Rihanna confirmed as 2023 Super Bowl Halftime headliner, as Jay-Z calls her “a generational talent”

By Ben Rogerson
published

Barbadian star will touch down at Apple Music-sponsored event in February

Rihanna
(Image credit: Marco Piraccini\Archivio Marco Piraccini\Mondadori via Getty Images)

Rihanna has been confirmed as the headliner of the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show, which will take place on 12 February.

The star celebrated the announcement by posting a photo of an NFL football on Twitter.

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The Halftime Show is now sponsored by Apple Music, and will be produced, once again, with the help of Jay-Z’s entertainment agency Roc Nation.

Commenting on the announcement, the hip-hop mogul is quoted as saying: "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.”

There had been speculation that Taylor Swift was set to be next year’s Super Bowl headliner, but further reports suggest that she didn’t take the slot because she’s focusing on re-recording her early albums.

Rihanna was previously offered the Super Bowl in 2019, but turned down the chance to perform in solidarity with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who was in dispute with the NFL following his decision to kneel during the pre-game national anthem.

The Super Bowl gig seems likely to coincide with a wider musical comeback for Rihanna, who hasn’t released a new album since 2016’s Anti. If recent halftime shows are anything to go by, we can expect guest stars and a medley of hits during the 15-minute spectacle.

Ben Rogerson
Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.