After years of being a successful makeup guru, Rihanna returned to being a pop star for the night and gave us a Super Bowl Halftime Show filled with hits. But that’s not all she gave us; Rihanna indeed teased a big announcement — and no, we’re not talking about a tour. After seeing Rihanna appear in a red jumpsuit that strategically covers her belly, the internet immediately burst into flames, believing Ms. Fenty is expecting baby number two.
The queen of pop performed a setlist of 12 songs, including a mix of hits and some deeper pulls. This was her first big performance since she last performed with DJ Khaled at the 2018 Grammys and viewers noticed the singer seemed to be low on energy than usual. While this could be chalked up to performance jitters, many seem to believe Rihanna was more subdued because she’s in the early stage of a new pregnancy. Normally, we’re not fans of speculating whether a celebrity is pregnant, but Rihanna’s team quickly confirmed the singer and beau A$AP Rocky are going to have a second child. We have to give props to Rihanna; performing in heels and on a floating platform during the Super Bowl wouldn’t be easy normally and to do it while pregnant takes goddess-level stamina.
It was never going to be easy to condense Rihanna’s extensive catalog of hits into a 13-minute performance but the singer did a good job picking a setlist sure to satisfy hardcore fans and casual listeners. Rihanna opened her halftime concert with a short performance of “Bitch Better Have My Money” and ended the halftime show with “Diamonds,” performing hits like “Work” and “We Found Love” in between. The singer was accompanied by a crowd of dancers, outfitted in white jumpsuits, and performed on an elaborate structure of floating platforms.
As usual with a show of this magnitude, fans wondered who Rihanna would bring onstage with her. Over her long career, she’s collaborated with hitmakers like Jay-Z, Drake, and Britney Spears so it came as a shock when Rihanna performed her entire halftime show single. While Rihanna might not have brought on any fellow pop stars, she did bring a surprise guest. Earlier this week, she told NFL Total Access she was thinking of bringing someone onstage with her which seems to be an obvious allusion to her new baby in retrospect.
For those wanting to know the full 12-song setlist, here’s a comprehensive list of the songs Rihanna performed during her Super Bowl halftime show performance.
- “Bitch Better Have My Money”
- “Where Have You Been”
- “Only Girl (In the World)”
- “We Found Love”
- “Rude Boy”
- “Work”
- “Wild Thoughts”
- “Pour It Up”
- “All of the Lights”
- “Run This Town”
- “Umbrella”
- “Diamonds”
Rihanna’s halftime show might not have been the most energetic but with the surprise pregnancy announcement, it’s shaping up to be one of the most memorable. While it’s unlikely we’re gonna see Rihanna on tour anytime soon, we still hold out hope for a new album announcement sometime in the future.
