While Super Bowl LVII was one of the best sporting events from the last 20 years, Rihanna’s halftime performance stole the show and the numbers prove it. 

Rihanna made her musical comeback six years after her last performance, and it was well worth the wait. She opened with recent top charting songs and included some of her older hits like “Umbrella” and “All of the Lights.” The nine-time Grammy-winning artist put on a show with a medley of hits that had every Super Bowl party in the country dancing on their feet. On top of the performance, she also told the world that a second child is on the way, less than a year after her first baby in May of 2022.  

Her performance was certainly one of the most memorable in Super Bowl history and having no surprise guests worked towards Rihanna’s advantage. The performance was one that most Rihanna and music fans were eager to watch, and I personally thought she delivered. There were no over-the-top pyrotechnics, stunts or even a significant outfit change but Rihanna’s pure star power was enough to captivate the 118 million viewers watching. This halftime show has now set a high bar for whoever comes next. I had felt that recent Super Bowl performances were average , but there was nothing that was memorable. Ever since her show, I have now found myself going back into her music catalog and playing songs from over a decade ago, which goes to show how impactful her music has been on multiple generations.  

Artists who perform at the Super Bowl halftime do not get a single dollar to perform, but the “free” concert pays off in other areas. Rihanna’s halftime performance drew in 118.7 million viewers, while the football game itself peaked at 113 million. This makes it the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show since Katy Perry’s performance in 2015. Fox’s Super Bowl broadcast ranked as the third most watched television broadcast of all time. Rihanna’s music catalog saw a 390% boost in sales, according to Luminate, and a 140% increase in on-demand streams in the US. The most streamed song of her catalog, “Umbrella,” received 3.8 million streams on the Monday after the performance, as well as another smash hit “Diamonds” receiving 3.2 million streams. Apple Music’s top 100 songs charts on 2/13 saw 12 Rihanna songs, none having been released after 2016. 

 Fenty Beauty, which is her makeup brand, generated $5.6 million dollars in revenue just 12 hours after the halftime show. Google searches for the company increased 883% according to Cosmetics Business. It is safe to say that preforming on the biggest night in US television certainly has its payoffs, and this was just the start for Rihanna’s musical comeback.