Rihanna better get to “work” because she has a Super Bowl halftime show to headline.
The pop star alluded to her Super Bowl LVII performance by posting a photo of a soccer ball to her Instagram on Sunday.
The official Apple Music and NFL Twitter accounts later confirmed Rihanna’s performance Sunday. “Here we go,” read a tweet from Apple Music.
Following the announcement, Jay-Z said in a press release on Sunday that Rihanna was “a generational talent, a woman from humble beginnings who exceeded expectations at every turn.”
The rapper added, “A person born on the small island of Barbados who has become one of the most prominent artists of all time. Self-taught in business and entertainment.”
NFL Chief Music Officer Seth Dudowsky said in a statement that he was “delighted to welcome Rihanna to the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show stage.”
“Rihanna is a one-of-a-kind performer who has been a cultural force throughout her career. We look forward to working with Rihanna, Roc Nation and Apple Music to bring fans another historic Halftime Show performance,” added Dudowsky.
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Rihanna for comment.
The next Super Bowl will feature the first halftime show sponsored by Apple Music; previous shows since 2013 were sponsored by Pepsi (which also first sponsored the 2007 show).
The 2022 halftime show featured multiple headliners: Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige, as well as surprise cameos from 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak.
Dr. Dre joined Ebro Darden on Apple Music 1 on Sunday and said he “can’t wait to see what she’s up to.”
“I just love her and what she does, and she goes down, and how she approaches her artistry and the nine together,” the rapper said. “It’s fantastic. She has the opportunity to really blow us away. I know we’re setting the bar extremely high.”
He also has a tip for Rihanna ahead of her halftime performance.
“Put the right people around you and have fun. That’s basically what it’s all about, making sure you have the right creative people around you,” Dr. Dre said.
Other halftime artists of the past decade include The Weeknd, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, Maroon 5, Justin Timberlake, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars and Beyoncé.
Super Bowl 2022 halftime:Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Snoop, Dre, Kendrick Lamar prove fiery mix at Super Bowl halftime
In an interview with Vogue in October 2019, Rihanna said she turned down the opportunity to perform at the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show in Atlanta. The Grammy-winning singer confirmed she did it to show solidarity with the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who faced controversy after taking a knee during a pre-game national anthem to protest police brutality and social inequality in 2016.
“I couldn’t dare to do that,” she told the magazine. “For what? Who benefits? Not my people. okay, and I wasn’t about to do them any favors in any way.
Kaepernick accused the NFL of colluding to keep him out of the league in a case that was eventually settled in early 2019. That same year, the NFL partnered with Roc Nation (which manages Rihanna) to help pick players. performers for the Super Bowl and strategize on the halftime show.
With sales of over 250 million records worldwide, Rihanna ranks among the best-selling female artists of all time. Her last album was 2016’s “Anti.” Rihanna last performed in public at the Grammy Awards in 2018.
Super Bowl LVII is scheduled to take place on February 12, 2023 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
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Contributor: Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY; Jake Coyle, The Associated Press