Oh, Na Na… there was a game? Rihanna Wins Super Bowl LVII!

February 13, 2023
CASTEL

On Sept 25, 2022, Robyn Rihanna Fenty posted a single photo to her Instagram account: against a white backdrop and in her intricately tattooed hand with a fresh manicure, she held an official NFL football, a period as the caption.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by badgalriri (@badgalriri)

We knew what it meant; we survived the live performance drought. Rihanna’s last live performance was in 2018 when she accompanied DJ Khaled at the Grammys for Wild Thoughts. The Superbowl became “The Fenty Bowl,” or comically, you would see on the internet or overhear, “are you ready for the Rihanna concert?” The Navy, as she affectionately refers to her fans, mobilized.

Fenty, her fashion house brand, mobilized over the next five months as well. The marketing team for beauty, activewear, and more was in overdrive. Iconic shirts sporting “Rihanna concert interrupted by a football game, weird but whatever.” Fenty ads became for sports centers. My favorite, posted on the official Instagram, featured their “HYDROVIZOR” and “PROFILTRFOUNDATION,” hydrating and giving various skin shades to completely white footballs.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by FENTY SKIN (@fentyskin)

As we got closer, speculations rose, and the excitement was palpable, “How would she open the show?”, “Who are the surprise guests?” “Are we getting an album?”. We were foaming at the mouth because, as fed as we have been during her career, we missed her while she took a step back to build her brand and focus less on music, so we were ready!

The Apple Music promo card appears, and they announce our girl. She appears on our screen almost immediately. In a very Azula from the Fire nation-esque pose, a bold red lip, and a smirk, she pulls the mic to her mouth, and “Yayo, Yayo” comes out, and B*tch Better Have My Money begins. We impressively pull out to reveal Rihanna in an all-red ensemble by Loewe standing solo strapped to a floating platform. The platform rises, and we see dancers in all white, donning custom Savagexfenty Pin Up Low-Impact Sports Bra (available in 3 colors) and Savage X Cotton Boxers (in White Monogram) as layering pieces, on their platforms, seven in total with Rihanna in the middle. During the thirteen-minute performance, Rihanna, in her sea of white-dressed dancers, gave us a performance that showcases her stacked catalog between 2008-2017, including iconic features and instrumentals pre-2008. She confidently glided through her hits, looking fierce and commanding the stage as her dancers upped the energy and tempo with their Parris Goebel choreographed moves.

Rihanna opted for light footwork and hand performance; while fans wondered why she moved a bit slower than she usually does, miss mamas never gave us a full 8-count girls; remember that. As we watched more closely, the internet erupted with a universal question: “is our Caribbean goddess with child again?!” shortly after the show, her rep confirmed to the Hollywood Reporter that, yes, she is pregnant and the majority of us couldn’t be happier for her. Staying true to herself, her brand, and loving her man, Rihanna continues her reign as Barbados’ first billionaire and a real queen in our hearts. Oh, Nana.

Performance Highlights

The opening. The face close-up was jump-scare-level dramatics, but the Yasss I let out was full of excitement and love.

pic.twitter.com/wzYRizvawU
— kass (@kassianeckles) February 13, 2023

The Rude Boy Club Mix is in my brain. She smacks ass, throws it back, gives us the infamous MJ, and then cheekily sniffs her hand with a wink. “You know what it is.” I am waiting for that gif or meme to drop, to be honest.

RIHANNA ICONIC. pic.twitter.com/uO72w5Y0g2
— Dificil ser fã da Rihanna. (@gutinsg) February 13, 2023

Before giving us the chorus of All of The Lights, she stops and pats her face with the new Invisimatte Palette. If Rihanna is going to do anything, she will promote that brand while giving us the iconic Jersey hips shake.

Searches for Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty soared by 833% after she promoted it during her Super Bowl halftime show. pic.twitter.com/G2lVjAV8bm
— Pop Base (@PopBase) February 13, 2023

ASL interpreter Justina Miles went viral for her passionate and energetic signing of the show.

She ATE this up. pic.twitter.com/4vVznKWtK0
— Mike Gauyo (@blackboywrites) February 13, 2023

Finally, paying homage to the late Andre Leon Tully and his Norma Kamali sleeping bag coat, Rihanna finished the performance with Diamonds on her center platform alone in the air shining bright like a Diamond herself.