By Jayda Grullon
Three words, fourteen letters: Rihanna did that. After her seven-year break from music, Rihanna shocked the world on Feb. 12 during her debut Super Bowl performance. As the viral twitter tweet implies “Rihanna concert interrupted by a football game”… I think we can all agree she was our main focus and the game was merely her halftime show. All the while, this was also the unveiling of her second pregnancy. Now that is a girl boss! Feelings of euphoria and nostalgia filled the air as she opened with one of her most popular hits “Bitch Better Have My Money”; this was just the beginning of a moment that would forever be remembered as iconic. The artist started on stage in an all red latex, puffer outfit combination plus a sleek ponytail giving everything she was supposed to and more– little did we all know she would only emerge from there. Whilst ascending into the air on an elevated platform, she was accompanied by back-up dancers in a neutral toned fluffy look. From there, Rihanna smoothly transitioned into “Where Have You Been” another banger that finds its way at the top of most playlists (mine included). As if the dancing, singing, and overall performance quality wasn’t enough, her second number “Where Have You Been” brought about a new spur of emotions, absolutely captivating the audience. Although it was difficult to take your eyes off of the star, her back-up dancers definitely put in the work to make this production phenomenal. The intricate choreography relied heavily on body isolations hitting each beat, fast or slow, precisely while also moving throughout the stage to execute each formation. Even though Rihanna was unable to dance to the full ability fans have seen her reach at her live performances, she moved in similar directions to the dancers and strutted up and down that stage. The strut alone was all that was needed to make every piece entertaining because who doesn’t like to see Rihanna fiercely walking with her dazzling gaze. Every aspect of the performance drew me in, whether it had been the Rihanna herself or something as minor as the details of the outfit. During this time of having the world in the palm of her hand, Rihanna didn’t let the opportunity of promoting her Fenty Beauty line slip by. Powdering up in the middle of her thirteen minute performance using her own product was an unexpected moment that she delivered and killed. To top off the whole performance, the singer ended with “Diamonds” , a classic that has flourished in the music industry that will always be in no matter what point in time. Despite watching through a small computer screen, it felt like I was one of the estimated 67,000 people in the audience watching this live and feeling every emotion flow throughout my body. I truly felt tingles as she transitioned from one song to another. First hearing that Rihanna would be the performer of the 2023 Super Bowl set the bar high given that it had been years since her last performance– everyone’s expectations were all over the place. She left off her music career with the release of her album Anti in 2016 and featured on other tracks of artists in 2017 then over the course of time pursued a lingerie and beauty line. Questions arose of whether or not the artist would find her way back into the music industry to produce more albums, solo hits or even live performances. Rihanna has kept everyone on the edge of their seat until her release of “Lift Me Up” just late last year. Months later, she surprised the world with one of the best Super Bowl performances of all time. If you haven’t seen this production yet, stop wasting time and go watch it. And to those that have, I know we are all still appalled and incredibly proud of Rihanna’s comeback.