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Dimas Sanfiorenzo

Dimas Sanfiorenzo is the Managing Editor for Okayplayer. He specializes…

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After turning down the opportunity in 2018, Rihanna will be performing at the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime show.

So, is this Rihanna’s way of telling us a new album is on the way?

On Sunday (September 25th) Rihanna went to Instagram and confirmed earlier reports from TMZ that she would be the Super Bowl LVII Halftime performer.

The singer posted a photo where she’s holding an NFL football.

After she posted the picture, the NFL confirmed the news. In a statement released in a press release, JAY-Z, who is currently in a partnership with the NFL where he helps picks the Super Bowl performer, talked about why they picked Rihanna to headline the show:

“Rihanna is a generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn… A person born on the small island of Barbados who became one of the most prominent artists ever. Self-made in business and entertainment.”

This isn’t the first time the NFL approached Rihanna to perform at the Super Bowl. The NFL asked her to do the 2018 show, but she turned down the opportunity to stand in solidarity with quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who was in the middle of a controversy with the NFL after kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality. (She told Vogue: “I couldn’t dare do that. For what? Who gains from that? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler.”)

This year will also be the first time Pepsi won’t be sponsoring the Super Bowl Halftime show in 10 years. This time Apple will be taking over. Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats, released a statement saying:

“Rihanna is an incredible recording artist who is a favorite for many millions of Apple Music customers around the world… We’re excited to partner with Rihanna, Roc Nation and the NFL to bring music and sports fans a momentous show — what an incredible artist for the inaugural Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show.”

Rihanna has not released an album since 2016, when she dropped Anti. Halftime shows tend to be greatest hit performances. But this performance has to be an indicator new music is on the way, right?