13 guests Rihanna could bring to her Super Bowl LVII halftime show

So they only have two songs together… so what! Rihanna’s partner (and father of her young son) has been vocal about his excitement for her big night, and it could mark his first Super Bowl appearance. This would without a doubt fit the bill for a crowd-pleaser, and they’ve shared major (if not as major) stages in the past. Years before their relationship, the duo sang Rihanna’s “Cockiness (Love It)“ at the 2012 MTV Music Video Awards, a performance in which Rocky notoriously groped Rihanna onstage (an extremely eugh moment that could just maybe earn some redemption now).

With no Nicki Minaj to be found in the Grammys’ roaring 50th-anniversary hip-hop tribute, Barbs are starved for some sort of elaborate performance from their Queen, and a SB LVII link up seems like the perfect opportunity. Nicki’s still a divisive figure, but there’s nothing divisive about “Fly,” quite possibly the song across all of Rihanna’s solo and feature projects that best befits the Super Bowl. So it’s not technically a Rihanna song—who cares? Who in Glendale, Arizona this weekend won’t have come to win, to fly?

Although rumor has it Ri won’t focus too much on tracks from Anti, her and SZA sound so good together on “Consideration.” Even if they don’t perform an official collaboration, why rule out the possibility of Solana jumping on that final “Disturbia” harmony? That’s the stuff internet dreams are made of.

From “What’s My Name” to “Work,” Rihanna and Drake have cleaned up musically in the past (and fueled some exceedingly one-sided romantic rumors). It’s well-documented just how much Drake loves the NBA— it seems unlikely he’d pass up an opportunity to both become pro-football adjacent and stand close to Rihanna. Bonus points if he wears the ‘Previous Engagements’ necklace.

This one feels like basically a sure thing: “Umbrella” is one of Rihanna’s earliest and most enduring hits, and one that a majority of the stadium, regardless of team affiliation, will know. Plus, it begs for some fun choreography and a real spectacle. They could both wear galoshes!

OK, so this one’s a little bit biased; this writer really, really wants to hear “Rockstar 101.” But seriously, this would (along with a “FourFiveSeconds” performance), a Slash appearance feels like a potential bridge between age gaps in the fan section, a la “look guys, even Grandpa’s getting into it!”

In some ways, Calvin Harris makes the perfect celebrity shot—somehow a part of two of her most hype, most enduring club tracks (“We Found Love” and “Where Have You Been”), a guest slot that requires him to do pretty little. Plus for an artist like Harris, this likely translates as a “why not grab the opportunity” type moment.

Imagine it: Eminem at the Super Bowl twice in two years? In 2023? Bonus points if this potential performance somehow incorporates Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan into the choreography (and cools it a little bit on the domestic-violence romanticization). In this day and age, we all need to be reminded sometimes of just why they call it “window-PANE.”

If eight minutes of DJ Khaled to close out the Grammys didn’t wet your “we the best” whistle, this prediction is for you! The last song Rihanna performed live was “Wild Thoughts” at the 2018 Grammys—returning with the exact same track and collaborator would be a sly troll that still employs one of her more recent radio hits. I mean if she’s really going to insist on avoiding Anti…

No offense, but what else does he have going on?

Again (and especially if “Wild Thoughts” is on the menu): what else does he have going on?

Given the all-but-certainty that Kanye West won’t be included in the show, Paul McCartney would be a very cute appearance (and “FourFiveSeconds” is a very sweet song). There’s certain to be at least one quieter moment, and this song is easygoing and emphatic in all the right ways.

Although New Zealand choreographer Parris Goebel isn’t a musical performer, she’s choreographed all three of Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty Fashion shows (not to mention the masterpiece that is Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” music video), establishing herself as the second-most recognizable member of the Fenty enterprise. It’s easy to picture Goebel at the lead of an army of dancers, and not a stretch to imagine them on a Super Bowl stage—Goebel also choreographed Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s 2020 halftime show, the most popular halftime show in history. Rih has a perfect opportunity in front of her to put a backstage powerhouse at the center of the spotlight for once.

Last year’s half-time show was an all-star tribute to West Coast hip-hop where the collaborators couldn’t stop coming—read: pretty damn hard to top. For Rihanna to go this show alone, and focus on creating a spectacle that places her hits and voice in the center, would be a bold (and frankly, unlikely) choice. Call it her wild card!

Just because she’s getting back to the music doesn’t mean she’s all the way back. This is Rihanna, after all—for a pop empress in today’s thoroughly modern world, cross-promotion isn’t something to fumble.

Super Bowl LVI airs live from Glendale, Arizona’s State Farm Stadium this Sunday, February 12, at 6:30 P.M. E.T.