While we don’t expect Rihanna to perform new songs at the Super Bowl halftime show, we do feel that the performance itself is important. focused on the brands of While it’s safe to see her decked out in her own designs during her halftime performance, her focus goes back to the music that first made her a star over 17 years ago.
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To create the performance setlist, Rihanna recently said(opens in new tab) Her biggest challenge was “not just deciding how to maximize the 13 minutes, but celebrating it. [my music.] That’s what this show is about: a celebration of my catalogue,” said music director Adam Blackstone. good morning america(opens in new tab) Ri wanted the show to be “epic”. He also called Rihanna’s incredible discography “a gift and a curse”. Too many hits to narrow it down to a handful, but here’s my dream halftime performance as Navy.
Intro Mashups: “Pon de Replay” “Don’t Stop the Music” “Rude Boy” “S&M” “Diamond” “This Is What You Come For”
Rihanna’s fans know she’s a star, but the intro should remind the general public (a.k.a. football fans) that she’s an icon. A minute-long mashup of hits and viral soundbites from her 18-year career — 2005’s “Pong Replay” (her debut single), 2007’s “Don’t Stop the Music”, 2009’s “Rude Boy”, 2010’s “S&M”, and 2012’s “Diamond” and 2016’s “This is What You Came For (adds 2015’s “Bitch Better Have My Money”). But I don’t think it will pass the family-friendly filter of the Super Bowl.
Rihanna performed a similarly styled medley at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards and did it spectacularly. In 60 Seconds, audiences will not only be ready to perform, but they will be impressed by Rihanna’s prolific hits.
“The only girl in the world)”
This 2010 banger is the epitome of RiRi. Sexy, bold, and party-ready (but lacking her signature Barbadian twist). This crowd-pleasing song is the perfect opener, as it has millennial-female sentiment, dude fist pumps, and baby-boom grooves, and it reminds me of what I sang on a car radio station in the 2010s.
“What’s My Name” and “Work” feat. Drake (or A$AP Rocky)
Ex and collaborator Drake have appeared on two of Rihanna’s biggest hits and are sure to pop up at some point. Like this impassioned performance of “Work,” it’s also the stage of the past.(opens in new tab) Proving that on-stage synergy is the size of a Super Bowl stadium. Let’s not forget that Rihanna is currently in a happy relationship with A$AP Rocky. hell Be the one who makes cameos instead.
Piano Medley: “California King Bed” “Stay” “Love on the Brain”
Accompanied by a see-through acrylic piano, the haters will know, yes, she teeth Performing herself, Rihanna lets her raw vocals shine on this interlude. My ideal medley would start with the criminally underrated “California King Bed” and move on to her hits “Stay” and “Love on the Brain,” but this Arizona-based We know how unlikely you are to hear anything about California at a place event. Remember 2016’s “Love on the Brain” when Rihanna performed in a gown, where she brought that energy to this part of the show and a giant train atop her piano bench? hope you can drape the
“Umbrella” feat. Jay-Z
Rihanna have To do an “umbrella”, and it must contain rain. When you open the stage, a hooded figure appears. “Super Bowl 57!” A familiar voice echoes. And, whoops, Jay-Z in a black and gold rain jacket. He sings the opening verse and asks, “Little Miss Sunshine, Rihanna, where are you?” and plays like Jay-Z hanging out ad-libbing by her side (at this point, I’m not thinking of him anymore). She waves goodbye to Jay and steps to center stage to sing Bridge. Rihanna completes the song with 20 dancers performing choreography that includes a wet hair toss.
Finale: “We Found Love”
“We Found Love” is the perfect song for Sunday’s Super Bowl finale. It’s bright and frenetic, with a killer beat drop and chorus that’s about 90% instrumental. It makes people happy. And during the chorus, RiRi doesn’t have to sing much, so she can dance, splash, and spin on stage as colorful fireworks explode behind her. A fitting ending to what you can expect her to be one of the greatest Super Bowl halftime shows of all time.
