Yesterday America and the whole world witnessed an immense event. Yes, sports fans were gripped by the close battle between Kansas City and Philly for the title of Superbowl winner, but we’re talking about Robyn Fenty’s halftime show – her first performance in seven years which revealed she’s pregnant with her second child! The historic performance took place at roughly 1:30 GMT on the 12th February in State Farm Stadium, Arizona. If you missed it here’s everything that happened in Rihanna’s legendary concert.
The singer looked every bit an angel as she floated on a moving platform above the stadium, fans, and the giant luminous red crucifix stage. She was very on the Valentine’s Day theme in a rich red monochrome fit. In a custom Loewe ski suit-resembling jumpsuit embellished with rhinestones, she strutted her stuff across the stage revealing glimpses of a sexy latex bra and a baby bump! The outfit perfectly meshed edginess and elegance completed with a ruby red lip, diamond earrings, and MM6 Maison Margiela X Salmon slip-on sneakers. Her long, luscious locks were pulled back into two braids whilst front pieces framed her face.
RiRi promised us that the 13-minute mini-concert would be “jam-packed”, and she sure delivered. Delivering a medley of hit after hit she gave a whirlwind trip through the very best of her music career.
She slyly locked eyes with the camera as she kicked off the performance with her single from 2015 ‘Bitch Better Have My Money’. She then shoulder shimmied her way into a rendition of club favourite ‘Where Have You Been’ from 2011’s Talk That Talk and descended from the sky to join her army of dancers dressed head to toe in white tracksuits and sunglasses. Leaving no time for us to catch our breathes she rose again rushing into her number one hit song ‘Only Girl in the World’ and gave a powerful vocal performance that rocked the stadium. Effortlessly cool as always Rihanna glided down once more pulling moves as she sung 2011’s ‘We Found Love’ in a mix of the song spliced with the beginning of ‘S&M’. A highlight of the performance was RiRi and her dancers cheekily showing us their behinds during ‘Rude boy’ before grinding to the very sexy ‘Work’ from her last album Anti. ‘Wild Thoughts’ drove the stadium feral with Rihanna and her many dancers moving in perfect synchronicity. The singer took a seat for the single ‘Pour it up’ from her seventh studio album. She, of course, had to have her diva moment and advertise Fenty by reapplying her powder before diving ‘All the Lights’. As she headed to the end of the extravaganza Ms Fenty pulled out her best – she performed solo her collab with Kanye and Jay-Z, ‘Run this town’, before fireworks lit the sky for the finale. Rihanna pulled on a huge duvet coat and a pair of gloves for the mega anthem ‘Umbrella’ and then sailed up to the heavens for a phenomenal closer of ‘Diamonds’. Fans in the stadium created a gorgeous atmosphere by turning on their torches to mimic diamonds. What a fabulous ending.
The internet was left with no short of matters to discuss after the event. Not only was Twitter flooded with fans praising the Barbadian superstar’s stunning show but there was much speculation over Rihanna’s possible pregnancy. A representative for Rihanna revealed that our suspicions are correct and she is pregnant with her second child.
https://twitter.com/XXL/status/162494932043586765
Despite rumours that the singer may bring out one of her many collaborators such as SZA, Jay-Z, or her partner A$AP Rocky, Rihanna did not share the spotlight for her first performance in more than half a decade (except for with her bump). A$AP was seen beaming and bopping along as he watched his girlfriend perform from below.
Though her fit seemed romance themed, V-Day slipped Rihanna’s mind. In an interview with Apple Music RiRi said, “I’ve been so focused on the Superbowl I totally forgot that my birthday is coming up. I totally forgot about Valentine’s Day”. Her dedication is evident.
Rihanna said a big part of why it was important to do the show was representation. She continued to say she was, “Representing for immigrants. Representing for Black women everywhere. I’m honoured to be doing this this year”.
