The wait is over. Rihanna made her long-awaited return on music's biggest stage: the Super Bowl halftime show. The Feb. 12 event marked the billionaire's first performance in more than five years. The halftime show delivered on the nine-time Grammy winner's promise to represent all eras of her career, after she described her performance as "based on... A celebration that we can put together in the best way possible”.
Rihanna admitted that creating the setlist was the biggest challenge of the entire production, even more difficult than having hundreds of people set up and tear down the stage in just a few minutes. "That's the hardest part," she said. "You only have 13 minutes, and that's the challenge, so you're trying to cram 17 years of work into 13 minutes." The singer said she reviewed 39 different playlists and reviewed all of them before settling on the final version. Different adjustments, additions and deletions were made. "You know, we had to lose some songs because of that, but that's OK," she said. "But I think we did a good job of narrowing it down."
Here are every song Rihanna performed during the Super Bowl halftime show, which you can watch in full on the NFL's YouTube channel:
1. “Bitch better have my money”
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Perhaps surprisingly, Rihanna opened her Super Bowl performance with "Bitch Better Have My Money," but not before improvising her 2010 hit by simply asking "What's my name?" 's hit songs.
2. "Where Have You Been"
The star seamlessly transitioned into her 2011 Grammy-nominated hit, adding new details over epic bass drops, including the interlude of "Cockiness (Love It)."
3. “The only girl in the world”
RiRi kept the dance going as she sung the chorus to her Grammy-winning single.
4. “We found love.”
She ended the dance segment with "We Found Love," which remains one of her No. 1 songs on Billboard and features the signature melody from her 2010 hit "S&M."
5. “Rude Boy”
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Rihanna adds more energy to "Rude Boy," giving it a danceable remix treatment that includes a sample of her 2016 anti- deep cut "Kiss It Better."
6. "Work"
She then transitioned seamlessly into her anti -hit song "Work" - which didn't include an appearance from Drake.
7. “Wild Ideas”
Rihanna's last performance was at the 2018 Grammy Awards, where she performed with DJ Khaled on their collaborative song "Wild Thoughts." For the Super Bowl, she did it alone.
8. "Pour it out"
RiRi introduced "Pour It Up" with the intro to her 2011 hit "Birthday Cake," which was slightly remixed with a sample of her 2012 Unapologetic deep cut "Numb."
9. "All the Light"
Rihanna proved she didn't need Kanye West to sing the anthemic chorus from his 2010 hit. But just before, she and her dancers broke into a smooth routine to the soundtrack of her 2016 anti -deep cut "Pose."
10. "Running this Town"
Jay-Z also didn't perform "Run This Town" with her as widely predicted, but it sounded as powerful as ever.
11. "Umbrella"
Rihanna brought it all back to 2007, performing her oldest single on the playlist, "Umbrella."
12. "Diamond"
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For her finale, Rihanna flew back into the air, shining brighter than any diamond in the sky.
Every member of Rihanna's navy has their own hopes for what songs she'll perform for the Super Bowl — including Grammy winner HER, who said Rihanna has so many songs to choose from. "They're going to have to extend the airtime a little bit," she told Apple Music during Super Bowl week. "Man, I want to hear 'Umbrella.' I want to hear the classics." I want to hear "We Found Love." I knew I wanted to listen to Love Inside. "
Bettors are even placing bets on the show's opening and closing songs, with "Diamonds" the favorite to kick off the show and "Don't Stop the Music" a top contender for the finale.
