Rihanna set the internet ablaze on September 25, when she announced that she’d be headlining the Super Bowl halftime show after a four year hiatus from music. While her influence can be found in the works of Lorde, Zara Larsson, SZA and Tinashe, her presence has been sorely missed by her devoted fanbase, Rihanna’s Navy.
During her time away from music, the singer turned mogul leveraged her musical fame and bad girl aesthetic to build a wildly successful business empire. Her beauty and fashion brands, Fenty Beauty and Savage x Fenty, helped earn her the title of the youngest self-made billionaire.
To get a pulse on the hype around the halftime show, Annenberg Media spoke with USC students about what they’d like to see from Rihanna’s performance.
Anna Thomas, a freshman studying biochemistry, is looking forward to Rihanna’s early hits. “I’m not much of a Rihanna fan, but I know some of her older songs from the early 2000s…songs like ‘Pon De Replay.’”
Angelynn Huang, a junior studying biomedical engineering, agreed. “I feel like everyone knows her most famous songs, like ‘Umbrella,’” said Huang, highlighting one of the songs that played a pivotal role in making the singer a household name.
Several students commented that Rihanna’s discography requires more spectacle than the average performance. Emre Aricioglu, a junior studying biomedical engineering and a Rihanna fan, is looking forward to the visual effects whereas Emily Nguyen, a junior studying human biology, is looking forward to “a more dynamic performance.”
Marina Beam, a senior studying business administration, is looking forward to something uniquely Fenty. “Something unconventional, but at the same time not trying too hard.”
Above all, students are just happy to see that she’s returned.
“Honestly, I need everything,” Beam gushes. “Rihanna hasn’t released a couple of hits in a while, so I’ve been having a bit of a Rihanna withdrawal.”
“I’m really excited,” says Huang. “I feel like she’s kind of a cultural icon at this point.”
“I just know she’s gonna go all out,” said Alexis Medrano, a biokinesiology major. “It’s Rihanna.”
However, one student is more concerned with the implications of Rihanna’s performance.
“From a fan point of view, I am very much excited,” said Matthew Strickland, a junior studying electrical and computer engineering. “A bunch of [popular artists] from our childhood performing together is exciting, but morally, I feel a bit conflicted because previously Rihanna has stated that she…[didn’t want to] work for the NFL when they continue treating Black people in a poor manner.”
Strickland is referring to Rihanna’s statements following Colin Kaepernick’s NFL suspension after his controversial decision to take a knee during the national anthem in 2016.
“I couldn’t dare do that,” the singer told Vogue during a 2019 interview in reference to working with the NFL. “For what? Who gains from that? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler. 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.”
Amid the palpable excitement surrounding the Super Bowl announcement, the comments have not gone unnoticed. A USA Today article described the singer’s decision as “fascinating” while a Jezebel article links the decision to the controversial partnership between the NFL and rapper Jay Z’s label Roc Nation, which Rihanna is signed to.
At the time of this article’s publication, Rihanna has not commented on the change in stance.
If Strickland were to tune in to the Super Bowl performance, they’d appreciate a statement. “I doubt she will [address the shift in stance], but it’s always good to be hopeful because I feel like that’s really important for her to do.”