At long last, Rihanna is returning to music — in one of the biggest ways possible. As announced Sunday (Sept. 25), the 34-year-old superstar is slated to play the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show on Feb. 12, and suffice it to say, fans are freaking out on Twitter.
That’s largely because Ri hasn’t even released an album since dropping Anti six years ago, and she hasn’t performed music live in nearly as long. Though she’s teased new music several times over the years, she still hasn’t come out with anything new since 2016, and has mainly focused on running her makeup and skincare brand, Fenty Beauty.
That’s why a Rihanna halftime show almost seems too good to be true to some fans, even though the “Needed Me” artist confirmed the news herself by posting a photo to Instagram Sunday of her own tattooed hand holding up an NFL football.
One joked that the singer would simply perform a “14-minute makeup tutorial at the halftime show” instead of a concert, while another tweeted a tongue-in-cheek video of Jake Gyllenhaal blowing a kiss to his screaming fans captioned, “Rihanna leaving the super bowl stage after explaining all the new fenty products coming in 2024.”
Others, however, are just excited to see Rihanna performing onstage again. “WE MADE IT THROUGH THE RIHANNA DROUGHT,” rejoiced one fan.
“When I hear RIHANNA’s voice after 6 whole years, the blood that will rush to my veins,” wrote another. “I’ll just cry.”
See the best fan tweets, memes and reactions to Rihanna playing the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show below:
