Rihanna‘s most recent album release was in 2016 when she dropped her beloved eighth studio album Anti. Fans have been clamoring for her next album since then to no avail, as the Barbados-bred beauty has focused on building her Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin brands and Savage X Fenty lingerie line. But Rih is ready to take the stage for the first time in years at the Super Bowl LVII halftime show, and ahead of her performance, Anti has already earned some new accolades.
Rihanna released ‘Anti’ in 2016
Rihanna’s album Anti marked a shift in how Rihanna approached her music career. For the better part of a decade, she churned out hit after hit and album after album every year. After the release of her 2012 album Unapologetic, Rihanna slowed down her output and began focusing more on the music.
When Anti arrived, it contained sounds influence by all kinds of music and featured Rihanna’s voice in sonic landscapes she’d never explored before. The album’s lead single “Work,” a collab with Drake, added to Rihanna’s collection of No. 1 singles.
Despite Rihanna not releasing any new music since then, Anti has remained in the public consciousness and has remained on the Billboard 200 albums chart for nearly every week since its release in 2016.
‘Anti’s chart moves and Platinum certifications ahead of her Super Bowl halftime show
Rihanna’s Anti album is experiencing a resurgence in popularity in the lead-up to her performance at the Super Bowl LVII halftime show in Glendale, Arizona. According to Chart Data, the album returned to the Billboard 200 albums chart in late January 2023, ranking in the top 100 spots of albums. Since its release, Anti has spent a total of 351 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart, two of which were spent in the No. 1 position.
Read Related Also: Alana And Marielle Hadid: What We Know About Gigi And Bella's Other Sisters
In addition to re-entering the top 100 of the Billboard 200 chart, two songs from Anti also earned new certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). “Same Ol’ Mistakes” and “Higher” were certified Platinum for the first time, while “Desperado,” “Kiss It Better,” “Needed Me,” and “Love on the Brain” earned more Platinum plaques and added to their multi-Platinum status. “Work” is the best-selling songs from the album, with the single being certified nine-times platinum.
Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime show
Rihanna’s decision to perform at the Super Bowl is a reversal from her position on the event just a few years prior. She was asked to perform at the show, but she told Vogue in 2019 that she couldn’t do it with a clear conscience given the NFL’s treatment of Colin Kaepernick.
“I couldn’t dare do that. For what?” she said. “Who gains from that? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler. There’s things within that organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.”
Rihanna’s announcement in September 2022 that she’s performing at the Super Bowl, then, came as a surprise to many Rihanna fans. Her announcement led to speculation that she could finally have her ninth studio album on the way, as artists often release albums after performing at the Super Bowl halftime show. But the singer shot down that possibility: “Super Bowl is one thing, new music is another thing.”
