Super Bowl LVII: Why Rihanna won’t get a dime for her Apple Music halftime performance in front of 190M viewers
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Rihanna is all set to star at halftime of the Super Bowl 2023, but the influential icon won't earn a penny from the upcoming performance. The renowned singer will be back on center stage after a long-term hiatus and fans are over the moon. The richest female musician will now perform as Apple Music's halftime act for Super Bowl LVII in front of an estimated 190 million people, on Sunday, February 10.
“I felt like it was now or never for me,” Rihanna shared in an interview a few months ago. “The Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world, it’s an entertainer’s dream to be on a stage like that.” This performance will mark the first one after being absent from music for over six years. Her first song since 2017—'Lift Me Up' from 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' was released in October last year, and it was nominated for the Oscars for Best Original Song, Forbes reported.
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Rihanna notably declined the opportunity to perform at the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show, telling Vogue that she did so in solidarity with former quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who was suspended from the NFL for taking a knee to denounce systematic racism and police brutality. “I just couldn’t be a sellout,” the pop star said at the time, “I couldn’t be an enabler.”
Rihanna's comeback was long-awaited
Rihanna has been absent from music for six years. During her long-term absence, she gave birth to her first child on May 13, 2022. The 34-year-old has also established Fenty Beauty, which was launched six years ago with luxury goods giant LVMH, into one of the most inclusive and prosperous cosmetic businesses in the industry, valued at an estimated $2.8 billion. After raising $125 million last year, she also launched the lingerie brand 'Savage X Fenty', which is considering an IPO for $3 billion. It is estimated that Rihanna's fortune is worth $1.4 billion with the two businesses combined.
According to Forbes, Rihanna won't be paid for her upcoming Super Bowl performance as is custom for halftime headliners. Artists never get paid for their performances, regardless of how famous they are. Instead, they get to have close to 200 million sets of eyes on them. This has boosted record sales; tenfold for artists such as Lady Gaga. Jennifer Lopez gained 2.3 million new followers across social media after she and Shakira headlined in 2020. Forbes points out that these increases in following and sales are hard to ignore.
According to @Forbes, Rihanna's Halftime Show is expected to be viewed by 192 million U.S. adults. Meanwhile, Rihanna's team didn't comment on whether or not she is putting her own money into the show. https://t.co/MLwdTQ6sML
— Fenty Headlines (@FentyHeadlines) February 10, 2023
'This is HUGE'
Perplexed fans commented on the news after learning the whopping number of viewers who will be attending the performance, one user tweeted, "I don't get it. That seems a lot since the current record stands at 118.5 million," while another added, "She would be CRAZY to not release an album right after tbh". Someone tweeted "This sounds like a lot. Like a looooot." Another tweet read "I was predicting 150m. This is HUGE." Another astonished fan tweeted, "Would make it the biggest one if fucking ever... Forbes is setting her up. Also no the artist don't put their own money into it...unless she went over budget but im gonna assume @AppleMusic is happy to give her as much as she needs for their inaugural show."
I don't get it. That seems a lot since the current record stands at 118.5 million
— Elon Sucks (@sp_art_acus) February 10, 2023
She would be CRAZY to not release an album right after tbh
— slayvion ⚔️ (@jadenvuitton1) February 10, 2023
Would make it the biggest one if fucking ever... Forbes is setting her up. Also no the artist don't put their own money into it...unless she went over budget but im gonna assume @AppleMusic is happy to give her as much as she needs for their inaugural show.
— Poisoned ☠ Apple 🍏 (@Je_Suis_Rhenna) February 10, 2023
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