After six years of waiting, the Navy was finally graced with Rihanna’s highly anticipated return to the stage, in this year’s Super Bowl halftime show performance. 

Like many times before, the superstar and businesswoman did not disappoint. Leading up to the performance, Rihanna’s Fenty brands certainly took advantage of the moment with Fenty Beauty releasing an exclusive collection of Super Bowl themed products and Savage Fenty delivering custom pieces celebrating the event. 

From Apple’s marketing to Fenty Beauty and the Savage Fenty line, Rihanna certainly capitalized on the moment. According to Forbes, Google searches for Fenty Beauty increased by 883%. Not only did her performance bring awareness to her brand, but it reintroduced fans to her sound. Rihanna herself tweeted that she became the “#1 global artist ranking for the best-selling and most streamed artist on all digital platforms worldwide for the third consecutive day”. 

This comes as no surprise as her songs received a 390% boost in sales and 166.13 million on-demand streams following her performance. While Rihanna doesn’t earn a commission for her performance, the rewards and attention she receives for her brands had a massive impact. 

Outside of the half-time performance and in collaboration with Apple Music, Rihanna’s music catalog brought fans a new way to experience her sound with Apple’s spatial audio, sing-along with Apple Music Sing and Apple Music Radio. As a first-time sponsor of the Superbowl, Apple embraced Rihanna as the face of its campaign with an official trailer,  a performance by NFL fans, and many more. 

Finally, let’s not forget the buzz on social media with influencers, celebrities, and fans analyzing the meanings behind the performance. From defending the music sensation to criticizing the performance, many agree Riri is back. 

 However, the most important question remains: Should we be expecting an album soon? 👀

 –Naomi Augustin