Rihanna made a triumphant return to the world stage wither her Super Bowl Halftime show performance on Feb. 12 — her first solo appearance in seven years.
The megastar delivered a spellbinding set as she floated over the football field and zoomed through a dazzling set list that ranged from radio hits like the unapologetic “Diamonds” to her hooky “Work,” and unsurprisingly, the performance has led to significant increases in streaming and Rihanna-related searches.
In fact, ever since Rihanna was announced as the halftime performer last September, three of her songs (“Umbrella,” “We Found Love” and “Love on the Brain”) crossed the billion-stream mark on Spotify. The streaming platform ramped up listeners and heightened anticipation in the days leading up to the big game by promoting the Halftime performer’s “This is Rihanna” playlist, a megamix containing her most beloved hits.
Her overall streams on Spotify spiked more than 640% across the United States, according to streaming data observed between the Halftime performance on Feb. 12 and Feb. 5 (6-7 p.m. ET). The set’s opening track, 2015’s “Bitch Better Have My Money,” got an increase of more than 2,600%. Several other tracks from Rihanna’s career-defining set also experienced streaming bumps: “Diamonds” increased by more than 1,400%; “Rude Boy” saw an increase of more than 1,170%; and “We Found Love” increased by over 1,160%.
Naturally, game day was also Rihanna’s biggest day on both Apple Music and Shazam. According to Apple, Rihanna’s concurrent listeners on Apple Music worldwide rose by a staggering 331% and the hour following her Halftime performance was Rihanna’s personal best by both concurrent listeners and streams.
Shazam, a song recognition app, cited 8:31 p.m. ET as the most-Shazamed minute of the show, and also the most-Shazamed minute in the U.S. since the 2022 show with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige. They additionally noted that “We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris)” was the most-searched song from the performance.
Not to mention, all 113 million viewers were also treated to a mini Fenty Beauty ad by the music and business mogul who made sure to check her makeup about halfway into her performance.
After Rihanna left the stage, the Kansas City Chiefs went on to win the Super Bowl, beating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35. Meanwhile, Rihanna keeps winning.
From Variety US