated with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar all performing.

Here’s a breakdown of Rihanna’s halftime show:

The setlist - all the songs Rihanna performed

Since her 2005 debut, Music of the Sun, Rihanna has released eight studio albums. In 2022, her song “Lift Me Up” was featured on the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, which is nominated for Best Original Song at this year’s Academy Awards.

Here is the setlist from her Super Bowl halftime show:

• Bitch Better Have My Money
• Where Have You Been
• Only Girl
• We Found Love
• Rude Boy
• Work
• Wild Thoughts
• Pour It Up
• All of the Lights
• Run This Town
• Umbrella
• Diamonds

What Rihanna wore

A celebrity known for her style as much as her music, Rihanna has launched cosmetics brands Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin, as well as fashion brands Fenty and Savage X Fenty under luxury group LVMH in the past few years. This Super Bowl even got its own Fenty collection, co-branded with Mitchell & Ness, including graffiti-inspired T-shirts and football-adorned boxer shorts.

During the halftime show, she was dressed fully in red, from her Loewe jumpsuit down to her matching nails and lipstick. She wore two Alaïa coats, including a long leather maxi puffer coat she put on midway through the performance.

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Reactions to Rihanna’s performance

Fans - including some of the world’s biggest stars and her partner A$AP Rocky - were showing their support for Rihanna’s much-anticipated return to the stage.

Naturally, many were quick to create memes of the most memorable moments of the performance, and from the game itself.

Then there was the question that was being asked by several people online - is Rihanna pregnant? Post-performance, a representative for Rihanna confirmed to several media outlets, including Hollywood Reporter and People, that the star is expecting her second child.

If you missed the show, Apple Music has a replay on YouTube, along with supporting interviews, the national anthem and other videos at NFL.com/LVA.