Billboard Explains: How Rihanna Arrived At the Super Bowl

Rihanna has left fans eager for new music since the release of her most recent album, 2016’s Anti. Since then, the star has launched her Savage X Fenty lingerie line, skyrocketed her Fenty Beauty makeup company and even welcomed a son with A$AP Rocky.

The musical drought changed in the fall of 2022, when Rihanna was announced as the halftime performer for Super Bowl LVII and the singer unveiled “Lift Me Up” off the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. But what will taking the stage at the big game on Sunday (Feb. 12) mean for RiRi and what will it add to her legacy?

“Jay-Z and Roc Nation began overseeing the Super Bowl halftime show in 2020, and on average, each show costs $13 million,” explains Billboard‘s Neena Rouhani. While Super Bowl performers don’t usually get paid for the gig, they often see a huge bump in merchandise and music sales.

Watch the latest episode of Billboard Explains above to learn more about how Rihanna arrived at the Super Bowl.

After the video, catch up on more Billboard Explains videos and learn about the best new artist award at the Grammys, evolution of girl groups, BBMAs, NFTs, SXSW, the magic of boy bands, American Music Awards, the Billboard Latin Music Awards, the Hot 100 chart, how R&B/hip-hop became the biggest genre in the U.S., how festivals book their lineups, Billie Eilish’s formula for success, the history of rap battles, nonbinary awareness in music, the Billboard Music Awards, the Free Britney movement, rise of K-pop in the U.S., why Taylor Swift is re-recording her first six albums, the boom of hit all-female collaborations, how Grammy nominees and winners are chosen, why songwriters are selling their publishing catalogs, how the Super Bowl halftime show is booked and why Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” was able to shoot to No. 1 on the Hot 100.