Everything
Good morning to Rihanna and no one else. Taking to Instagram overnight the pop star announced she would headline the upcoming Super Bowl Halftime show on February 12. In an image her tattooed hand holds up a football while the caption is left blank. It arrives a matter of hours after a source told TMZ that she had been negotiating with the NFL and Roc Nation, an entertainment agency founded by Jay-Z.
The insider also told the publication that a second performer would co-host the halftime show. Fans are convinced Taylor Swift could be the second pop star. She had been prevented from appearing on the Super Bowl stage in the past due to a contract with Coco Cola. Pepsi was the main sponsor until Apple took over the placement in 2022. Swift has reportedly refused to perform until she has re-recorded all six of her albums however.
The move from Rihanna is somewhat surprising given she refused an offer to perform in 2019 in light of the treatment of Colin Kaepernick. The San Fransisco 49ers star was ostracised by the NFL after he took the knee during the national anthem in 2016 in protest of racial injustice.
In an interview Rihanna looked back on her decision, stating, “I couldn’t dare do that. For what? Who gains from that? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler. There’s things within that organisation that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.”
It is hoped that her return to the stage may mean new music. She follows the likes of The Weeknd, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé who have performed in the past. Rihanna’s last album ANTI was released in 2016.
