How long has it been since Rihanna last performed live?

Rihanna is undoubtedly one of the biggest celebrities in the world. From her mega-hit pop music career and lively tours to subsequent investments that generated billions of dollars; fame and fortune have followed the pop mega star over the years.

To the delight of millions of fans, she’ll be appearing in the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show on Feb. 12, 2023. It is true that the superbly eager audience finds the brief period between the two halves of the show relaxing – just to steer clear of the budding anxiety of ‘who’s gonna win?’ In this scenario, what’s better than a classic Rihanna performance to enliven the spirits?

While the upcoming Super Bowl has created enough buzz and fans are curious to know if their favorite team will win the trophy, Rihanna’s performance will definitely serve as the icing on the cake. This being said, the Halftime Show is not new to the industry’s A-list pop stars.

Rihanna’s predecessors include Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga, to name a few. What would specifically set Rihanna apart from the rest is her appearance on stage after nearly seven years. The pop queen — who is known for hits like “Work,” “Umbrella,” “Only Girl,” and “Disturbia” — hasn’t released a single album since Anti in 2016.

Also, the last time she was seen at a live performance was at the 2018 Grammys where she collaborated with DJ Khaled for “Wild Thoughts.” While the long gap is certainly raising the fans’ eagerness to experience a breakthrough live show by the “Umbrella” star, this also has many wondering what the singer-songwriter was up to all these years.

It turns out that the “Disturbia” singer engaged with and invested in many lucrative projects. These include her first successful lingerie brand Savage X Fenty, which was launched in 2017. The theme was celebration of womanhood, and the brand was displayed in New York Fashion Week in September featuring Slick Woods as well as Gigi and Bella Hadid.

The very next year, she staged her first show in Brooklyn featuring a diverse range of models on the runway backed by performances by Migos, Big Sean, and Halsey, to name a few. In 2019, she collaborated with Louis Vuitton and launched the luxury brand FEИTY, becoming the first woman of color to be associated with the brand.

The year 2020 saw the extension of her brand to skin care products. Besides her promising and successful business investments, she could also be seen in movies such as Ocean’s Eight, the spinoff of the blockbuster movie Ocean’s Eleven. She starred as Nine Ball alongside Cate Blanchett and Sandra Bullock. She also acted opposite Donald Glover in the 2019 film Guava Island.  

As of now, she is all set to perform in the upcoming Super Bowl. Speaking on the subject, she confessed her hesitation to return to the stage following a gap of many years. “It was so scary because I was kind of unexpected to come back from 0 to Super Bowl, that’s kind of nuts”, she said when asked about her public reappearance as a live performer.

As the countdown for the highly anticipated event begins, fans are also waiting to get a glimpse of their favorite pop star.