On Sept. 25, Rihanna was announced as the performer at the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show in Glendale, Arizona. This announcement comes amidst rumors that Rihanna is back in the studio recording an upcoming album, having toured nearly a decade ago, with her latest release “ANTI” in 2016. Though she has not released music in six years, in her time away from music, she became a makeup and fashion mogul, as well as a mother earlier this year with partner A$AP Rocky.

In 2017, she launched Fenty Beauty, an inclusive company with 40 shades of foundation, the broadest shade range at the time and the following year opened her lingerie line, SAVAGE X FENTY. The brand has done iconic fashion shows that rival other popular companies such as Victoria’s Secret.

The halftime show has become an integral part of the Super Bowl, which started in 1967 as a way to entertain the crowd during the break between the second and third quarter of the game. At first, halftime shows featured marching bands from local high schools and colleges and eventually evolved to celebrity performances, such as Michael Jackson’s 1993 halftime show, which transformed the moment into a pop culture phenomenon. Other pop culture moments from Super Bowl halftime shows include Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction, Prince playing his song “Purple Rain” in the rain, Destiny’s Child’s 2013 reunion, Beyoncé debuting “Formation” and Lady Gaga jumping off the roof of NRG Stadium in 2017.

Rihanna’s announcement comes with other noteworthy news regarding sponsorship for the halftime show. After a decade-long sponsorship, Pepsi-Cola has been replaced by Apple Music as the new sponsor of the halftime show, in a deal that will span many years; however, Apple Music nor the NFL has revealed the duration or economics behind the agreement. Pepsi will still be the official drink of the Super Bowl and other companies such as Anheuser-Busch, the company behind beers such as Budweiser and Stella Artois, have decided to end their deals with the Super Bowl as well.

Freshman Sheppard Brown is excited about Rihanna’s performance. “She definitely can’t miss performing ‘Love on the Brain!’” Brown said.

Even though there is buzz around what she’ll be performing, there’s also gossip about who will be performing with her, if anyone. Freshman Jake Pranian said, “I honestly have no idea if she would. I feel like it would be a rapper. In a perfect world, I would love to see Normani.”

Tune in on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023 to see what Rihanna has in store.