Super Bowl halftime show : Pregnant Rihanna admits ‘no updates’ on plans for new music as fans reel
Pop star delivered a mesmerising performance of hits including ‘Diamonds’ and ‘Only Girl in the World’
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Your support makes all the difference.Rihanna put on a spectacular performance for the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
The nine-time Grammy winner made her return to live music after a five-year hiatus at the US event, performing hits including “Diamonds”, “Only Girl in the World” and “B**** Better Have My Money”. A representative confirmed the singer is pregnant with her second child soon after the performance.
In an interview with Good Morning America ahead of her iconic show, she told host Michael Strahan that she’s “excited to actually put new music out”.
However, she admitted that she doesn’t have “any updates” to give at the moment.
Country star Chris Stapleton opened proceedings by performing the national anthem, which has earned praise from fans online. Viewers were also wowed by actor Troy Kotsur’s sign language performance to the national anthem.
Other performances include Babyface singing “America The Beautiful” and Sheryl Lee Ralph giving her rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing”.
And it wouldn’t be the Super Bowl without brands vying for consumer attention with memorable, star-studded ads.
Some 100 million people are expected to watch the spectacle in the US alone.
Follow along below!
Watch: Rihanna opens up about life with her and A$AP Rocky's son
Rihanna says there are ‘probably 39 different versions’ of her Super Bowl halftime setlist
Rihanna said that she prepared many different versions of a setlist for her forthcoming Super Bowl halftime show.
The singer admitted that “there are probably 39 different versions of the setlist right now”.
“The setlist was the biggest challenge,” she said. “That was the hardest, hardest part, deciding how to maximise 13 minutes... That’s what this show is going to be, it’s going to be a celebration of my catalogue in the best way that we could have put it together.”
Read more:
Rihanna has around ‘39 versions’ of her Super Bowl halftime setlist
‘You’re trying to cram 17 years of work into 13 minutes,’ said the singer of her forthcoming performance
Fans praise Rihanna for performing while pregnant at Super Bowl 2023
Rihanna has revealed she is pregnant with her second child while performing at the Super Bowl 2023 halftime show.
Fans went wild over the pop star’s announcement as she graced the stage for the 13-minute concert, sporting her baby bump under an all-red custom jumpsuit by Loewe.
“So you telling me Rihanna did whole halftime show alone WHEN SHE PREGNANT??” one fan wrote in amazement.
Another said: “I don’t think Rihanna understands the level of excitement she brought to everyone that loves her and her music. She sang classics that made us go way back. Danced and sang while pregnant. Epic!”
A third added: “Rihanna is actually so cool. Like she was born cool, her songs are cool, her aura is cool, her dancing is cool. Six years later and she’s still such a baddie on that stage while bloody pregnant!”
Kate Ng reports.
Fans praise Rihanna for performing while pregnant at Super Bowl 2023
The pop star debuted her pregnancy while on a platform suspended over the stage
Watch: ASL gives high-energy signing during Rihanna halftime show
Super Bowl 2023: Sign language interpreter ‘stole the show’ during Rihanna’s performance, say impressed viewers
The Super Bowl halftime show’s sign language interpreter has been praised for ‘stealing the show’ during Rihanna’s performance.
Justina Miles was tasked with interpreting Rihanna’s half time performance for the 2023 Super Bowl on Sunday night (12 February), and viewers were impressed.
The 20-year-old is the first female deaf performer at the show and is also the first deaf person to ever perform the pre-show’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” sung by actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, reports CNBC.
Videos showing Miles’ performance have since gone viral; the interpreter can be seen doing sign language to Rihanna’s lyrics while dancing along enthusiastically.
“Justina Miles stole the show as Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime show ASL performer!” wrote one viewer on Twitter.
Sign language interpreter ‘stole the show’ during Rihanna’s Super Bowl, say viewers
Justina Miles gave an eye-catching performance during the halftime show
Super Bowl 2023: Rihanna is rewriting the rules for pregnant women yet again
It was a frustratingly short 12 minutes, particularly as the filling to a football sandwich, but it was a performance to go down in the music history books. And oh, darling, didn’t Rihanna do things her own way.
Comeback doesn’t entirely feel an apt word for the woman who has been conquering the business world over recent years, but regardless this was a comeback show setting a new level for artists who take a performing break. More importantly than this, Rihanna has served to inspire, not just entertain. It was already an impressive feat to play such a high pressure show months after giving birth, but to do so while pregnant again makes the feat even more admirable.
Lucy Anna Gray on why Rihanna proved she is still the master.
How ASAP Rocky reacted...
In a cute video shared by the NFL’s Instagram account, rapper ASAP Rocky was filmed cheering on his girlfriend from the sidelines. The footage shows him gleefully filming the show on his phone and swaying to the music, while sucking on a lolly pop.
Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime show in pictures
Rihanna blew the crowd away with her Super Bowl halftime show at the weekend, in what was the singer’s first solo live performance since 2016.
The “Diamonds” star sent fans wild, crashing Twitter, over speculation that she might be pregnant with her second child. Her representatives have since confirmed the news.
The Independent’s Tom Murray has rounded up some of the most striking images from the show below.
Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime show in pictures
Singer sent internet into a frenzy after it emerged she is pregnant with her second child
6 biggest talking points from 2023 Super Bowl
The Super Bowl 2023 halftime show popped off, with Rihanna headlining the event.
This year’s NFL final took place at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and saw the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs.
Here are the biggest talking points from the halftime show.
6 biggest talking points from the Super Bowl halftime show
Super Bowl LVII took place at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona
How much did Rihanna earn for the halftime show?
If you’re intrigued to find out how much performers earn at the Super Bowl, you might be surprised by the answer...
How much is Rihanna getting paid for the Super Bowl halftime show?
How much did Rihanna get paid for the Super Bowl?
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