Bad Gal Riri is back, returning to the stage to headline the Super Bowl 2023 halftime show on Sunday (local time) - with a very surprise guest in tow.
The Barbadian hitmaker, 34, performed a string of her most popular songs including 'Diamonds', 'Work', 'Pour it Up', 'Umbrella' and 'Only Girl (In the World)' as the Philadelphia Eagles played the Kansas City Chiefs at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, launching into the medley with a passing - but pronounced - rub of her baby bump.
The smash-filled setlist was punctuated with several more brief cradles of her stomach, sparking widespread speculation on social media that the singer was expecting. A rep for Rihanna confirmed shortly after the show that the singer is indeed pregnant and expecting her second child with rapper A$AP Rocky.
But let's talk about the outfit. The pop phenom marked her return to the spotlight with head-to-toe red, ensuring all eyes were firmly on her amid the legion of dancers. The pop personage has pivoted from music in recent years, focusing her efforts on her billion-dollar businesses such as Fenty Beauty, Fenty Skin and her Savage X Fenty lingerie line. Prior to her highly anticipated Super Bowl performance, the singer had taken a five-year hiatus from the stage.
Rocking a striking all-red ensemble, Rihanna teamed a Loewe jumpsuit with a latex red bustier beneath, layered over what appeared to be a red high-neck bodysuit. The utility-style one-piece was open at the front, displaying her monochrome layers - and her surprise guest, of course.
She accessorised with Messika jewellery and red MM6 Maison Margiela x Salomon Cross Drawstring High-Top Sneakers that retail for US$415.
She began the show with a custom Alaïa red leather puffer, complete with integrated gloves, and concluded the performance with another custom Alaïa coat - this time a sweeping floor-length red number, also with gloves.
To complete the red-hot look, Rihanna wore a bold red lip and slicked her hair back into a sleek updo with braids and face-framing pieces.
Of course, ever the businesswoman, the songstress couldn't perform at one of the most high-profile events of the year without a product placement for Fenty Beauty, her eponymous line. Mid-performance, she was handed a compact and applied her Invisimatte Instant Setting + Blotting Powder for a quick touch-up, which was quickly all over Twitter.
Rihanna welcomed her first child,a boy, with A$AP Rocky in May 2022. His name has yet to be released by the pair.
The 34-year-old famously turned down the opportunity to headline the halftime show in 2019, a move she said was in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick and the Black Lives Matter movement. She hasn't released an album since Anti in 2016.
