Following online rumors, Rihanna took to Instagram on Sunday (9.25) to confirm her commitment to headline Super Bowl 57 by sharing a photo of her holding a National Football League (NFL) football.
Though the billionaire superstar singer / fashion entrepreneur has yet to officially comment on her involvement, executives from the National Football League, music label Roc Nation, and event sponsor Apple Music confirmed the news with the following statement:
“Rihanna is a generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn. A person born on the small island of Barbados who became one of the most prominent artists ever. Self-made in business and entertainment,” said Roc Nation co-founder Jay-Z, with NFL Head of Music, Seth Dudowsky, adding “We are thrilled to welcome Rihanna to the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show stage. Rihanna is a once-in-a-generation artist who has been a cultural force throughout her career. We look forward to collaborating with Rihanna, Roc Nation and Apple Music to bring fans another historic Halftime Show performance.”
In a show of solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, in October of 2019 Rihanna rejected an offer to perform during that year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show. Three years prior, the controversial quarterback knelt during the national anthem at the start of NFL games to protest police brutality and racial injustice in America. Having not played in the NFL since, Kaepernick withdrew a grievance with NFL bosses in early 2019 shortly after they agreed on a confidential settlement.
“I couldn’t dare do that. For what? Who gains from that? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler,” Rihanna told Vogue at the time. “There’s things within that organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.”
Super Bowl LVII will take place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on 12 February.
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Danilo Lauria