Super Bowl Halftime Show
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We’re weeks away from Rihanna taking over the Super Bowl LVII halftime show on Feb. 12. But before the superstar makes her sure-to-be-triumphant return to the stage, let’s look back on the halftime spectacles that have come before her.
The 2023 game marks 30 years since Michael Jackson‘s Super Bowl performance of 1993, which marked the beginning of a new kind of halftime show — one where fans began expecting to see the superstars they love enlisted to put on a career-defining set filled with lights, music and often a special surprise or two.
Throughout the last three decades, everyone from Katy Perry and Madonna to Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones have graced center stage between the goalposts, and we want to know which halftime performance is your all-time favorite.
In Billboard‘s official ranking, staffers put Prince‘s 2007 set at the very top thanks to The Purple One’s mix of his own hits with covers of Queen (“We Will Rock You”), Bob Dylan (“All Along the Watchtower”) and Creedence Clearwater Revival by way of Tina Turner (“Proud Mary”), though the defining act of his halftime show was the extended coda of “Purple Rain” as actual rain poured down in the stadium.
Then there’s U2‘s set just months after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, which brought the still-mourning nation together for a special tribute that included “Beautiful Day,” “MLK” and “Where the Streets Have No Name.”
Of course, the most memorable Super Bowl moment of all time occurred in 2004 when Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake headlined and an accidental tear-away (or expertly planned shock to the system, depending on who you ask) in the closing strains of “Rock Your Body” rocketed the phrase “wardrobe malfunction” into the cultural vernacular.
Other modern triumphs at the Super Bowl halftime show have come in recent years courtesy of Beyoncé, whose incredible 2013 set shut down the power in the third quarter of the game; Lady Gaga, who kicked off her 2017 performance by singing “God Bless America” and jumping from the roof of the stadium; and Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, whose combined dance moves and costumes sparked a flood of controversy just weeks before the coronavirus pandemic took over the world.
And last year, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg headlined an epic hip-hop show with help from Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak that electrified the hometown crowd at L.A.’s SoFi Stadium with hits like “California Love,” “No More Drama” and “Still D.R.E.”
Vote for your favorite Super Bowl halftime show below!
Stephen A. Smith walked back the comments he made comparing Rihanna to Beyoncé on Wednesday (Jan. 18).
The moment occurred when the firebrand sports commentator stopped by Sherri Shepherd’s eponymous talk show to discuss the “Needed Me” singer’s upcoming Super Bowl LVII halftime show. “Ladies and gentlemen, she’s a lot of things; she’s spectacular, actually,” he said. “There’s one thing she’s not: She ain’t Beyoncé.”
Obviously, the ill-suited comparison sparked a vocal outcry from the studio audience — as well as backlash among Rihanna’s fans on social media — and hours after the interview aired, Smith hopped on Instagram ready to eat crow. “I’m gonna own it,” he said. “I know what y’all tryin’ to do. But I’m gon’ own it because I get paid to speak for a living, so I need to be more careful.
“I want Rihanna to know: You’re a superstar, you’re sensational, you’re spectacular,” the ESPN personality continued. “You’re no joke. And you are a worthy person to be doing the Super Bowl halftime show.”
However, Smith then attempted to justify his comment by blaming Shepherd for asking a question in front of her largely female studio audience. “Now I’m a Beyoncé fan,” he stated. “I think that Beyoncé is not only a phenomenal performer, but the phenomenal performer. And the only reason any kind of comparison came into play is because Beyoncé performed at halftime at the Super Bowl not just by herself, but one separate Super Bowl performance with Bruno Mars and Coldplay. And I thought that those were two of the greatest shows that I’ve ever seen.
“So what I’m saying is anybody has to measure up to that,” he concluded. “Last year with Snoop and Dre and Mary J. and Eminem, I was like, ‘Bruno Mars! Beyoncé! Coldplay! Big time! They’ve got to measure up to that.’ Anybody who does a Super Bowl halftime show, forever I’m gonna say, ‘Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, Coldplay, and Beyoncé by themselves.’ Michael Jackson could still be alive and I would say, ‘It’s gotta measure up to that.’”
Watch Smith’s gasp-inducing Sherri interview and subsequent mea culpa to Rihanna below.
Her biggest fan! A$AP Rocky dished on just how much he’s looking forward to Rihanna‘s Super Bowl Halftime Show in a new interview on Wednesday (Jan. 18), and teased that she’s going to impress.
“Oh, man. I’m just as excited as you guys, if not more,” he told Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1. “Yeah, I’m super excited. This is huge. This is incredible. I’m so glad that my lady’s back making music again and whatnot, and getting back out there.”
“It’s just incredible,” the rapper continued. “Especially for both of us — it is a good year for both of us to be more active and be out there. But the Super Bowl is huge, and her being the creative she is, she going to bring it, man. I’m excited. I’m more excited than everybody else, honestly.”
RiRi’s big game-day performance may still be a few weeks away, but she’s already released a teaser for the show as well as a limited edition Savage X Fenty Game Day collection filled with merch for fans to wear as they watch her return to the stage after a six-year hiatus.
During the interview, Rocky also opened up about what it’s been like becoming a father. “I’m a member of our club now, like the dad club. You see a dad, you see me. I’m playing on, I’m a full dad now,” said the rapper, who welcomed a son with Rihanna in May. “Being outside and working and being creative, it drives more energy for you to obviously to think and soak things up like a sponge now that I’m a dad, because I have a whole ‘nother perspective. But it honestly helps you get home to your family and get home to your baby. And I can’t even explain it, man. You come home to heaven every day. I’m so thankful. God is good, man.”
The Super Bowl Halftime Show has come a long way over the years, growing from a quaint marching band-centric affair to a blockbuster concert that draws in the biggest names in music — not to mention millions of eyeballs.
When it debuted in 1967, the halftime show featured, among other things, the University of Arizona Symphonic Marching Band performing “The Sound of Music” and “When the Saints Go Marching In,” nothing you wouldn’t be surprised to see at any ordinary college football game. As the years went on, however, it expanded — but it wasn’t quite A-list. Mid-game breaks featured everything from an Elvis Presley-impersonating magician (Elvis Presto, obviously) to the New Mouseketeers.
But when Michael Jackson headlined the halftime show in 1993, everything changed. Audiences grew accustomed to the idea of seeing the biggest pop star in the world performing at the biggest game in America, and before long, the modern halftime show took hold. It became not only an offering of live music and entertainment for football fans waiting patiently for third quarter to start, but also a badge of honor for the artists invited to perform. Playing the Super Bowl is one of the greatest milestones you can achieve as a musician, a singular marker of a star who’s earned their stripes as a bona fide legend.
From MJ’s game-changer to Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson’s culture-shifting slipup, and from Beyonce’s 2013 show-stopper to Dr. Dre’s 2022 hip-hop extravaganza, keep reading to see Billboard‘s 13 best Super Bowl Halftime Show performances of all time.
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Valentine’s Day is a month away, and Rihanna wants you to show your skin some love with a special edition of one of her “favorite” products.
“Valentine’s Day is the perfect occasion to create a special version of my favorite body care product – this time with a sexy rose gold shimmer finish and delicious vanilla scent for irresistible skin,” Rihanna said in news release sent to Billboard on Tuesday (Jan. 10).
The newly released Butta Drop Vanilla Whipped Oil Body Cream boasts a dreamy, warm vanilla scent to help you achieve silky smooth, ultra-hydrated skin.
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The rose gold, pearl-infused body butter retails for $45 and is packed with rich butters, restorative tropical oils and extracts. Included among the ingredients are seven different oils: Kalahari melon, sorrel, baobab, sunflower, rice bran, coconut and jojoba, along with shea butter, mango butter and glycerin.
Fenty Skin
Limited-Edition Butta Drop Vanilla Dream Shimmering Whipped Oil Body Cream $45
As of today, Buttah Drop Vanilla Whipped Oil Body Cream is available at FentySkin.com and Sephora.com, but only for a limited time (or while supplies last). The product will be released in-store at Sephora and Kohl’s at Sephora on Feb. 10.
Meanwhile, Rihanna is officially back in work mode after welcoming a son last year. Earlier this week, the new mom debuted the Savage x Fenty “Game Day” collection of Super Bowl-themed hoodies, joggers, jerseys, tees, hats and more available in brown, black and navy-blue designs.
Rihanna is also nominated for best original song at Tuesday night’s (Jan. 10) Golden Globe Awards for “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — and that’s not the only big event on her schedule. The 34-year-old singer will headline the Super Bowl halftime show next month, and if “Lift Me Up” snags an Oscar nod, she could potentially perform at the Academy Awards in March too.
As you already know, Rihanna is set to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show on Feb. 12. And she’s likely to perform at the Academy Awards on March 12, assuming “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is nominated for best original song.
“Lift Me Up,” which Rihanna co-wrote with Ludwig Göransson, Ryan Coogler and Tems, was one of 15 songs shortlisted in that category last month. The song’s sheer quality, its success (it reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100), the film’s potency and Rihanna’s star-power all point to a nomination. “All the Stars,” from the initial Black Panther, was nominated for best original song four years ago.
Even if “Lift Me Up” is nominated, there’s no guarantee that Rihanna will perform it on the telecast. Two years ago, the Academy relegated the best original song nominees to a “pre-show,” a move that was roundly criticized.
And even if Rihanna is invited to perform the song on the telecast, there’s a chance she could decline. Kendrick Lamar and SZA did not perform “All the Stars” on the Oscar telecast four years ago, a move blamed on “logistics and timing.” But that was an outlier. When Oscar calls, even the biggest stars usually say yes. Beyoncé opened last year’s show with a memorable performance of “Be Alive” from King Richard. Such other superstars as Adele, U2, Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, Sam Smith, Justin Timberlake, Sting, Elton John, and Billie Eilish with Finneas have performed nominated songs on the Oscars in the past decade. Expect Rihanna to join that list.
Rihanna wouldn’t be the first person to perform on the Oscar telecast and at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in the same calendar year. Phil Collins played both high-profile gigs in 2000, though he wasn’t the headliner of the Super Bowl Halftime Show on Jan. 30, but part of a multi-artist package that also included Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias and Toni Braxton. Collins performed “Two Worlds” from Tarzan at the Disney-produced halftime show.
Two months later, on March 26, Collins performed “You’ll Be in My Heart,” also from Tarzan, at the 72nd Academy Awards. The song (which Collins wrote by himself) went on to win the Oscar.
Nominations round voting for the 2023 Oscars extends from Jan. 12 to 17. Nominations will be announced on Jan. 24. Final round voting extends from March 2-7.
After a weekend of wild NFL action setting the stage for next week’s first round of playoff games, Rihanna is getting fully psyched for this year’s Super Bowl. The singer who will perform at halftime of Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona showed up in an NFL promo on Sunday in which she posed in a black Fenty football sweatshirt featuring the same image that helped announce her gig — a tattooed hand holding up a pigskin — as she leaned back and gave the camera her best game face.
“5 weeks from today,” read the caption on the post from the NFL. Rihanna will perform at the newly rebranded Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show, which is being produced by DPS with Roc Nation.
That wasn’t all, though. Rih Rih also used the opportunity to hype a new limited-edition collection of football-inspired Fenty gear under the “Game Day” banner. The sporty drop features 17 styles, from hoodies to boxers, sweatpants, two-tone varsity jerseys, beanies, bandanas and tube tops, with sizes ranging from XXS to 4X. There’s also a white graphic tee with the important message: “Rihanna Concert Interrupted by a Football Game, Weird But Whatever.”
According to WWD, the singer will also launch a three-day “Game Day” pop-up shop in Los Angeles from Jan. 27-29 where customers will be able to shop the entire collection in a football-themed store. As is customary, new mom Rihanna is keeping details of her halftime extravaganza under tight wraps, telling ET in Nov., “I can’t believe I even said yes. It was one of those things that even when I announced it, I was like, ‘OK, I can’t take it back. Now, it’s like final.’ The Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world, it’s an entertainer’s dream to be on a stage like that,” she added. “But it’s nerve-racking. You want to get it right. You know, everybody’s watching. And they’re rooting for you. And I want to get it right.”
At press time it was still unknown if any special guests will be joining Rih for her mid-game spotlight.
See the NFL’s halftime show promo and images from the Fenty collection below.