In just a week from today (February 5), arguably one of the most anticipated Super Bowl Halftime Shows of all time, will take place with Rihanna as the headliner.

The excitement around Rihanna’s return to the stage is widespread and potent, with the artiste’s elusive presence in the music industry contributing greatly to her appeal. After a more than decade-long run, starting in 2005, that produced eight hit albums, several blockbuster one-off singles and pop-culture ubiquity, this will be her first performance in six years.

According to essence.com, it has been almost 1,830 days since the release of her last studio album, Anti.

Her last performance was as part of a trio, with Bryson Tiller and DJ Khaled, for one of her many hit features since her break, Wild Thoughts. 

Through her lengthy hiatus from music, the artiste has established herself in both the beauty and fashion industries with the popularisation of her lucrative business ventures. As of October in 2023, Rihanna has racked up a net worth of US$1.7 billion with a large portion of it coming from the success of her beauty line, Fenty Beauty (which made her US$46 million alone in the year 2020).

However impressive her financial success, Rih has acquired even much more during her break. She recently had her first child, with American rapper, A$AP Rocky; has made significant contributions to climate justice, domestic violence and COVID relief; and released singles for one of the most watched movies of 2022, Black Panther.

Her complete return to music is close, due to her upcoming Apple Music Halftime Show at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. A legendary performance is the expectation as the artiste revisits her most loved hits with her tantalising and almost illusory stage presence.

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