Why didn't Rihanna perform at the 2019 Super Bowl? Twitter explodes as the singer’s set to headline 2023 Halftime show

Rihanna has confirmed that she will perform at the Super Bowl Halftime show on February 12, 2023. The artist posted a picture showing an NFL football in her hand on her Instagram page with the caption ".", sending fans into a frenzy.

The event, which will take place at the State Farm Stadium in Arizona, will be the Umbrella singer's first time performing at the National Football League (NFL) game. As of now, it is not clear who will support the singer at the Super Bowl.

Rihanna has been MIA for quite some time now, especially since giving birth to her first child with ASAP Rocky in May this year. A musical comeback of sorts, the Super Bowl Halftime show will be her first public performance since 2018. The artist last performed at the 2018 Grammy Awards with DJ Khaled.

The upcoming Halftime show will be sponsored by Apple Music, who in a tweet noted:

“IT'S ON. @rihanna will take the stage for the first ever Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show on 2.12.23.”

The artists at last year’s Superbowl star-studded lineup included Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Kendrick Lamar, with cameos from 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak.

News of Rihanna, or RiRi as she's popularly known, performing at the Superbowl has sent waves across the internet. The Diamond singer's fans took to Twitter to celebrate the news and shared their excitement of seeing her perform after 6 years.

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Rihanna was earlier asked to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime show in 2019

The 2023 Halftime Super Bowl will be Rihanna's first Halftime performance. The artist was offered the chance to perform at the 2019 iteration of the event, but she turned it down.

Back in 2019, in an interview with Vogue magazine, RiRi confirmed that she did turn down an offer to perform at the Super Bowl. She was in solidarity with American civil rights activist and football quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who was protesting against racial injustice and police brutality.

She had said:

“Absolutely, (turning down Super Bowl performance in solidarity for Kaepernick). 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 organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.”

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Fans react to Rihanna performing at the the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime show

Elated RiRi fans took to Twitter to express their excitement about the artist performing at the Halftime show. Some netizens also speculated that the artist might drop her new album post, which she has hinted at in the past, at the Halftime show.

Some fans also posted funny videos about Asap Rocky performing at Rihanna's show. Earlier in May this year, RiRi appeared in a music video for ASAP Rocky's D.M.B. The video features Rocky asking RiRi to marry him.

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Rihanna hinted at releasing new work earlier this year

Rihanna, who released her last album Anti in 2016, hinted at releasing new music earlier this year. In May 2022, the singer said in a Vogue interview that she is looking at her new album in a completely different way.

"I think this way suits me better, a lot better. It’s authentic, it’ll be fun for me, and it takes a lot of the pressure off."

She also confirmed that a new song will be out soon. She responded to a fan on Instagram noting that she would celebrate her musical achievements by releasing a song.

While the artist has not released new music in the past six years, she has been working on her cosmetic brand, Fenty Beauty. Through her shade-inclusive beauty products, the popstar's networth rose to $1.7 billion, making her the second wealthiest female entertainer after Oprah Winfrey.