Rihanna won't be paid for Super Bowl halftime performance

Rihanna is set to take to the stage at this year's Super Bowl halftime show.

After several years of refusing to perform at the iconic sporting event, the 'Umbrella' singer finally agreed to get involved.

With around 200 million people expected to be watching tonight's game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, all eyes will be on the 34-year-old.

And when she takes to the field, Rihanna will follow in the footsteps of a long list of megastars such as Beyoncé, J.Lo, and Bruno Mars.

However, while you might think a huge gig like this would come with an equally massive pay packet, that's actually not the case.

PA Images/Alamy

Despite the Super Bowl being one of the most financially lucrative events on the planet, Rihanna will not see a penny for her set.

But why? I hear you ask.

Well, as is customary, performers don't get anything for their halftime set.

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 have a big impact on their record sales.

For example, when Lady Gaga took part in 2017, her album and song sales skyrocketed by 1,000 percent.

Back in 2020, Jennifer Lopez gained a whopping 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.

Newscom/Alamy

As a result, each of them enjoyed a boost to their bank balance as well.

For example, in the week after the Super Bowl, Dr. Dre saw album sales rise by 183 percent, along with a 105 percent hike in on-demand streams too.

The show also marks Rihanna's return to the spotlight, having released her first new music in six years in 2022 with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever song 'Lift Me Up'.

So it's a great opportunity for her to get some free publicity. Which won't hurt sales, I wouldn't imagine.

Speaking about her decision to perform at the Super Bowl, having previously boycotted the event, Rihanna said that it was about time.

She said: "I felt like it was now or never for me. The Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world, it's an entertainer's dream to be on a stage like that."

Topics: Music, Rihanna, US News, Sport, Super Bowl

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers is LADbible's Editorial Lead. After graduating from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History, he went on to write for the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express. So as you can imagine, he’s spent many a night wondering just how useful that second language has been. But c'est la vie.

@SmithersDom