You don’t have to know a touchdown from a tight end to tune in to Super Bowl LVII, which will be played in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 12, between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. The mini-movie commercials, heavily anticipated movie trailers and the star-studded halftime shows also pull in the crowds. This year’s halftime show is especially exciting for many, since it features Rihanna, an iconic artist who hasn’t released a new album in a while. Here’s the lowdown.
Here’s a little about Rihanna
Barbadian singer Rihanna is one of those musical artists who doesn’t need to use a last name. (It’s Fenty, though. She uses the name for her makeup and lingerie businesses.) She’ll be taking center stage at the halftime show, and as far as we know, she’s doing it solo, unlike last year when Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige all shared the spotlight. (Of course, it’s always possible a celeb friend could pop by.)
Don’t know Rihanna? She’s a pop, fashion and musical icon, a billionaire businesswoman, and an actress who’s starred in movies and TV shows. (Kids loved her as the voice of Tip in the 2015 DreamWorks film Home.) She’s won nine Grammy Awards and is one of the bestselling musical artists of all time, having sold 250 million records worldwide.
Take it from Jay-Z, who signed the singer to Def Jam Records in 2004, and now owns Roc Nation, her management company and the NFL’s official entertainment partner.
“Rihanna is a generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn,” he said when Rihanna’s Super Bowl role was announced.
How to watch the halftime show
Super Bowl LVII is set for Feb. 12, with kickoff at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The game will air on Fox. If you want to tune in just for the halftime show, you probably don’t have to pay attention until about 7:30-8 p.m. ET — the first two quarters of the game will probably run 40 minutes each, with commercials and play stoppages all included. Call it 7:30 p.m. just to be safe. Although if you miss anything, the NFL usually posts online video of the entire halftime show fairly quickly.
If you get Fox on your regular TV channel lineup, you’re set. If you can’t get Fox right now, you could add Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, FuboTV or Sling TV to get the channel and watch the game live.
Want to stream the game live on a mobile app? NFL Plus subscribers can do so on the NFL mobile app, and Fox subscribers can watch it on the Fox Sports app.
What to expect from the halftime show
A voiceover for the Super Bowl halftime show teaser reminds viewers that Rihanna hasn’t released a new album since Anti in 2016. That sure seems to hint at a new album announcement, but not so fast. Variety reports that Rihanna said in November, “That’s not true. Super Bowl is one thing. New music is another thing. Do you hear that, fans?”
New album or no new album, Rihanna knows how to put on a show, and the benefit of not having to split the show among five different musicians means it’ll be similar to a shortened concert.
This is the first year that Apple Music is sponsoring the Super Bowl halftime show, replacing Pepsi. We’ll have to wait and see if Apple Music offers any tech gems or extras relating to the show.
Correction, 2:20 p.m. PT: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Rihanna hasn’t released any new music since her 2016 album. She hasn’t released a new album since then, but has released new music.
