Rihanna’s 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show: What you should know

Rihanna is ready to head into Super Bowl 2023 for her much-anticipated comeback, years after her last live performance.

On Sunday, the Grammy winner will once again take the spotlight for a set she has described as “celebrating my catalogue”. Like her fans, the “Umbrella” singer knows it’s been a hot minute since she performed in front of a live audience, but the new mom said she and her team have a lot of work to do (work, work, work, work) invested to orchestrate an “almost impossible” set.

“The Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world, and as scary as that was because I haven’t been on stage in seven years, there’s something exhilarating about the challenge,” the singer said Thursday in a pre-show interview with Nadeska Alexis for Apple Music. “It’s important for me to do this year.”

From the setlist to potential guests, here’s everything we know about Riri’s Super Bowl performance:

When and where does Rihanna perform?

The “Lift Me Up” singer will be officiating the halftime show at Super Bowl LVII, which will be held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. on Sunday.

The Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles battle it out for the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time.

As implied, Rihanna will be performing her set at halftime in the Super Bowl — or after the second quarter, for those who don’t know much about sports ball.

Rihanna performed with Paul McCartney at the 2015 Grammys.

(John Shearer/Invision/Associated Press)

In her Apple Music interview on Thursday, the singer said she will perform on a stage that takes “three to four hundred people” to set up and then take down in eight minutes.

How can I see the performance?

Fans who want to catch Rihanna’s mini concert need to tune in to Super Bowl LVII. The football game will be broadcast on Fox.

Viewers without wires can watch the game on the NFL+ mobile app. Streaming platforms like Hulu, fuboTV, and Sling also offer live TV streaming.

What will she perform?

Rihanna’s catalog spans more than a decade of hits, from 2005’s “Pon de Replay” to 2016’s “Love on the Brain.” But not all of them will make the Super Bowl performance, the singer said.

“[The halftime show is] will be a celebration of my catalog in the best way we could put it together,” she told Apple Music. “You only have 13 minutes. That’s the challenge. You’re trying to pack 17 years of work into 13 minutes.”

Rihanna said she and her team came up with dozens of versions of the setlist before settling on the current arrangement — which is 39. While some fans might miss a few songs, Rihanna said, “That’ll be fine.

“I think we’ve done a pretty good job of narrowing it down.”

The Barbados-born artist’s most popular songs include “Umbrella”, “We Found Love”, “Only Girl (in the World)” and “S&M”.

Will she have guests?

Jay-Z and Rihanna accept an award at the 2008 Grammys.

(Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press)

Rihanna has kept many details of her Super Bowl halftime show under wraps, including whether she will be bringing guests on stage.

Former collaborators Jay-Z and TI are rumored to be expected cameos, according to TMZ. The website reported Thursday that A$AP Rocky, who gave birth to a baby boy with Rihanna in May, is also reportedly set to join the singer.

In recent years, the Super Bowl Show has featured numerous guest appearances. In 2022, 50 Cent joined headliners Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar.

Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, who helmed the 2020 halftime show, brought out Bad Bunny and J Balvin.

However, it’s likely that Rihanna will bring some special guests. But even if she doesn’t, viewers are already winning with a Riri solo show.

Has she ever performed at the Super Bowl?

Rihanna makes her debut on the Super Bowl stage on Sunday.

But in 2019, the Fenty Beauty founder told Vogue it was “absolutely” true that she turned down an opportunity to perform at the annual game.

Rihanna and other celebs like Ava DuVernay and Cardi B boycotted the Super Bowl that year in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, who has protested police brutality by taking a knee during the national anthem.

“I wouldn’t dare. She said. “Who benefits? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler. There are things within this organization that I completely disagree with and I had no intention of addressing them to be of service in any way.”

So why is Rihanna headlining the Super Bowl now?

Rihanna is promoting her upcoming halftime show in Phoenix on Thursday.

(Mike Stewart / Associated Press)

Over the years, it seems the singer has made his way to the Super Bowl (to the dismay of some fans), but that’s not all that’s changed.

Heading to the Super Bowl on Sunday, Rihanna is now more than just a singer and businesswoman — she’s a mom. She told Apple Music that motherhood drove her to perform.

“When you become a mom, something just happens that makes you feel like you can take on the world, you can do anything,” she said.

Preparing for the “packed show” took its toll on her postpartum body, Rihanna said, but “it’s important for my son to see that ambition.”

She also said that the Super Bowl halftime show was about “representing immigrants, representing my country of Barbados, and representing black women everywhere.

“It’s a long way from home, it’s a beautiful journey I’m on and I never thought I’d make it here,” she said. “So it’s a celebration of that.”