Rihanna

When she was expecting her first child, a son, Rihanna spoke with Vogue about her pregnancy. “When I found out I was pregnant, I thought ...

During her hits-filled set, the singer cradled her midsection several times, leading to widespread speculation on social media that she was pregnant with her second child with her partner, the rapper A$AP Rocky. I’m not going to let that part disappear because my body is changing.” With an army of dancers, wild outfits and a spectacular fireworks finish, it was a triumphant return to performing after Rihanna’s five-year performance hiatus.

Rihanna performed at the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show in Arizona wearing an all-red outfit, including red lipstick and bright red matching nails.

[multi-strand braided Medusa ponytail](http://allure.com/topic/ponytail) with a red lip to match. Rihanna made her triumphant Rih-turn to the stage for the Halftime Show, revisiting some of her most iconic hits throughout her much-anticipated performance, including "Bitch Better Have My Money", "Only Girl in the World," "Pour It Up" and "We Found Love." (Congrats, Rih!) For many, her appearance was the highlight of the night, if not the year thus far, and the [Fenty Beauty](http://allure.com/topic/fenty-beauty) founder didn't disappoint.

Rihanna returned to the live stage wearing a bespoke boiler suit with a red bodysuit and breastplate by the British designer Jonathan Anderson.

[Loewe](https://wwd.com/tag/loewe/) red. Asked if she planned to incorporate any elements of Caribbean culture, the Barbadian singer said she’d be “representing for immigrants, representing for my country Barbados, representing for Black women everywhere. It’s key for people to see the possibilities, and I’m honored to be here doing this, this year.” In her pre-game press conference with Apple Music Radio on Feb. [Fenty](https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/olivia-cooke-savage-fenty-lingerie-october-campaign-1235375979/) brand, and welcoming a baby son with partner A$AP Rocky last May, [Rihanna](https://wwd.com/tag/rihanna/) returned to the live stage at the [Super Bowl](https://wwd.com/pop-culture/celebrity-news/jill-biden-super-bowl-jersey-philadelphia-eagles-hometown-1235521399/) halftime show wearing a bespoke boiler suit with a red bodysuit and breastplate by the British designer [Jonathan Anderson](https://wwd.com/tag/jonathan-anderson/). [Rihanna](https://wwd.com/pop-culture/celebrity-news/rihanna-super-bowl-haltime-show-apple-music-area-coat-braids-1235469521/) may have changed her mind multiple times before performing at the [Super Bowl](https://wwd.com/tag/super-bowl/) halftime show — as of Thursday there were 39 versions of the set list — but she knew exactly which brands she wanted to wear: [Loewe](https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/doja-cat-loewe-rodeo-drive-opening-dress-1235423721/) and Messika.

Rihanna delivered a glitzy performance during the Super Bowl halftime show, where she revealed she is pregnant.

[fourth “Savage X Fenty”](https://www.rollingstone.com/product-recommendations/lifestyle/watch-savage-x-fenty-show-live-stream-amazon-prime-1064126/) fashion show last November and, most notably, released some new music. [last appearing onstage at the 2018 Grammys](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/grammys-2018-dj-khaled-rihanna-nod-to-harlem-renaissance-for-wild-thoughts-197391/) to perform “Wild Thoughts” with DJ Khaled. [was announced last year](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/rihanna-headline-super-bowl-57-halftime-show-1234599498/), Jay said, “Rihanna is a generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn. She showcased her vocal range as she brought things down a notch for “We Found Love” as she descended to Earth to dance on the field with her bevy of dancers. A person born on the small island of Barbados who became one of the most prominent artists ever. In 13 minutes, the singer reminded the world of why she remains a musical queen, even when she hasn’t released an album since 2016.

Rihanna did not bring any other artists to the stage, preferring to frame the set as a celebration of her dominant pop career. The performance also served ...

[The Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/rihanna-entertainment-sports-motherhood-music-14ea73006505a33793e3af992b083a2c) in an interview shortly after she was announced as the halftime headliner, “Super Bowl is one thing. The staging was dramatic and visually striking, as Rihanna hovered over the crowd on an elevated platform that descended from above, and some of her dancers remained poised above the field throughout the set. Despite performing parts of several songs that feature high-profile rappers — “Work,” her hit single with Drake; “Umbrella,” which features Jay-Z; and Kanye West’s “All of the Lights,” on which Rihanna guests — she did not bring any other artists to the stage, preferring to frame the set as a celebration of her dominant pop career. Ever the savvy businesswoman, her halftime performance featured a bit of product placement, when she paused for a moment to reapply some Fenty Beauty powder. 1 smashes like “We Found Love,” “Diamonds” and “Only Girl (in the World),” leaning into the up-tempo and dancier sides of her catalog. The performance also served as a pregnancy reveal.

From her pregnancy reveal to her set list, here's what you need to know about Rihanna's halftime show performance for the 2023 Super Bowl.

Neither of those happened, but the Super Bowl Halftime Show marked her long-awaited return to music, and now the world waits to see what happens next. [historic game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs](https://time.com/6254557/super-bowl-2023-black-quarterbacks-mahomes-hurts/) was settled, the true winner of Super Bowl LVII was [Rihanna](https://time.com/6251429/rihanna-fashion-best-moments/), who made her triumphant return to [live performance](https://time.com/6250929/best-rihanna-performances-super-bowl/) on the biggest of stages: the Halftime Show. As fans took in her performance, much of the conversation focused, as it so often does in our gossip-centric culture, on her postpartum body. Her long-awaited show had been hyped for months leading up to tonight’s musical comeback, and fans were satisfied with the results. While it’s become customary for most Halftime headliners to feature special guests during their shows, Rihanna broke with tradition and was the sole performer during the performance, relying instead on the impeccable talents of her dozens of backup dancers, who wined, body-rolled, and dropped it low. While her epic performance more than delivered the show-stopping celebration of her many hits that [her fans had anticipated](https://time.com/6253747/rihanna-super-bowl-halftime-show-predictions/), it was also filled with plenty of surprises—including choreography from her frequent collaborator Parris Goebel, a cheeky Fenty product placement, and a well-placed belly rub that set the Internet ablaze with pregnancy speculations, as well as criticism that so much focus shifted from her musical return to the status of her postpartum body. Rihanna’s look consisted of a striking red bodysuit with a matching red patent breastplate from Loewe, worn under a jumpsuit in the same bright shade. For one thing, prolifically: immediately after the performance, Twitter would not load tweets for a couple of minutes. Her electrifying performance signaled that even though it’s been seven years since we’ve had a new album from Rihanna, the bad gal can still bring it when it comes to putting on a show. During the show, the word “pregnant” began trending on Twitter, with viewers reading into a belly rub she did while singing the lyric “life inside” and a quote she gave during a pre-show interview in which she said, “I’m thinking about bringing someone.” Others criticized the speculation and the mass effort to investigate a woman’s reproductive status, saying that the moment should be about her return to music and what this means for her career, not about her body. The sporty, futuristic look was complemented by white Hazmat suit-esque costumes her backup dancers wore, paired with reflective sunglasses and mesh undershirts. “I’m three months postpartum, like, should I be making major decisions like this now?’ Like, ‘I might regret this,’” she said.

Rihanna's representatives confirmed the singer is pregnant with her second child. Read more at straitstimes.com.

But the album she has been teasing for years remains the stuff of myth – and seemed it would stay so awhile longer. Representatives for the singer confirmed the speculation to trade magazines Rolling Stone and The Hollywood Reporter: Rihanna is pregnant with her second child. GLENDALE, United States - Rihanna made her long-awaited return to the stage at the Super Bowl with a career-spanning medley of pop bangers, but it was her baby bump that dominated the conversation.

Pop and R&B superstar Rihanna made a grand return to the stage on Sunday, floating high above the Super Bowl field, thrilling the crowd with a fast-paced ...

Rihanna joined a list of music luminaries who have performed at the Super Bowl, from Lady Gaga to Beyonce, Prince, Madonna and the Rolling Stones. It was the 34-year-old Grammy winner's first stage performance in five years. Dressed in a hot pink jumpsuit and baggy coat, Rihanna opened the biggest showcase in music by singing "Bitch Better Have My Money" as she stood, with a noticeably rounded belly, on a platform suspended in the air.

Rihanna performed hits like Umbrella, Only Girl, and We Found Love at Super Bowl LVII — all with a baby bump.

And then just like she entered the stadium, she planted herself on one of those death-defying platforms and ascended high above the field, powering through “ [Umbrella](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvBfHwUxHIk)” and “ [Diamonds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWA2pjMjpBs),” two of the biggest singles of her career. [Rude Boy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e82VE8UtW8A),” “ [Work](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL1UzIK-flA),” and “ [Pour It Up](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehcVomMexkY).” With the cameras up close, she cracked a wry smile here and flashed a squint there. [All of the Lights](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAfFfqiYLp0)” and “ [Run This Town](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztygmWtWCjQ),” solo, deigning to bring on collaborators Jay-Z and [Kanye West](https://www.vox.com/culture/23398795/kanye-west-ye-antisemitic-bigot-white-lives-matter-tucker-carlson-art-vs-artist) for what would have been quintessential Super Bowl cameos. As she transitioned to her final set of songs, one of the dancers handed her what seemed to be a Fenty compact (internet sleuths deduced it was her brand’s $34 [blotting powder](https://www.sephora.com/product/invisimatte-blotting-powder-P39784685)) and the makeup entrepreneur dusted her nose and undereyes. The dancers cleared. [ Rihanna’s reps confirmed she is pregnant](https://twitter.com/rollingstone/status/1624958333462405131?s=46&t=VdU_G3Di9GbVdPqTnB7N1A) with her second child after a speculative social media frenzy ( [that belly rub](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/amberjamieson/rihanna-pregnant-super-bowl-half-time-show) did mean something!). The direction and camera work were on point, with wide shots capturing the scale and grandeur of the floating stages. She is a hitmaker; it’s about the sound. This year, multiple platforms were suspended and lowered, lifted, and lowered again and again in synchronization with her run of songs; the set looked like a giant audio equalizer. Her voice is an engine that can take any song in any genre to the top of the charts. The next single, the next makeup drop, the next outfit: Rihanna is one of the few humans in this overexposed, over-curated world that people simply cannot get enough of. Rihanna doesn’t need more money, but whatever Rihanna wants, she gets, with millions of fans cheering her on.

The singer surprised fans as she delivered a hit-heavy performance at the half-time show.

Fans of Rihanna admit the singer doesn't necessarily have the best voice in music. And surely everybody can all be grateful that her set wasn't dragged down by her most recent release - Lift Me Up from the soundtrack to Marvel's Wakanda Forever. In the late noughties and early 2010s, she churned out chart-toppers faster than the industry's top songwriters could compose them. But monster hits such as Rude Boy were balanced with the somewhat harder-edged and lesser-known Pour It Up. Model Cara Delevingne was among the attendees sporting one on Sunday. I couldn't be an enabler," she said at the time. Instead, Rihanna deployed some her biggest hits as she hurtled towards the end of her set, climaxing with her ode to British weather, Umbrella, and the rousing, anthemic Diamonds. But what has set Rihanna apart from some of her peers is the sheer number of hits she has to her name. Weird but whatever." "I just couldn't be a sellout. [her representatives confirmed](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/rihanna-pregnant-rep-confirms-super-bowl-halftime-show-1235323383/) the singer was indeed pregnant with her second child. The singer rattled through several of her most recognisable hits, front-loading her set with some of her most danceable and up-tempo numbers including Only Girl (In The World) and the excellent Where Have You Been.

After seven years largely away from the stage, the singer and mogul used the halftime show to perform a dozen hits, nod to her nonmusical business and ...

And for Rihanna, playing halftime is a milestone befitting the scope of her achievements. Rihanna — one of the crucial pop hitmakers of the 21st century — needs the Super Bowl less than the Super Bowl needs her, and her performance was a master class in doing exactly enough. So in its marketing, the Super Bowl amplified how it was a coup to land her most visible effort in years. But the involvement of The event was the event. There was little variation in tone or energy, no aesthetic nods to the lightly themed set list. But for Rihanna, who [last year gave birth to her first child](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/07/style/rihanna-pregnancy-fashion.html), it was a stroke of performance savvy nonetheless — maybe the only gesture that could outshine, and reframe, the show she had just given. And she had not performed a show of this scale since 2016. Rihanna’s hits are plentiful — she has charted more than 60 times on the Billboard Hot 100 — and they are varied. During “Work,” she led them as if she were a tutor calling out moves but not participating in them. In 13 minutes, Rihanna casually performed snippets of 12 hits, universally known songs that don’t require much in the way of fluffing or bombast. She followed that song immediately with “Run This Town,” another collaboration with Ye (and Jay-Z).

All in all, savage was the word. Would you expect anything less from RiRi? Rihanna Superbowl beauty look Getty. This story originally appeared on Vogue.com.

Furthering the theme of her crimson look, Rihanna topped everything off with a glossy red manicure by nail artist [Kimmie Kyees](https://www.instagram.com/kimmiekyees/) using [CND’s Devil Red](https://www.lookfantastic.com.sg/cnd-vinylux-devil-red-15ml/12668273.html). A perennial favorite of Rih’s, a deep red pout led her makeup look, crafted by Fenty Beauty global makeup artist [Priscilla Ono](https://www.instagram.com/priscillaono/?hl=en). And naturally, as beauty’s resident disrupter, RiRi turned out unforgettable statements above the neck too, including a [bold red lip](https://vogue.sg/gemma-chan-beauty-secrets/) and serpentine power ponytail. [Yusef Williams](https://www.instagram.com/yusefhairnyc/?hl=en), Rihanna’s sleek, waist-grazing ponytail was punctuated by a clean center part, a set of ’90s wisps, and a cascade of plaits woven at the top and worn loose through the ends. Decked out in a fire-engine red boiler suit that showcased her growing [baby bump](https://vogue.sg/post-partum-body-post-pregnancy/), she dazzled the crowd (and over 100 million viewers) with a medley of hits, including ‘Diamonds’ and ‘Only Girl (In the World)’.

Rihanna becomes the latest Black woman musician to perform on the world's biggest stage. As anticipated, she delivered a spectacular halftime performance at ...

And while the halftime performance is unpaid, surely Rihanna and her same-race, same-gender predecessors would advocate for paying Black women equitably in every music industry role that involves compensation. The one [critique I offered in ](https://www.ebony.com/op-ed-super-bowl-black-women-fumble/) [Ebony magazine](https://www.ebony.com/op-ed-super-bowl-black-women-fumble/) was that Mary J. But certainly Rihanna and all the Black women who’ve preceded her would agree that greater racial and gender diversity is needed on the Super Bowl halftime stage, in the show’s production roles, at executive leadership tables where decisions are made about who the headliners will be in future years, among Recording Academy members, and in leadership roles all throughout their industry. [why Rihanna didn’t get paid](https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2023/02/10/why-rihanna-wont-get-paid-for-her-super-bowl-halftime-show/?sh=628799c45622) for her halftime performance – nor did Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, and other A-list music megastars, she noted. Because Rihanna and other Black women work in an industry that is dominated by white executives and by men (few of whom are Black). Rihanna becomes the latest Black woman musician to perform on the world’s biggest stage.

She's pregnant and once again setting the rules for maternity fashion.

(Alaïa had a very good Super Bowl; Rihanna also wore a crocodile print skirt and a shearling leather jacket from the brand for her pregame news conference.) The calculation is that the potential payoff is worth the risk. (Also, yes, Valentine’s Day, but she generally thinks more globally than a Hallmark moment.) It painted a picture that could be read from the farthest reaches of the football arena. (Who knows how many?) Even Oscar nominees don’t have quite so many brands willing to gamble on the chance that a celebrity’s favor will fall on them. Or like some sort of avant-garde fertility goddess, drenched in a color with all sorts of potent associations related to the female body — especially the pregnant female body. [Rihanna’s style](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/07/style/rihanna-pregnancy-fashion.html) was largely defined by what she didn’t wear (anything that obscured her bump), in State Farm Stadium she was almost entirely covered up.

There were no costume changes this year, but Rihanna nonetheless stunned Super Bowl LVII in a custom all-red ensemble by luxury labels Loewe and Alaïa.

And with the star spending much of the intervening time building her lingerie and beauty empire, fashion-watchers had speculated that she might wear items from her Savage X Fenty line. (At the halftime show press conference Thursday, Rihanna had also opted for an aviator jacket by Alaïa, which just days ago opened a New York boutique after more than 30 years without brick-and-mortar presence in the city.) Rihanna completed the outfit with a pair of red sneakers from Maison Margiela's collaboration with sport shoe brand, Salomon. The garment was almost entirely unzipped to reveal a matching silk jersey catsuit and sculpted leather corset (and, of course, a baby bump, as later confirmed to The 34-year-old soon discarded the scarf, before embarking on a medley of hits including "Rude Boy" and "Umbrella." This time it was a red leather maxi puffer coat — also with integrated gloves — designed by the label's creative director Pieter Mulier.

Rihanna wore a puffy, bright red jumpsuit with tight, rubbery garb underneath that showed a baby bump that fuelled a wave of social media speculation until ...

“But 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,” Rihanna said. Rihanna wore a puffy, bright red jumpsuit with tight, rubbery garb underneath that showed a baby bump that fuelled a wave of social media speculation until the big revelation. The singer’s representative confirmed the pregnancy shortly after she ended her 13-minute set at Super Bowl 57.

She's pregnant and once again setting the rules for maternity fashion.

(Alaïa had a very good Super Bowl; Rihanna also wore a crocodile print skirt and a shearling leather jacket from the brand for her pregame news conference.) The calculation is that the potential payoff is worth the risk. (Also, yes, Valentine’s Day, but she generally thinks more globally than a Hallmark moment.) It painted a picture that could be read from the farthest reaches of the football arena. (Who knows how many?) Even Oscar nominees don’t have quite so many brands willing to gamble on the chance that a celebrity’s favor will fall on them. [Rihanna’s style](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/07/style/rihanna-pregnancy-fashion.html) was largely defined by what she didn’t wear (anything that obscured her bump), in State Farm Stadium she was almost entirely covered up. Or like some sort of avant-garde fertility goddess, drenched in a color with all sorts of potent associations related to the female body — especially the pregnant female body.

Rihanna took the stage for the Super Bowl LVII halftime show. Here's what fans, athletes and celebs had to say about her performance.

[February 13, 2023] [February 13, 2023] [February 13, 2023] [long-awaited return](/nfl/story/_/id/35624695/rihanna-super-bowl-2023-half-show) to live performing, Ms.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky both rock bold styles together wherever they go – here's a peek at their shared love for fashion and the trends that they're setting ...

But she didn't prove as big a draw as last year's Super Bowl halftime performers, led by Dr. Dre. Early numbers from Samba TV, a TV technology company that ...

Rihanna still drew substantially more viewers than the halftime performer two years ago, The Weeknd. “Rihanna’s star power has only continued to grow since her last tour and album release more than half a decade ago,” noted Samba TV founder and CEO Ashwin Navin. Early numbers from Samba TV, a TV technology company that provides real-time analytics, found that Rihanna’s audience was slightly smaller than last year. That’s up from 36.5 million the previous year. It appears to be up versus last year, with 36.7 million households viewing the contest between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. But she didn’t prove as big a draw as last year’s Super Bowl halftime performers, led by Dr.

Breaking the internet with her performance at the Super Bowl halftime show, Rihanna proves why she is the defining icon of our generation.

That the first song of the sublime 14-minute-long performance was ‘B*tch Better Have My Money’, which eventually found its way to a hair-raising rendition of ‘Umbrella’, before ending on ‘Diamonds’—genius, for the song is easily one of the best showcases of her vocal prowess in her discography—was a big, juicy, metaphorical cherry on the cake. The second was what the jumpsuit revealed in the first few seconds of the Rihanna’s appearance on the stadium and television screens worldwide. In what was quite possibly the second-biggest surprise reveal of the century (more on this later) an unannounced and ridiculously cute video of Rihanna’s son popped up on TikTok one day. Born in May of 2022, her first child—a son she shares with her partner, rapper [A$AP Rocky](https://vogue.sg/marine-serre-asap-rocky-upcycled-collection/)—has yet to turn one. [Savage X Fenty](https://vogue.sg/savage-fenty-show-volume-two-set/) (we do not speak of the now-shuttered ready-to-wear label Fenty), Riri also did the one thing she said she had always wanted to: have a baby. It’s difficult now to imagine going into a store and not finding a foundation that matches your skin, but that had been the reality for women of deeper skin tones for decades before Fenty Beauty set a new industry standard.

Rihanna headlined the Super Bowl halftime show in a body-hugging red Loewe jumpsuit with matching Loewe bustier and Alaïa jacket. Fans speculated whether or ...

(We’ve also reached out to Rihanna’s team for comment and will update here when we hear back.) (By the way, A$AP Rocky was caught [recording some of his girlfriend’s performance](https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1624948494124601345) on his cell phone from the sidelines and it’s all very cute.) Rihanna didn’t explicitly announce that she’s pregnant during the set though, and the body-hugging red Loewe jumpsuit, paired with a matching Loewe bustier and [Alaïa jacket](https://twitter.com/VVFriedman/status/1624949449138098177) and MM6 Maison Margiela x Salomon Cross Low sneakers, made it a bit tough to tell for sure. [talked](https://www.thecut.com/2023/02/rihanna-work-life-balance-new-mom.html) about juggling new motherhood and her career, telling Apple Music’s Nadeska, “The balance is almost impossible. [her first child](https://www.thecut.com/2022/05/rihanna-reportedly-had-her-baby.html), a boy, with A$AP Rocky, in May of last year. The singer and beauty mogul hasn’t performed live in years, so the second “Bitch Better Have My Money” (the first of many hits she performed tonight) started blasting through that arena, fans/the world/probably Adele because she was in the audience naturally lost their shit. [Rihanna](https://www.thecut.com/2023/01/rihanna-super-bowl-halftime.html)’s Super Bowl Halftime performance was always going to overshadow any silly little game, super or not.

Rihanna's Super Bowl halftime performance and pregnancy reveal drew reactions from her boyfriend A$AP Rocky, Jennifer Hudson, Diplo and more.

[Piers Morgan tweeted](https://twitter.com/piersmorgan/status/1624958641273962497). [tweeted](https://twitter.com/IAMJHUD/status/1624996798292013056). ](https://twitter.com/TamarBraxtonHer/status/1624947385313927173) Braxton wrote on Twitter. ["Rihanna is a mega star,"](https://twitter.com/Jayecane/status/1624972170811133953) singer Jaye Cane wrote on Twitter. #FentyBowl had me living!!!" "These women are icons! [Maybe the rawest unplugged show ever](https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/02/12/foo-fighters-dave-grohl-unplugs-pre-super-bowl-concert/11242290002/) [Rihanna dishes on Super Bowl halftime show](https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/02/09/rihanna-dishes-jam-packed-super-bowl-halftime-show-rehearsals/11222770002/) "Super Bowl LVII did not disappoint ! In the clip, he put on his flashlight during her performance of "Diamonds" before bopping back and forth as he listened to Rihanna's music. [glowing performance](https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/02/12/super-bowl-57-halftime-review-rihanna/11212414002/) and [surprise baby news](https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/02/12/rihanna-expecting-second-child-pregnancy-announcement-super-bowl-halftime-show/11245955002/). Rihanna could also be seen caressing her stomach during the performance.

Rihanna announced her second pregnancy during the Super Bowl Halftime Show. She and A$AP Rocky have one child, born May 2022.

And while we have no idea how far along she is, she did warn us all earlier this year not to be expecting a new album. Did she touch her belly during “BBHMM” or “Diamonds”? Little did we know she meant a dang baby bump.

The singer gave much of her halftime show performance atop seven suspended platforms. It was all in the name of protecting the grass.

[Tifway 419 hybrid Bermuda grass](https://krturfgrass.com/product/tifway-419-bermuda/) on a tray that is [rolled outside](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzEXaeOORgc) into the sun during the week and rolled back under the stadium’s dome for game days (the dome also opens to give it light). (Some call this tool “the thumper”—and yes you can [imagine Dune](https://dune.fandom.com/wiki/Thumper#:~:text=A%20thumper%20is%20a%20short,last%20for%20approximately%20one%20hour.).) It does this by dropping a 2.25-kilogram hammer into the ground and returning a numerical measurement, called a Gmax, for how quickly it stops. It’s watered and mowed daily, and there’s a tool, the [Clegg Impact Tester](https://pioneerathletics.com/clegg-impact-tester), that checks its density to make sure it’s the safest possible surface for football. Preserving that field, says Phil Bogle, the NFL’s director of game operations, is the league’s main objective when it comes to the halftime show, “so that when the athletes get out there they can do their thing without any concern for field conditions.” [called upon the league](https://apnews.com/article/new-york-jets-carolina-panthers-nfl-sports-aaron-rodgers-1d22c7efbe62ff9d58d1df1a1f45ee47) to switch every field to grass, claiming it’s easier on their bodies. And while the LED-lit platforms, which were arranged in different positions as the singer moved through hits ranging from “Bitch Better Have My Money” to “Rude Boy,” looked cool as hell, they also served a very practical purpose: They kept her off the grass.

Donald Trump called Rihanna's Super Bowl halftime performance an “epic fail” after the former president also previously claimed the pop star would be ...

[Vogue](https://www.vogue.com/article/rihanna-cover-november-2019?utm_social-type=owned&mbid=social_twitter&utm_source=twitter&utm_brand=vogue&utm_medium=social&verso=true) the following year, she once again addressed The Apprentice star, specifically his response to the back-to-back mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton which he claimed were the result of a “mental illness problem.” Rihanna told the magazine, “It is devastating. It’s completely racist.” She continued, “Put an Arab man with that same weapon in that same Walmart and there is no way that Trump would sit there and address it publicly as a mental health problem.” The pop star concluded, “The most mentally ill human being in America right now seems to be the president.” And the fact that it’s classified as something different because of the color of their skin? [revealed that she is pregnant with her second child](https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2023/02/rihanna-confirms-shes-pregnant-after-2023-super-bowl) with boyfriend ASAP Rocky, should come as no surprise given that days before she even hit the stage at Arizona's State Farm Stadium Trump was already sharing his negative opinions about her. In a cover story for representative, who took issue with Rihanna being chosen for the Super Bowl due to her liberal politics.

In forcing her audience to confront her physical reality, the pop star took ownership of her body – and she did it in real time, says Morwenna Ferrier, ...

It became the most liked photograph on Instagram in 2017, with more than 10m likes (she revealed her first pregnancy on stage in 2011 at the MTV Video Music Awards, but no one really remembers that). The image became a blueprint for magazines, sending an empowering message in an era otherwise ridden with repressed corporeal ideals, but that didn’t stop some shops from banning it at the time. In terms of the reveal, I simply posted a headless mirror shot on Instagram in which I gently lifted my tracksuit to show a tiny bump. In 2017, Leibovitz [rehashed the concept](https://www.vanityfair.com/style/photos/2017/06/serena-williams-cover-story) with Serena Williams, an image that feels all the more powerful now, because Williams almost died after an emergency C-section from that pregnancy. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? Doing it on a public stage, as Rihanna did, was not only bold. The celebrity pregnancy reveal is, of course, more public – and it has a short, but storied tradition. But the image of the pregnant pop star, cradling her belly in a red silk Loewe catsuit as she descended from the heavens on a Perspex box, is surely up there with the greatest pregnancy reveals of the Instagram age. In forcing her audience to confront her physical reality, Rihanna went past making a fashion statement. During my pregnancy, I wore clothes that rearranged themselves around my changing shape: jeans with elasticated waistbands from Topshop, a Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress given to me by a colleague and various billowing dresses in plissé fabrics from Asos, which I gave to a charity shop as soon as I was able to walk again. She took ownership of her body, and she did it in real time. The Daily Mail called her “shameless”.

Rihanna is perhaps the only pop star so relaxed and unencumbered by expectations that she could turn such a high-stakes occasion into a jaunt.

As she moves further and further away from the merry-go-round of the album-release calendar, her mystique has only continued to grow. She has taken the stage in support of her lingerie brand more frequently than she has performed her music live. Pregnancy is the latest element of her public persona to inspire just as much gasping Internet-wide awe as any new music could. From one angle, the confusion of the moment represented a distraction from the musical performance. Formed partly in an attempt to revamp the N.F.L.’s image in the wake of its mistreatment of Kaepernick, the partnership has, at least gesturally, altered the makeup of the halftime show: Last year’s was a gallingly belated celebration of hip-hop history, and the first time the genre had been featured prominently at the Super Bowl. [Anti](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/rihannas-anti-album)” in 2016, Rihanna has become adept at sustaining, and even growing, her celebrity status without being particularly interested in the duties of a pop star. [Super Bowl](https://www.newyorker.com/sports/replay/super-bowl-lvii-was-a-story-of-two-great-quarterbacks-until-the-end) on account of the N.F.L.’s treatment of [Colin Kaepernick](https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/the-nfls-change-of-tone-and-the-limits-of-merely-listening), Rihanna has since changed her tune, thanks to a partnership between the league and Jay-Z’s sprawling entertainment company, Roc Nation. [pregnant with her first child](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/is-rihannas-pregnancy-all-bump-and-no-grind), in 2022, she came out of relative hiding by staging a paparazzi shoot in New York City that showed her belly peeking out of a hot-pink vintage Chanel jacket, adorned with hanging jewels. [Beyoncé](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-beyonce-grammys-were-awkward) pioneered this sort of pregnancy announcement at the V.M.A.s in 2011, flinging open her sequined blazer and exaggeratedly rubbing her bump at the end of a performance of “Love On Top.” Rihanna, who is the anti-Beyoncé in her resistance to calculation and choreography, barely grazed her bump with her hands, prompting millions to wonder on social media if she was actually pregnant, or if they were experiencing a fever dream. And yet Rihanna is perhaps the only pop star so relaxed and unencumbered by expectations that she could turn such a high-stakes occasion into a cool and casual jaunt. And it would also, unbeknownst to viewers before the broadcast, double as a pregnancy announcement for the pop star, who is now expecting her second child. Rihanna, who has not released a new album since 2016’s “Anti,” would be taking the stage for the first time in several years.

Rihanna's pregnancy reveal was at once showstopping and subtle, dazzling and mundane. The impending birth of her second child was disclosed via a spandex ...

Rihanna revealed she was pregnant after performing at the Super Bowl, and that was inspirational. Rihanna was the star of the show. Rihanna gyrating on a platform, Rihanna soaring over a stadium, Rihanna singing the hook from “S&M” while ensconced in some sort of vinyl-boobed chestplate and presiding over a phalanx of backup dancers. “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,” she’d said in a media preview, speaking of her decision to accept the gig. The impending birth of her second child was disclosed via a spandex jumpsuit on a stage floating at nosebleed altitude in the Super Bowl stadium during a halftime show performed for millions of viewers. Her choreography was sultry and sexy; less maternal-madonna than Madonna-Madonna, down to a few well-placed crotch grabs.

Rihanna's streaming numbers spiked more than 640% on Spotify following her triumphant return to the stage for the Super Bowl LVII.

Blige](https://variety.com/2022/music/news/super-bowl-halftime-dr-dre-eminem-takes-knee-1235180677/). ET as the most-Shazamed minute of the show, and also the most-Shazamed minute in the U.S. The streaming platform ramped up listeners and heightened anticipation in the days leading up to the big game by promoting the Halftime performer’s “ [This is Rihanna](https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.com%2Fv3%2F__https%3A%2Fopen.spotify.com%2Fplaylist%2F37i9dQZF1DZ06evO3by276%3Fsi%3D2f7e3c1d22974f16__%3B!!BupLon6U!qIhwfzfMy3YwGX4Dx7jssfnmlaqWhMawVPqUpknhv7fg-Bxm0fKTheMBTngGWk-7mJpfPJm1f7nRFURBNSU%24&data=05%7C01%7Ctgarcia%40variety.com%7C1785f7042ffe4655c01e08db0dfe7058%7Ce950f25546e44144a778a6ff4f557492%7C0%7C0%7C638119158685209658%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=s17Fz9k48Rw0iyrVGnptrHk%2BgvlmlwFvVCg3LWPpqUE%3D&reserved=0)” playlist, a megamix containing her most beloved hits. Naturally, game day was also Rihanna’s biggest day on both Apple Music and Shazam. Several other tracks from Rihanna’s career-defining set also experienced streaming bumps: “Diamonds” increased by more than 1,400%; “Rude Boy” saw an increase of more than 1,170%; and “We Found Love” increased by over 1,160%. 12 — her first solo appearance in seven years.