Rihanna to headline halftime show at Super Bowl LVII
Published
The Super Bowl is returning to Arizona for the first time since 2015 and an international icon will take centre stage.
While we don’t know which teams will play in Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. just yet, the 2023 Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show will be headlined by nine-time Grammy Award winner Rihanna.
This year is the first time Apple Music, the NFL, and Roc Nation have partnered to put on the production and Emmy-nominated producer Jesse Collins will co-produce the Super Bowl Half Time Show for the second year in a row.
"Rihanna is a generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who surpassed expectations at every turn," said Jay-Z of Roc Nation in a press release. " A person born on the small island of Barbados who became one of the most prominent artists ever."
The 34-year-old musician's accolades includes nine Grammy Awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards, 13, American Music Awards, an Academy Award nomination, and being named as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2012 and 2018.
"Rihanna is an incredible recording artist who is a favourite for many millions of Apple Music customers around the world," said Oliver Schusser of Apple Music, who will be part of the Super Bowl halftime show production for the first time.
Rihanna will join a list of highly talented musical acts that have performed during the Super Bowl halftime show in recent years including Bruno Mars, Coldplay, U2, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, The Weeknd. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige performed together during last year's halftime show at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
The Super Bowl halftime show has become as much of a cultural phenomenon as the game itself. Football fans and non-sport fans alike take time to watch the performance, which is one of the musical events of the year.
Performers do not get paid for their appearance at the Super Bowl, but the impact of the game is shown in their music sales. In 2020, Shakira saw streams of her music go up 230 per cent and Lopez’s skyrocketed 335 per cent the week after the performance, according to Spotify.