A simple, but classy, announcement. Rihanna posted a picture to Instagram with an NFL football in hand.  The caption read, “.”, making her the official Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show Performer.  

As always, there were many rumors spread concerning one of the most-watched musical performances of the year.  A circulating rumor was that Taylor Swift was picked to sing—fans believed this information because Apple Music announced that it was sponsoring the show, a change from the typical Pepsi sponsorship.  Swift has not appeared at a halftime show in the past because of her partnership with Coke.  Additionally, the announcement went out at 12 a.m, and Taylor Swift has been publicizing her upcoming album, Midnights.  Others believed that Elton John, Adele, or Harry Styles could be the performer.  Nevertheless, Rihanna is set to perform, and fans are thrilled.

“I was surprised when it was announced that Rihanna was the halftime performer.  I am so excited,” said senior Megan Schwartz.

The rumors do not end there.  Although the performer is settled, the songs that Rihanna may sing are up for debate.  Rihanna has a ton of hits.  A few of her most popular songs are “Love on the Brain”, “Disturbia”, and “Shut Up and Drive”.  With nine Grammy Awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards, 13 American Music Awards, seven MTV Video Music Awards, Rihanna has many options for songs to sing to and dance to.  People also think that the announcement of performing at the Super Bowl could mean new music from Rihanna. It has been many years since Rihanna has released any new music of her own, or even contributed to a single. Fans had begun to lose hope in receiving any new music from her, due to her preoccupation with her Fenty beauty line, over the past few years. However, this new performance revived spirits for a new album.  

“I’m a huge fan of Rihanna.  My favorite songs are” Umbrella” and “Don’t Stop The Music”. I am hopeful that we’ll hear new music at the performance,” said senior Olivia Deriu. 

Rihanna has not produced new songs for a while, as she has been focusing on raising her son, and on her businesses, such as her make-up brand Fenty Beauty. 

The Super Bowl Halftime Performance is iconic, as only the top music stars are chosen for it.  These include Michael Jackson for Super Bowl XXVII in 1993, Madonna for Super Bowl XLVI in 2012, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez for Super Bowl LIV in 2020, and many more.

        “I cannot remember the last Super Bowl where I did not watch the Halftime Show.  I might not be interested in football, but I always stop what I am doing to listen and watch the performance,” said senior Jaclyn Shaub.

The Super Bowl Halftime Show has 103.4 million viewers on average, with such a large audience, Rihanna is preparing for one of the biggest performances of her life.  Super Bowl LV in 2022, with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, and 50 Cent, had over 100 million viewers.  Others have had around that amount of people watching too. The performers have a huge amount of influence on America’s pop culture, through their clothes, their dances, and the messages in those songs.  Rihanna fans and music lovers from all over the nation are enthusiastic about this year’s Halftime show, as it reinvents Rihanna’s amazing music career, and is sure to be an iconic and memorable performance for viewers young and old.