Rihanna took to the stage after a five year dormant period at the 57th Super Bowl, her last live performance being in January of 2018.

Since the announcement hit the media that Rihanna would be coming out of “retirement,” Super Bowl moguls and Rihanna fans have run rampant trying to decide how she would open her halftime act. 

After sending society into a social catastrophe with their range of predictions, Rihanna ultimately opened her act in a pitch black arena, followed by a blurb of her 2010 hit, “What’s My Name?”. The stadium lit up to display seven clear platforms suspended in the air, with Rihanna in a full red outfit surrounded by her backup dancers in full white. 

Rihanna officially opened her performance unexpectedly with “Better Have My Money,” a single she released back in 2015. 

Through her performance, Rihanna flashed songs dating all the way back to her 2009 album “Rated R,” and as soon as her hit song “Work” from the album “ANTI” released in 2016. 

On top of a re-run of some of her greatest hits, Rihanna took the world by storm with a surprise physique she displayed in a tight red bodysuit. 

Rihanna welcomed her first child back in May of 2022 with rapper A$AP Rocky and announced her pregnancy via photoshoot. 

After rising on a platform in the center of the arena singing “Diamonds,” Rihanna sang the line “We’re beautiful like diamonds in the sky. Eye to eye.” and then rubbed her stomach on the words “I’m alive.”

This further ignited the already burning rumors, and fans swiftly took to Twitter, unloading their feelings on the wishy-washy announcement. 

Aside from the pregnancy rumors, Rihanna nursed a simple, natural and calm performance at the Super Bowl, skipping all the outlandish props, sets and outfit changes usually seen at halftime. 

After shocking the world by coming back to the light after years, Rihanna boasted a memorable performance by showing off her vocals gracefully, and leaving behind a splintering question to keep her audience on their toes.