Pop superstar Rihanna will play the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show, it was revealed on Sunday.
The announcement came from the singer herself, the NFL and Rihanna’s management team Roc Nation.
Rihanna, 34, will perform the coveted 15-minute slot at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, in what Rolling Stone magazine said would be her first live performance in over five years.
The coup by the NFL follows the show this year that saw Dr Dre joined on stage by Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige.
It also sees Rihanna play a slot she has previously turned down.
In 2019, she indicated in a Vogue interview she had refused to play the Halftime Show in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. The quarterback found himself without a team in the wake of being criticised for kneeling during the national anthem, as he protested against racial injustice
At that time, she said of the prospect of playing the show: “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 organisation that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.”
Now Rihanna has accepted the opportunity to perform at the sporting spectacle, which has a huge global audience.
NFL head of music Seth Dudowsky said the league was “thrilled” to have the Barbadian performer on board.
He said: “Rihanna is a once-in-a-generation artist who has been a cultural force throughout her career. We look forward to collaborating with Rihanna, Roc Nation and Apple Music to bring fans another historic Halftime Show performance.”
