Who is Rihanna? Said nobody ever. Rihanna has been an inspiration to women around the world since the beginning of her career in 2005. Robyn Rihanna Fenty grew up in Barbados, and at just 16-years-old she signed a major record contract, left high school and moved to the United States to release “Pon de Replay” and the album “Music of the Sun,” that had more of a reggae theme, to become the next world-renowned popstar and performing artist.
Rihanna released many albums and hit songs since 2005 including many songs empowering women from “Dem Haters” to “Good Girl Gone Bad” while also releasing a makeup brand called Fenty Beauty. Fenty Beauty created formulas that work with all skin tones. Rihanna used Fenty Beauty to connect to Black women and P.O.C. that have been consistently mistreated in the beauty industry. Following the success of Fenty Beauty she debuted her brand Savage X Fenty, which is a size-inclusive lingerie brand ranging from XS to XXXL. Unfortunately, she has been silent in terms of her music and personal life for some time, but during her silence, she became a first-time mother, appeared in shows and movies, continued to develop her businesses and became a billionaire. Most recently she made her comeback debut after five years at the Super Bowl LVII halftime show.
On Sunday, Feb. 12 she performed the halftime show of a lifetime reminding people that she is still a musical icon. While wearing a stunning red outfit, Rihanna floated down on a platform suspended above the field. The platforms were arranged differently through the hit songs that were performed including “B**** Better Have My Money,” “Where Have You Been,” “Umbrella,” etc. Immediately you could notice that she was pregnant. Now most halftime performers have a special guest they bring in but having her baby be the special guest is important to her, and something Super Bowl viewers will remember forever. Rihanna wanted to display a message of empowerment and even though she has not performed since the 2018 Grammys she still can give a groundbreaking performance.
After her halftime show, social media was blowing up with positive things and confused questions about her pregnancy. Multi-instrumentalist, Adam Blackstone, praises Rihanna by saying “She was the consummate professional. She knew she agreed to do this big show and pushed through whatever was going on with her health. That, to me, is a testament to her professionalism.” Overall the response to the show was extremely beneficial to Rihanna’s career by increasing her song sales by 390%. The halftime show has surpassed 57 million views and 1.8 million likes on YouTube. Also, the ratings from Fox say that more people tuned in for the Rihanna concert than the actual game itself.
Rihanna, a nine-time Grammy-winning artist, businesswoman, billionaire, actress and mother gave the show of a lifetime that nobody will forget. I hope to see her go and accomplish more amazing things and keep being an inspiration to women everywhere by using her businesses and creating new music for the new generation of women to enjoy.
Tori Zito is a first year Business Marketing Major. TZ993940@wcupa.edu
Sources
Cunningham, John M. “Rihanna.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 16 Feb. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rihanna.
“Cunningham, John M. “Rihanna.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 16 Feb. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rihanna.
Nelson, Keith. “An inside Look at Rihanna’s Iconic Super Bowl Performance.” Men’s Health, 16 Feb. 2023, https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a42916181/rihanna-pregnant-super-bowl-performance-interview/.