The most anticipated performance of the year is here: Rihanna’s Super Bowl Halftime Show! The billionaire Barbadian singer and businesswoman, Rihanna, has been in the entertainment industry since 2005. The nine-time Grammy Award winner has reached icon status and has years of smash hits to prove it! Here are some of her best performances throughout her career.
The new Def Jam signee, Rihanna, performed many of her early singles on AOL Sessions, and her first single, “Pon de Replay” was one of our first introductions to her star potential.
Rihanna rocked a new edgy black haircut to sing the fan-favorite song, “Umbrella.” This 2009 AOL Sessions performance was complete with backup singers, dancers, and a full band. “Umbrella” won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.
This Pepsi Smash performance is arguably the best she’s sounded singing the Grammy-winning song “Umbrella” early in her career. There is also a fun rock element to it! Peep the vocals at 3:22!
Red-haired Rihanna joined rapper Eminem on the 2010 VMAs stage to sing their collab “Love the Way You Lie”. The single was nominated for 3 Grammy Awards.
Riri opened her American Music Awards performance singing “Love the Way You Lie” acapella and then owned the stage after transitioning to “What’s My Name” and “Only Girl”.
Rihanna showed off a fresh mohawk with shaved sides and a black unitard to sing “Russian Roulette” from her album, Rated R on AOL Sessions. This song beautifully highlights her lower register.
The American Idol stage was blessed with Rihanna’s emotional performance in 2011 of “California King Bed” from her Loud album. She was a f0ur-time American Music Award winner at the time.
Pixie cut Rihanna joined Coldplay for the closing ceremony for the 2012 Paralympic Games in London singing the pop-genre hit “Princess of China”.
The Barbadian star gave the Saturday Night Live audience goosebumps singing the ballad “Stay” from her award-winning album Unapologetic in 2012.
Rihanna was joined by a fantastic band for this groovy performance on Saturday Night Live of the smash hit “Diamonds.” Her iconic voice crack at 3:35 is to die for!
A tour-worthy performance was given on the American Idol stage in 2012 with Rihanna performing the hit “Where Have You Been” with dancers and strobe lights!
Rihanna did one of her first performances of the song “Diamonds” on the X Factor UK stage. She stood still centerstage as fake rain fell around her, making it one of her most majestic stages to date.
Rihanna stole all of the attention away from the models at the Victoria’s Secret Show in 2012. This is possibly the best performance of “Diamonds.” The voice crack and wail at 3:42 is something only Rihanna can nail.
Eminem and Rihanna joined forces on the stage again for their song Grammy Award-winning song for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Monster” at the MTV Movie Awards in 2014.
Riri thanked veterans for their service and serenaded them with her Grammy-nominated hit “Stay” at the Concert for Valor in Washington, D.C. in 2014.
Rihanna began her new fierce era for “Bitch Better Have My Money.”She started the performance by stepping out of a helicopter wearing a money-green fuzzy coat and matching boots for the 2015 iHeart Radio Music Awards.
The Rock in Rio music festival welcomed the “Stay” singer where she opened with “Unfaithful,” asking the audience to sing along. The sea of people was united as she transitioned to “Love the Way You Lie” and “Take a Bow”.
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The 2016 MTV Video Music Awards was one of the Grammy Award-winning artist’s most dynamic performances kicking it off with a mashup of “Don’t Stop the Music”, “Only Girl (In the World), “We Found Love” and “Where Have You Been.”
The 2016 MTV VMA stage turned into Riri’s dance floor after “Needed Me”, with “Pour it Up” and crowd favorite, “Bitch Better Have My Money.”
This is the best Rihanna performance of all time. Vocally, she delivered every note perfectly with emotion, strength, and beauty. “Love on the Brain” has yet to be performed this well!
Rihanna performed “Love on the Brain” at the 2016 Global Citizen Festival, a concert to help end poverty worldwide. The crowd joined her in singing the song, copying the same high note for the lyric “brain”.
“Love on the Brain” has become one of Rihanna’s most successful singles going 6x Multi-Platinum. She performed the smash hit at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards on a black and green-lit stage.
The 2016 BRIT Awards performance by Rihanna began with a young SZA singing ANTI’s “Consideration” and then a funky transition to the 9x Multi-Platinum hit, “Work.” Drake, who was rumored to be dating Rih at the time, joined her.
After taking a break from music and launching Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty, Rihanna reminded people that she was a pop star first! Although she did not show off her vocals, she danced alongside her models in the 2019 Savage X Fenty Show.
