Rihanna Super Bowl Halftime Show: First Look Leaks
Footage from outside State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona during one of Rihanna's rehearsals for the Super Bowl LVII halftime show surfaced on Instagram Friday. The footage shows fireworks being set off from inside the venue. The halftime show marks Rihanna's first time performing live in nearly seven years.
Ian Schwartz, the meteorologist for the CBS affiliate in Phoenix, shared the fireworks video on his Instagram page. He received the footage from an insider. The source told Schwartz they could overhear Rihanna performing "Work" and "We Found Love." Schwartz's post also includes footage of a black SUV surrounded by motorcyclists.
Rihanna only has 13 minutes to play with, and she admitted to struggling when it came to putting the setlist together. "Some songs we have to lose because of that, and that's going to be okay," Rihanna said at an Apple Music press conference last week, reports Variety. "We did a pretty good job at narrowing it down. There's probably been about 39 versions of the setlist right now. We're on our 39th. Every little change counts."
There has been speculation that Rihanna's halftime show will mark the beginning of a new era for her musically since she has not released a new album since Anti in 2016. "Lift Me Up," her Oscar-nominated song for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, is her first solo single since 2016.
"Musically I'm feeling open," Rihanna told reporters of her new music. "I'm feeling open to exploring, discovering, creating things that are new, things that are different, things that are off, weird. Might not ever make sense to my fans... I want to have fun with music."
During Sunday's episode of The Process with Nate Burleson, Rihanna said she was inspired by Beyonce's halftime show performances. "I watched Beyoncé's halftime performances a couple of times. She is a beast and a whole other level. Just to be inspired, really," Rihanna said, reports PEOPLE.
The halftime show is also Rihanna's first performance since her 8-month-old son with A$AP Rocky was born. She told Burleson that becoming a mom made her feel like she could take on the world.
"You can do anything, and the Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world," Rihanna said. "So, as scary as that was... there's something exhilarating about the challenge of it all, and it's important for me to do this, this year. It's important for representation. It's important for my son to see that." Super Bowl LVII kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET on Fox, with the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs playing for the NFL title.
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