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 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.

In her long-awaited return to music, the pop star ran through her many hits and proved that her power hasn't been diminished by her time away from the ...

In an interview with the [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/01/style/jay-z-super-bowl-roc-nation.html), Jay-Z noted that the league’s issues with securing talent for the show go a bit deeper than disagreements about social justice. But later that year, Roc Nation signed a deal with the NFL to co-produce the halftime show, five months after Kaepernick reached [a confidential settlement](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/21/sports/colin-kaepernick-nfl-settlement.html) with the league. [spoke out](https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/27/us/jay-z-colin-kaepernick-cnntv/index.html) in support of Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the anthem and take on the league, and in 2019 he [reportedly](https://variety.com/2018/music/news/travis-scott-to-perform-with-maroon-5-at-super-bowl-report-1203094035/) asked Travis Scott not to perform alongside Maroon 5. “She performs for the love of it," he says. "She performs for the people. “There’s things within that organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.” Instead of simply sponsoring the show, the tech company played a supporting role in producing the show alongside Jay-Z’s management and production company Roc Nation. She moved into a medley of some of her biggest dance hits, “Where Have You Been,” “Only Girl (In the World),” “We Found Love,” and a rhythmic extended mix of “Rude Boy.” The pace changed when the opening notes of her 2016 number one “Work,” which segued into “Wild Thoughts,” and “Pour It Up,” which she accompanied with some twerking. there’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all, and it’s important for me to do this this year. With 14 number one hits under her belt and 31 singles that have hit the top 10, Rihanna had options when it came to choosing a setlist for her turn at Arizona’s State Farm Stadium. The production values were just as high as you might expect from a show co-produced by Apple, and she spent most of the performance standing on moving platform suspended from the ceiling.

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.

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 performed some of her top songs during the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show, including "We Found Love,” "Work" and “Umbrella."

Thank You”](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/sheryl-lee-ralph-response-super-bowl-lip-sync-1235323413/) [Super Bowl 2023](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t/super-bowl-2023/) [Adele, Bradley Cooper, LeBron James, Paul Rudd, Jay-Z, Sheryl Lee Ralph Among Stars at 2023 Super Bowl](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/super-bowl-2023-celebrities-stars-paul-rudd-jordan-sparks-jay-z-sheryl-lee-ralph-1235323219/) [Super Bowl 2023](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t/super-bowl-2023/) [Super Bowl Preshow: Sheryl Lee Ralph Performs “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” Chris Stapleton Sings National Anthem](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/super-bowl-2023-chris-stapleton-national-anthem-babyface-sheryl-lee-ralph-1235323205/) [Super Bowl 2023](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t/super-bowl-2023/) [Sheryl Lee Ralph on Super Bowl Lip-Sync Chatter: “Does It Matter? I’m honored to be doing this this year.” there’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all,” 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 said. And I’m honored to be here. “And the Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world, so as scary as that was … [Rihanna said becoming a mother ](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/super-bowl-lvii-rihanna-teases-halftime-1235321612/)to her 9-month-old son helped encourage her to take on the big event. [pregame entertainment](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/super-bowl-lvii-pregame-entertainment-chris-stapleton-babyface-sheryl-lee-ralph-1235307966/), country music star Chris Stapleton was tapped to sing the national anthem and Abbot Elementary‘s Sheryl Lee Ralph performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Babyface also hit the stage to sing “America the Beautiful.” northern lights watch with a red dial and a Bayco ring featuring a 19.47-carat cabochon Burma ruby and 5.66 carats of diamonds. Her accessories included a Jacob & Co. [Share this article on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/rihanna-2023-super-bowl-lvii-halftime-show-performance-1235323199/&title=Rihanna%20Leads%20Vibrant%20Super%20Bowl%20LVII%20Halftime%20Show%20With%20Iconic%20Hits,%20Reveals%20Baby%20Bump&sdk=joey&display=popup&ref=plugin&src=share_button&app_id=1153511048447777) [Share this article on Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/rihanna-2023-super-bowl-lvii-halftime-show-performance-1235323199/&text=Rihanna%20Leads%20Vibrant%20Super%20Bowl%20LVII%20Halftime%20Show%20With%20Iconic%20Hits%2C%20Reveals%20Baby%20Bump&via=thr) [Share this article on Email](mailto:?subject=thr%20:%20Rihanna%20Leads%20Vibrant%20Super%20Bowl%20LVII%20Halftime%20Show%20With%20Iconic%20Hits,%20Reveals%20Baby%20Bump&body=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/rihanna-2023-super-bowl-lvii-halftime-show-performance-1235323199/%20-%20Rihanna%20Leads%20Vibrant%20Super%20Bowl%20LVII%20Halftime%20Show%20With%20Iconic%20Hits,%20Reveals%20Baby%20Bump) [Show additional share options](#) [Share this article on Print]() [Share this article on Comment](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/rihanna-2023-super-bowl-lvii-halftime-show-performance-1235323199/#respond) [Share this article on Whatsapp](whatsapp://send?text=Rihanna%20Leads%20Vibrant%20Super%20Bowl%20LVII%20Halftime%20Show%20With%20Iconic%20Hits,%20Reveals%20Baby%20Bump%20-%20https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/rihanna-2023-super-bowl-lvii-halftime-show-performance-1235323199/) [Share this article on Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=1&url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/rihanna-2023-super-bowl-lvii-halftime-show-performance-1235323199/&title=Rihanna%20Leads%20Vibrant%20Super%20Bowl%20LVII%20Halftime%20Show%20With%20Iconic%20Hits,%20Reveals%20Baby%20Bump&summary&source=thr) [Share this article on Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/rihanna-2023-super-bowl-lvii-halftime-show-performance-1235323199/&title=Rihanna%20Leads%20Vibrant%20Super%20Bowl%20LVII%20Halftime%20Show%20With%20Iconic%20Hits,%20Reveals%20Baby%20Bump) [Share this article on Pinit](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/rihanna-2023-super-bowl-lvii-halftime-show-performance-1235323199/&description=Rihanna%20Leads%20Vibrant%20Super%20Bowl%20LVII%20Halftime%20Show%20With%20Iconic%20Hits,%20Reveals%20Baby%20Bump) [Share this article on Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/widgets/share/tool/preview?shareSource=legacy&canonicalUrl&url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/rihanna-2023-super-bowl-lvii-halftime-show-performance-1235323199/&posttype=link&title=Rihanna%20Leads%20Vibrant%20Super%20Bowl%20LVII%20Halftime%20Show%20With%20Iconic%20Hits,%20Reveals%20Baby%20Bump) [Rihanna](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t/rihanna/) brought all her iconic hits during her highly anticipated return to the stage during the Apple Music [Super Bowl](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t/super-bowl/) Halftime Show on Sunday — and hinted at being pregnant with her second child.

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.

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.

Rihanna is pregnant! The pop star revealed she's expecting her second child during her Super Bowl Halftime performance Sunday night.

[welcomed her first child, a baby boy,](https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2022/05/19/rihanna-baby-singer-asap-rocky-welcome-first-child/6646816001/) with rapper A$AP Rocky last May, People and Entertainment Tonight reported at the time. "I’ll have kids – three or four of 'em." "It was just there on the test. [moves Eagles coach Nick Sirianni to tears](https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/02/12/super-bowl-57-national-anthem-chris-stapleton-sheryl-lee-ralph/11214856002/) Rihanna could also be seen caressing her stomach during the performance, a nod to her soon-to-be bundle of joy. The singer's outfit also showed off the 34-year-old's growing baby bump.

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.

During her Super Bowl performance, social media went crazy with speculation over whether she might be pregnant again. My mom raised me never to ask that ...

[kicked it off](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/chris-stapleton-super-bowl-lvii-national-anthem-watch-1234676822/) with “The Star-Spangled Banner.” For people who love to bet on the length of the national anthem, [the over/under for Chris was 1:59](https://www.sportsbettingdime.com/nfl/super-bowl-national-anthem-lengths-over-under-betting-results), but he easily passed that, dragging it out with his slow-motion tempo reaching near-Alicia levels. “It’s going to be a celebration of my catalog in the best way that we could have put it together.” After “Bitch Better Have My Money,” she went into “Where Have You Been,” “Only Girl in the World,” “We Found Love,” “Rude Boy,” “Work,” “Wild Thoughts,” and “Pour It Up.” But she didn’t go for the hat trick by adding “4-5 Seconds,” which would’ve given a chance for a Paul McCartney cameo. It was a celebration of pure solo bossness, a woman on her own, ruling her world as far as the eye can see. But you can see Rihanna knew it: She was the fireworks. Her attitude came through in her amazing version of “Rude Boy,” with Rihanna snarling over her shoulder and slapping her own ass in a come-on that also seemed like a threat. “So as scary as that was because I haven’t been on stage in seven years, there’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all.” “I couldn’t dare do that,” Rihanna [told Vogue in 2019](https://www.vogue.com/article/rihanna-cover-november-2019). There’s things within that organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.” [Tom Holland showing up for “Umbrella.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0nNTklOKRA) Nothing except [Rihanna](https://www.rollingstone.com/t/rihanna/) being a boss and a half on her flying stage, reigning supreme at [her Super Bowl halftime show](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/rihanna-super-bowl-halftime-show-performance-watch-1234676420/) and crushing every possible prediction about how she would handle her first public performance in more than five years. Just the way she began with “Bitch Better Have My Money” was a statement in itself. The best moment was when Ri did a quick touch-up on her make-up — a quickie ad for her own with her Savage X Fenty line.

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).

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.

A representative for the singer confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that she is expecting another child following her explosive performance Sunday.

Thank You”](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/sheryl-lee-ralph-response-super-bowl-lip-sync-1235323413/) [Super Bowl 2023](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t/super-bowl-2023/) [Rihanna Leads Vibrant Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show With Iconic Hits, Reveals Baby Bump](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/rihanna-2023-super-bowl-lvii-halftime-show-performance-1235323199/) [Super Bowl 2023](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t/super-bowl-2023/) [Adele, Bradley Cooper, LeBron James, Paul Rudd, Jay-Z, Sheryl Lee Ralph Among Stars at 2023 Super Bowl](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/super-bowl-2023-celebrities-stars-paul-rudd-jordan-sparks-jay-z-sheryl-lee-ralph-1235323219/) [Super Bowl 2023](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t/super-bowl-2023/) [Super Bowl Preshow: Sheryl Lee Ralph Performs “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” Chris Stapleton Sings National Anthem](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/super-bowl-2023-chris-stapleton-national-anthem-babyface-sheryl-lee-ralph-1235323205/) [Super Bowl 2023](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t/super-bowl-2023/) [Sheryl Lee Ralph on Super Bowl Lip-Sync Chatter: “Does It Matter? there’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all,” she said. That was the hardest part — deciding how to maximize 13 minutes, but also celebrate. “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 … I might regret this,'” she said. “I was like, ‘You sure? “The setlist was the biggest challenge. 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. Should I be making major decisions like this right now? [Rihanna](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t/rihanna/) confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the superstar is pregnant following her [explosive Super Bowl halftime show.](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/rihanna-2023-super-bowl-lvii-halftime-show-performance-1235323199/)

The pop star's first live performance in seven years didn't disappoint. Rihanna performs during the halftime show ...

(Miles, 20, also signed the pre-game performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”) Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com Receive the latest news and breaking updates, straight from our newsroom to your inbox. Stay up to date with everything Boston. After reaching the stability of the stage, Rihanna mostly struck poses and walked short laps around the stage, leaving the more physical elements to her backup dancers as she launched into a sped-up, jungle-inspired version of “Rude Boy” and “Work.” For her first live performance in seven years, Rihanna pulled out all the stops for her 2023 Super Bowl halftime show.

A well-placed belly rub inspired speculation during the performance, with a rep confirming the news following the show.

[said in an interview](https://twitter.com/shannonsharpeee/status/1624564765174665216) that she was “thinking about bringing someone,” which many interpreted, in retrospect, as the singer hinting at the news. [Super Bowl Halftime Show performance](https://time.com/6253747/rihanna-super-bowl-halftime-show-predictions/), Rihanna took the stage with a half-zipped bright red jumpsuit. Rihanna also said that being a new mom made her feel like “you could take on the world — you can do anything.” There was also speculation that Rihanna was hinting at a pregnancy after she rubbed her belly during the performance. During a press conference with the show’s sponsor, Apple Music, leading up to her performance, Rihanna spoke about being offered the opportunity to take the Super Bowl Halftime stage three months after giving birth to her son. I might regret this,’” she said during the event.

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.

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 threw out all the conventions of the typical Super Bowl halftime show and turned entertainment's largest platform into something all her own.

Whether it was hip-hop, dance pop, reggae or ballads, Rihanna showed how she could bend the genre to her will. That message shows how much Rihanna has changed since her last solo performance — when she accepted the Video Vanguard award at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards. She didn’t throw in any ballads to show off the power of her voice because she doesn’t need to prove herself to anyone. But plenty has changed since then, including her friend and mentor Jay-Z’s Roc Nation partnering with the NFL on the halftime show. They would be judged only by their dancing, their abilities to entertain. And she didn’t need to say anything beyond, “Thank you, Arizona” to make her points.

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 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.

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.

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.

Rolling out seven albums in eight years, Rihanna dominated pop, embracing emerging trends, serving big-tent bops in lean years for R&B singers, and doing songs ...

She held court dressed in blood red, surrounded by a swirl of dancers in white, soft-launching a new kid by hosting a kind of metaphysical conception to the tune of “Work” and “Wild Thoughts,” joining Beyoncé and Cardi B in their use of television to share the reveal, the latest in a lengthy succession of [women](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQKQEY6KDzE&t=117s) [giving](https://twitter.com/craigspoplife/status/1624961931202203649) [memorable](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8beae) [performances](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhdTAwkDu1Q) [while](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxRNtNpJPVw) [pregnant](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5JjcJAg_P0). [Beyoncé stunted so hard ](https://youtu.be/SDPITj1wlkg?t=89)that we often forget she wasn’t the headliner, or Michael Jackson’s memorable [two-minute statue pose](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsopN7JKUVs) from 1993, or the flawless 1991 [“Star-Spangled Banner”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAYKTMQl7MQ) from Whitney Houston. [Coldplay](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Uw6ZkbsAH8) to [Jeezy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xcwd_Nz6Zog). You either know buddy can sing the soul loose from your body, or [you fuck around and find out](https://youtu.be/V-FYmUIvE10?t=197).) What Rihanna’s Super Bowl show did expertly communicate is that she is a tenacious self-starter who played the fame game so well that she made it from a [bungalow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLeGYlx5pSQ) to a [billion](https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2021/08/04/fentys-fortune-rihanna-is-now-officially-a-billionaire/?sh=3dda38eb7c96) in less than 20 years, and her singles still slam, and we could probably stop asking after R9 for a little while. The usual suspects — “We Found Love,” “Only Girl (In the World),” “Diamonds,” “Umbrella” — made their expected appearances, but opening that show with “Bitch Better Have My Money” was bold, and leaving ballads like “Take a Bow” and “Stay” at home in favor of the raunchier “Rude Boy” and “Pour It Up” gave the spectacle a faintly reckless air that counterbalanced the hard-fought seamlessness displayed as the star was shuttled onto and off of the moving platform, which resembled the Battlefield level from Super Smash Bros. [Simpler time](https://www.vulture.com/2022/12/kanye-west-dropped-brands-adidas-gap-what-did-ye-say.html).) [almost 40 drafts](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/rihanna-super-bowl-press-conference-halftime-show-1234676685/) of the set list in the planning stages, and throughout the 13-song medley, there was the sense she could’ve played 20 more hits. Four medleys showcased her casual excellence in [singing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hqpw9dtKChg) [across](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9Ygppti7YI) [genres](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUyEZzFyz9U), in the process tracing her evolution from teenage sensation to dance-music icon at ease in the listless sequence of psych-rock jams, soul songs, and ballads heard on the same year’s Anti. [naysayers](https://twitter.com/rihanna/status/203576093385568256). It’s a testament to the Barbadian icon’s mettle, to a career dedicated to making the difficult look doable, that all of this intrigue could be stuffed into a confident, relaxed performance that saw the singer float in the air on a suspended platform while barreling through songs from various corners of her expansive catalogue. 2005’s “Pon de Replay” was our first sampling of the voice, a delicate but raspy thing blessed with a formidable vibrato and a depth of range that snuck up on us when she trotted effortlessly across the high notes in 2006’s “Tainted Love” flip “S.O.S.” and 2007’s New Order interpolation [Rihanna](https://www.vulture.com/tags/rihanna/) perform on television or anywhere else was at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards ceremony, where she was named Video Vanguard.

Yes, the seven floating stages during Rihanna's Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show were theatrical and cool, but they also had a very practical ...

“But this one is a totally different animal.” Grass is very important to the National Football League as it can affect how the players are able to function on the field. And it had everything to do with the grass on the field.

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.