Rihanna’s first performance after five years was nothing short of massive. The singer and mogul opted for one of the world’s biggest platforms — the Super Bowl halftime show — to showcase her slew of hits and a growing baby bump, all of which you can watch in full below.
The surprise belly reveal both enthused fans and simultaneously crushed their dreams of a new album, with many speculating online that Rih and partner A$AP Rocky’s incoming bundle of joy means no music anytime soon. But nevertheless, the Navy is sending Rihanna love and congratulations following her 13-minute mash-up. After much speculation, Rihanna landed on “Bitch Better Have My Money” as her starting song, and ran through a laundry list of Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s, including “Only Girl (In the World),” “We Found Love,” “S&M,” “Rude Boy” and “Work.”
She was on top of the world quite literally, spending a large chunk of her performance atop a small suspended platform that may have been understandably scary for the soon-to-be mom of two. Nevertheless, she exuded confidence in an all-red ensemble that paid homage to friend and fashion great André Leon Talley, even busting a few moves among her trove of dancers in white.
The multiplatinum artist felt no need for featured guests, handling each number alone. There was one cameo, however: her Fenty Beauty invisimatte instant setting and blotting powder, setting the record straight on where Rih’s billion-dollar focus currently lies. In the past, Rihanna commented that she wouldn’t perform at the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show in solidarity with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his quest to spotlight police brutality on the sidelines. Last night, she sang a different tune, presumably connected to her label home Roc Nation’s involvement as the NFL’s official live music entertainment strategist.
Read Billboard‘s full recap here, and watch the entire performance below:
