Is Rihanna really going to perform at Super Bowl LVII having previously said no to the NFL?
With the star now set to perform in the Super Bowl’s Halftime Show, there will undoubtedly be some who are wondering what changed her mind.
If you’re going to plan arguably the biggest halftime show in sports, then you’re going to need arguably the biggest pop star on the planet and that’s exactly what the NFL has done.
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Rihanna to perform for Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show
If you hadn’t heard, Rihanna broke the internet with a not-so-subtle announcement on her official Instagram account recently. Indeed, the Diamonds singer posted an image of her hand holding an American Football as a means to confirm that she will be performing during the Halftime Show of Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona next year. Though there have been no further details given, the post comes just hours after it was announced that the Barbadian star was involved in negotiations with the NFL for the show. To that end, both the NFL and Roc Nation - the producer of the show - reposted Rihanna’s image on their respective social media pages as well.
Rihanna said no to the NFL before
Interestingly, this is not the first time that Rihanna has been approached with regards to performing on the NFL’s biggest stage. The last time, was in connection with Super Bowl LIII’s Halftime show, however, the 34-year-old singer declined and Maroon 5 finally took to the stage in Atlanta. Why did she say no? According to a Vogue magazine interview back in 2019, she popstar cited Colin Kaepernick as the reason that she wouldn’t perform. The former 49ers quarterback was suspended by the NFL after taking a knee during the playing of the American national anthem. Fans will remember, that Kaepernick’s actions were in protest of racism and police brutality in the country.
“Of course, I rejected the proposal, I couldn’t risk participating in something like that. Who wins? Certainly not my people. I just couldn’t sell myself in such a way,” the singer said at the time. Incidentally, Kaepernick remains blacklisted by the league and despite rumors linking him with differing teams, has yet to play a single minute in the league since his suspension.