Dr. Dre has weighed in on Rihanna’s announcement on Sunday, confirming that she will be headlining the Super Bowl Halftime Show next year. As previously reported, multiple sources claimed Rih-Rih had been in talks with NFL bosses to take center stage at the annual sports event, but things weren’t made official until the “Same Ol’ Mistakes” singer took to Instagram to share a photo of herself holding an NFL football.
Now, Dr. Dre, who headlined the halftime show in February alongside Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem, says he’s looking forward to what the Bajan beauty has in store for her fans. “I just like her and what she does, and her get down, and how she approaches her artistry and the whole nine,” the Hip Hop producer told Apple Music. “It’s fantastic. She has the opportunity to really blow us away. I know we set the bar extremely high.”
🚨 Rihanna confirms she is headlining the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show. pic.twitter.com/NaIhpr6LWt
— Pop Base (@PopBase) September 25, 2022
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While the halftime show usually doesn’t run for longer than 13 minutes, putting together a performance people are bound to remember isn’t that easy, Dre continued as he reflected on the challenges that came with putting together. “You’re talking about at least 3000 people that you have to depend on to get this show right for 13 minutes. So it is an extreme amount of pressure, but it’s fun at the same time. When it’s done, it’s like goosebumps, bro. I got goosebumps, especially from the reaction that we got from the show, and especially being able to do the show with all of my friends.”
In an official statement by the NFL, Jay-Z, whose Roc Nation company is one of the executive producers for the halftime show, described Rihanna as a “generational talent.”
“Rihanna is a generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn,” he said. “A person born on the small island of Barbados who became one of the most prominent artists ever. Self-made in business and entertainment.”
Rihanna at the superbowl: pic.twitter.com/OlyqntS0eO
— toss a coin to your witcher (@itsayosigns) September 25, 2022
The Super Bowl LVII has been confirmed to take place on February 12, 2013 and is being broadcast on Fox. Apple Music has since replaced Pepsi as the event’s official sponsor, after a partnership with Pepsi that lasted 10 years.
Furthermore, Rihanna’s upcoming performance will be the first time that she has graced the stage for a televised show since 2018 when she joined the likes of DJ Khaled and Bryson Tiller for their single “Wild Thoughts” at the Grammy Awards.