Not only was the intense matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles anticipated largely, but so was Rihanna’s halftime show.

Fans and sports viewers were ecstatic to hear that Rihanna was performing at the Super Bowl 2023 halftime show because she has not dropped an album since her 2016’s “Anti” and has been missed by fans. This performance was quite special because of the amount of drive Rihanna must have summed up to perform pregnant, with a new sponsor and without pay. 

This was the first year Pepsi wasn’t the sponsor in a long time, which had viewers skeptical. The new sponsor, Apple, did their part and put together a breathtaking stage with floating platforms in the shape of an iPhone. 

The visuals were fantastic as well as the dancers’ simplistic white outfits that made Rihanna stand out in red. Her red top and chestplate gave off a futuristic look while her dancers wore white jackets and pants.

Some may say Rihanna was rooting for the Chiefs with her red outfit, but others may just see her as a “Diamond in the sky”. Regardless, many of her big hits were played including, “Umbrella” and “Only Girl In The World”. 

The one obvious disappointment for fans was the lack of any features, as in the past other celebrities have hopped in and performed. There were many moments where Drake or Jay-Z could have popped out in songs they had parts in, but that opportunity was missed.

It all comes down to preference, as many viewers enjoyed the quick switches between her popular songs’ choruses, while others enjoy hearing the song in full. Regardless of that, the fireworks made the show all the more better. Even if one didn’t enjoy the halftime show, it would seem that Asap Rocky did, as the TV constantly flashed his priceless reaction as he filmed her from his phone smiling.

If anyone could perform solo for the halftime show it was Rihanna. She has so many classic hits that fans can sing along to and Rihanna always puts on quite the performance, pregnant or not. She stood many feet in the air on a glass platform as she was lowered to the ground and moved from stage to stage with her intricately synced dancers. All while this was happening she was revealing her pregnancy to the world.

Even with the lip-sync, the halftime show Rihanna put on was well set up and one for the ages. She plans to go on tour within the next couple years and will wow fans once again, but this time with her voice and dance moves.

The overall combination of the choreography, costuming, lighting/colors and camera work made for a fun halftime show. Rihanna never disappoints.