The Super Bowl is the most lucrative sporting event in the world
Rihanna didn’t make a cent off her sensational Super Bowl halftime performance.
After several years of refusing to perform at the iconic sporting event, the ‘Umbrella’ singer finally agreed to get involved and set social media on fire with an amazing performance on Sunday that didn’t feature a single guest.
It did, however, lead to one major announcement – she’s pregnant with her second baby.
While you might think the slot – the biggest stage in the world, watched by around 200 million – would command a huge free, it doesn’t. It’s a hugely lucrative event, but not for the performers.
Rihanna, 34, won’t get a penny for her set, which is customary.
This is largely down to the fact that they’re getting to play in front of the largest audience they’ll most likely ever have, which will no doubt lead to bumper record sales and further money-making opportunities.
When Lady Gaga took part in 2017, her album and song sales skyrocketed by 1,000 per cent.
And in 2020, Jennifer Lopez gained 2.3 million new followers across social media channels after she and Shakira performed.
Last year saw Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem and 50 Cent take to the stage, for what many branded the best half time show ever.
In the week after the Super Bowl, Dr Dre saw album sales rise by 183 per cent, along with a 105 per cent hike in on-demand streams too.
Speaking ahead of her performance, the Grammy winner said she thought twice about performing at the Super Bowl, but motherhood ultimately inspired her to do it, according THR.
“I was like, ‘You sure? I’m three months postpartum. Should I be making major decisions like this right now? I might regret this,’” she said.
“When you become a mom, there’s something that just happens where you feel like you could take on the world — you can do anything,” she added.
“And the Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world, so as scary as that was … there’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all.
“It’s important for my son to see that.”
She also said fitting her 18-year catalog into a 13-minute set was tough. “The setlist was the biggest challenge. That was the hardest part — deciding how to maximize 13 minutes, but also celebrate. That’s what the show’s going to be — it’s going to be a celebration of my catalog in the best way,” she said. “I think we did a pretty good job at narrowing it down.”
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