Rihanna teases return in trailer for Super Bowl halftime show

Rihanna has released a teaser clip ahead of her Super Bowl Halftime Show this year, building the anticipation even further for her first stage performance in years.

“The wait is almost over. Rihanna returns for the first ever Apple Music super Bowl LVII Halftime Show," declares Apple Music in the caption of their new video on YouTube.

In the promo, flashes of light highlight Rihanna as she walks forward, accompanied by overlapping whispers criticising the lapse of time since her last album.

“It has been two-hundred and ninety days.”

“Dude, Rihanna, we waited for you.”

“It’s been over six years since the nine-time Grammy winner dropped her last album.”

The whispers silence themselves as Rihanna raises her finger to her lips in a shushing motion before a snippet preview of 'Needed Me' begins to play. The Barbados-born singer tweeted the promo with a single shushing emoji, reminiscent of the video's final shot of her.

🤫

#SBLVII #AppleMusicHalftime pic.twitter.com/rfZgTrX103

— Rihanna (@rihanna) January 13, 2023

Rihanna's return and possible release of a ninth album comes greatly anticipated, her involvement in the Super Bowl having been hinted at as a "special project" back in November.

In the interim of her hiatus, she has devoted time to working on and promoting beauty brand Fenty and Savage X Fenty line. On the brand's Instagram page, a new post announced the clothing brand's release of a new collection for the game.

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A post shared by SAVAGE X FENTY BY RIHANNA (@savagexfenty)

Rihanna’s last album was Anti, released in 2016. While she had previously alluded to working on album in 2018, the superstar only just put out new music for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Singles Lift Me Up and Born Again produced for the film, with Lift Me Up co-written with Tems, producer Ludwig Göransson, and the Marvel movie’s director, Ryan Coogler, in tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman.

Lift Me Up was nominated for the Golden Globes in the Original Song - Motion Picture category. She attended the awards event with A$AP Rocky.

Watch the new promo for the Super Bowl Halftime Show here: