Rihanna made her long-awaited return to the stage at the Super Bowl with a career-spanning medley of pop hits, but it was her baby bump that dominated the conversation.
The megastar appeared in the stadium air on a floating stage, wearing a skintight all-red ensemble with a molded top and belt below what many onlookers deduced was another mini RiRi in the making.
Representatives of the singer confirmed the speculation to the specialized magazines Rolling Stone and The Hollywood Reporter: Rihanna is pregnant with her second child.
The 34-year-old welcomed her first child with rapper A$AP Rocky in May.
Musically speaking, fans hoping for some new tracks were disappointed: Rihanna’s night on the world’s biggest stage offered a nostalgic tour of past hits.
She delivered her club hits including “Where Have You Been” to “Only Girl (In The World)” and the proven “We Found Love.”
“Rude Boy,” “Bitch Better Have My Money,” “Work” and “All of the Lights” were also on the set list, while a sea of dancers performed impressive stunts.
“Wild Thoughts”, “Run This Town” and of course “Umbrella” and “Diamonds” rounded out the show.
She didn’t bring in, as many stars do, any guest performers, dominating the stage on her own.
The evening marked a change after Rihanna previously turned down the concert in protest of the National Football League’s handling of racial issues.
But in accepting the coveted slot this time, the Barbadian-born singer said it was “important for representation.”
“It’s important that my son sees this.”
Since the release of “Anti” in early 2016, Robyn Rihanna Fenty has taken a break from recording, but she hasn’t taken it easy: She’s become a multi-millionaire, parlaying her musical achievements into successful brands of makeup, lingerie and haute couture.
Since her last album, Rihanna has made occasional performances and, most recently, has recorded music for the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” soundtrack.
But the album he’s been joking about for years is still a myth, and it looked like it would stay that way for a while longer.
© Agence France-Presse
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