“Being pregnant and performing for 13 minutes on the biggest stage in the world… no one else could do what she did.”
Rihanna fans have praised the singer for stealing the show at the Super Bowl and doing it without any special guests and while pregnant. It was a hard stage to own, with last year’s performance branded the best of all time. It featured Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar.
Rihanna, dressed head-to-toe in red, did bring out one special guest, revealing she was pregnant with her second baby, as she rattled through hit after hit in her stellar 13-minute set, supported only by a group of dancers. But fans concluded the Grammy winner was more than enough on her own.
Rihanna, no features, no guests, no issues. Made it look easy. What a cool performance. First song 🔥. Last song 🔥. In between 🔥.
— Bobby Bones (@mrBobbyBones) February 13, 2023
RIHANNA NEEDS NO GUESTS. STRAIGHT HITS.
— Jessica Benson (@jessbensontv) February 13, 2023
10/10 Rihanna. No guests. No dancing sharks. No stupid little crowd on the field. No need. https://t.co/O1hQKsYMaK
— Tim Miller (@Timodc) February 13, 2023
Being pregnant and performing for 13Mim without any guests on one of the biggest stages in the world.. It's literally a BIG challenge.
no one else could do what she did.
Congratulations mother for 2nd child @rihanna #Riri #FentyBowl #TeamFenty pic.twitter.com/MCNCtI8imU— 𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒚. (@reallpose) February 13, 2023
Rihanna really just “okay I guess I’ll just play my little songs for y’all because you seem to like that” the #SuperBowl halftime show.
No guests. No stunts. Minimal choreography. Sublime self possession. Incredible.
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) February 13, 2023
Rihanna and Lady Gaga are the only artists who did the #SuperBowl halftime show solo with no guests… ICONS pic.twitter.com/vxgdKsAame
— pop culture gal (@allurequinn) February 13, 2023
Rihanna's #SuperBowl Halftime Show set list:
Bitch Better Have My Money
Where Have You Been
Only Girl (In the World)
We Found Love
Rude Boy
Work
Wild Thoughts
Pour It Up
All of the Lights
Run This Town
Umbrella
DiamondsThere were no surprise guests.pic.twitter.com/ggkaXFQU1P
— Spin or Bin Music (@spinorbinmusic) February 13, 2023
this shot during Rihanna’s Super Bowl performance is so wild holy crap pic.twitter.com/jE8UWAnxjA
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) February 13, 2023
Rihanna bouncing back strong after delivering first child (May 2022), currently pregnant to 2nd child (assuming 2nd tri), & providing us this phenomenal performance sealed by her flawless voice. A perfect portrayal of success for women in this era. We’re taking fenty notes,Riri. pic.twitter.com/PsDoHA4s96
— Inna (@AsuperF) February 13, 2023
A$AP Rocky watching Rihanna’s Super Bowl performance ❤️#SuperBowl #Rihanna pic.twitter.com/N0O2JTQNWX
— XXL Magazine (@XXL) February 13, 2023
There were a couple of opportunities for Rihanna to bring other stars to the stage, but she just to go it alone. She could have included Drake on ‘Work’. She played a couple of hits that featured Kanye West, but perhaps, for more obvious reasons he was not invited.
Rihanna agreed to perform after boycotting it in 2019 because of racial inequality as highlighted by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Speaking ahead of her performance, the Grammy winner said she thought twice about performing at the Super Bowl, but motherhood ultimately inspired her to do it, according The Hollywood Reporter. “I was like, ‘You sure? I’m three months postpartum. Should I be making major decisions like this right now? I might regret this,” she said.
“When you become a mom, there’s something that just happens where you feel like you could take on the world – you can do anything,” she added. “And the Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world, so as scary as that was… there’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all. “It’s important for my son to see that.”
She also said fitting her 18-year catalog into a 13-minute set was tough: “The setlist was the biggest challenge. That was the hardest part – deciding how to maximise 13 minutes, but also celebrate. That’s what the show’s going to be – it’s going to be a celebration of my catalog in the best way,” she said. “I think we did a pretty good job at narrowing it down.”
One person, there’s always one, had a problem with Rihanna’s set – Donald Trump. The former US President posted on Truth Social: “EPIC FAIL: Rihanna gave, without question, the single worst Halftime Show in Super Bowl history.”
He continued: “This after insulting far more than half of our Nation, which is already in serious DECLINE, with her foul and insulting language.”
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