It’s easy to forget nowadays that Rihanna paved the way for women in R&B music and was one of the world’s top leading vocalists. Topping Billboard Charts, sold-out world tours, and record-breaking albums have been a bit of a blur as the star has been overshadowed for the past 6 years by other business ventures including Fenty makeup, Fenty Skincare as well as Savage X Fenty lingerie brand.
As per usual the singer, fashion mogul, and mega beauty influencer broke the news to her 135 million followers on Instagram through an iconic post of her famous tattooed hand holding an N.F.L football ball. Thousands took to the platform to comment “she’s back” and even how the N.F.L is reborn under Rihanna as the National Fenty League. Many of her fans are still wary of the realization, but we cannot help but gasp and think that Bad Gal Riri back on stage is maybe too good to be true.
Her entrepreneurial enterprises have caused such a stir worldwide that we cannot blame Rihanna’s absence in the music department as she definitely did not disappoint when it came to delivering incredible inclusivity products and body-positive brands. Luckily for her fans, the long wait is over as news broke that Rihanna will perform at the Super Bowl in Glendale, Ariz, on 12 February 2023.
This would be the first halftime show under new sponsorship as the N.F.L enters the first year of a new deal with Apple Music which was usually hosted by Pepsi. It is the first scheduled return to the stage for an artist who last performed publicly at the Grammy Awards in early 2018, and whose most recent solo album, “Anti,” was released in January 2016. “We’re excited to partner with Rihanna, Roc Nation, and the N.F.L. to bring music and sports fans a momentous show,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president for Apple Music and Beats.
Why is Rihanna such an important feature for the N.F.L?
The performance is a strategic decision both from the N.F.L and Apple Music as an attempt to address diversity and discrimination claims against the organization which was highlighted by Colin Kaepernick’s “taking the knee” stance during the national anthem during the Black Lives Matter movement.
The announcement is an about-face for Rihanna, who was among the artists who rebuffed invitations to perform on football’s biggest stage in support of the former 49ers quarterback. Kaepernick accused the league of blackballing him, leaving him unable to find a new team since he became a free agent in March 2017 due to his protest of police brutality toward Black people.
Since then, the N.F.L has faced multiple player protests and an impending loss of cachet for the show, which was one of the highest forms of pay-per-view revenue income. Due to the unfavorable circumstances, the N.F.L took action to reconcile their reputation by signing Jay-Z and Roc Nation as “live music entertainment strategists,” to consult on the Super Bowl halftime show and contribute to the league’s activism campaign, Inspire Change.
To further the ongoing efforts of Inspire Change, Rihanna who is both managed by Roc Nation and signed to its record label will continue raising awareness of institutionalized discrimination in America. As a celebrity long-associated with equality and matters of inclusivity, we cannot think of an artist more impactful than Rihanna.
As we wait in anticipation for the big return of the Rihanna we used to know, we cannot help but wonder if the singer-turned-business mogul will give her millions of fans a preview of the R9 album she has been teasing about for years.
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