CNN —
Must be NFL on the brain: Pop icon and entrepreneur Rihanna will perform at next year’s Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show, the NFL announced Sunday.
The news comes after both Rihanna and the NFL tweeted a picture of the musician’s hand holding a football Sunday afternoon, sparking speculation that she would be the halftime performer.
In the NFL’s statement, Jay-Z, whose entertainment agency Roc Nation is one of several executive producers on the halftime show, called Rihanna a “generational talent.”
“Rihanna is a generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn,” Jay-Z said in the statement. “A person born on the small island of Barbados who became one of the most prominent artists ever. Self-made in business and entertainment.”
Rihanna, born Robyn Rihanna Fenty, has built a business empire in addition to her successful music career. In 2021, Forbes announced that she had become a billionaire and the world’s wealthiest female musician, thanks to her Fenty Beauty makeup line and Savage x Fenty lingerie line.
The singer joins a cadre of musical icons – including Prince, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Madonna and Jennifer Lopez – who have taken the stage for the halftime show. Last year’s performance, featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar, earned five Emmy nominations and won three Emmys.
The 57th Super Bowl will take place on February 12, 2023, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. It will be the first with Apple Music as a partner on the Halftime Show, according to the NFL’s announcement.
“We are thrilled to welcome Rihanna to the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show stage,” said Seth Dudowsky, the NFL’s head of music, in the statement. “Rihanna is a once in a generation artist who has been a cultural force throughout her career.”
The 2023 Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show has found its main act.
Rihanna has signed on to perform at the mega-event, which is set to take place during Super Bowl LVII Feb. 12 just outside of Phoenix, Arizona.
DPS with Roc Nation and Jesse Collins will produce the telecast, with both serving as executive producers while Hamish Hamilton serves as director. Roc Nation is also doubling as the strategic entertainment advisor for the live performance.
“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,” Jay-Z said in a statement.
“We are thrilled to welcome Rihanna to the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show stage,” Seth Dudowsky, NFL Head of Music, added in his own statement. “Rihanna is a once-in-a-generation artist who has been a cultural force throughout her career. We look forward to collaborating with Rihanna, Roc Nation and Apple Music to bring fans another historic Halftime Show performance.”
The Super Bowl Halftime Show is one of the biggest musical events of the year, with performers typically going all-out for their performances, and guest appearances being a common occurrence. 2023 will also mark the first year that Apple Music will be the presenting sponsor of the event, taking over Pepsi, which had sponsored the show for the last decade. Apple is promising behind-the-scenes previews and other content ahead of the big game.
“Rihanna is an incredible recording artist who is a favorite for many millions of Apple Music customers around the world,” Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats, said. “We’re excited to partner with Rihanna, Roc Nation and the NFL to bring music and sports fans a momentous show — what an incredible artist for the inaugural Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show.”
In the past, Rihanna has been critical of the NFL: In a 2019 interview with Vogue, she said she previously turned down the halftime show because of the treatment of former quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who settled with the NFL after accusing it of shutting him out of the league for his activism against police brutality.
“I couldn’t dare do that. For what? Who gains from that? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler,” she told Vogue. “There’s things within that organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.”
However, she was seen at this year’s NFC championship game with Jay-Z; he too, once took swipes at the NFL for the same reason, though later teamed up with the league with Roc Nation to produce the halftime show, arguing partnering with the league on social justice initiatives marked progress.
More details about the upcoming show, including sneak peeks, will be released over the coming months on Apple Music’s various social media platforms.
The 2022 halftime show featured Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent performing at SoFi Stadium. Other recent performers have included The Weeknd, Lady Gaga and Beyonce.
But the halftime show has become bigger than just the performance, with artists frequently using the event to announce tours or new albums, and with documentary cameras often rolling to capture the preparation and lead-up to the big event. The NFL says the 2022 Pepsi Halftime Show was viewed by more than 120 million people, underscoring the reach of the platform.