Rihanna Wanted to ‘Make a Statement’ by Not Having Any Special Guests During Halftime Show, Producer Jesse Collins Says
usmagazine.comShe calls the shots! Rihanna didn’t bring out any special guests during her 2023 Super Bowl halftime show performance despite several of her collaborators being in the stadium for the game.The Barbados native, 34, made a major entrance at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Sunday, February 12, performing live for the first time in years.
The set included a mix of Rihanna’s biggest hits — including “We Found Love,” “Umbrella” and more — and a team of dancers who appeared on floating stages.Halftime show producer Jesse Collins shared behind-the-scenes insights about how the pop star prepared for the huge career milestone, explaining why Rihanna chose to appear solo.“I think it was just her wanting to make the statement that she could carry this thing and she did,” Collins told Entertainment Tonight after the NFL championship. “People just want to see her and so she had to give ’em a show and she did.
We haven’t seen her dance like that in a long time and I thought it was just spectacular. … [I’m] just really happy to be a part of it.”While details of the performance were kept under wraps before Sunday night, many fans wondered whether any other A-listers would join Rihanna on stage. Jay-Z, Drake and DJ Khaled — all of whom have recorded hits with the “Shut Up and Drive” singer — watched the 13-minute show from the sidelines.“She has a massive catalog [and] not a lot of time,” Collins noted, adding that what viewers saw on Sunday was “version 39” of the gig. “She wasn’t gonna be ready until it was absolutely perfect. … It was a lot of work.”The medley was the first time a halftime performer has been “primarily in the air for 40 percent” of the show.
