Super Bowl Halftime Show producer explains why Rihanna performed in the air
Daisy Phillipson
Featured Image Credit: Sipa US/Alamy Stock Photo
Many of you will have caught Rihanna's Super Bowl halftime show over the weekend - including the epic moment she was suspended mid-air.
While you might assume this was just all part of the theatrics, it turns out there was a very good reason behind this.
Jesse Collins, the Super Bowl halftime show producer, spoke to ET's Kevin Frazier about the finer details of the talked-about performance, which saw around 107 million Americans tune in.
The idea for the floating stages came about when the team expressed concerns about how much weight the State Farm Stadium field could hold.
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Collins described the field as a ‘sponge’ and explained that it would’ve been challenging to hold up the weight of the stages and dancers.
Rihanna’s creative director, Willo Perron, suggested she perform suspended in the air.
"She's scared of heights but she got it together for this and I have to give the credit to her creative director, Willo Perron," Collins explained.
"He came up with that idea along with our choreographer Parris (Goebel) and it was just unbelievable."
The producer also revealed why the singer, who confirmed she's pregnant with her second child after the show, didn't have any surprise guests.
Traditionally, those who take on the Super Bowl halftime show invite others onto the stage, a couple of examples being Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams joining Queen Bey or Lenny Kravitz shredding Katy Perry’s 'I Kissed A Girl'.
And let's not forget last year when Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem and 50 Cent wowed audiences.
But Rihanna didn’t follow in their footsteps, with Collins suggesting there was a reason behind it.
"I think it was just her wanting to make the statement that she could carry this thing and she did," he told the outlet.
"People just want to see her and so she had to give 'em a show and she did.
"We haven't seen her dance like that in a long time and I thought it was just spectacular."
He's not wrong - the 'Umbrella' singer went for a mega 13 minutes and covered more than a decade and a half of her music.
She even made time to give a shoutout to her Fenty Beauty brand in the middle of her performance.
You can't blame her, especially as she won't be paid a cent for her performance.
According to the NFL policy, the league covers all costs related to the production of the halftime show, which includes travel expenses.
But, as NFL spokesperson Joanna Hunter told Forbes in 2016, that doesn't include paying the singers.
"We do not pay the artists. We cover expenses and production costs," she said.
This is because the Super Bowl halftime show is largest gig Rihanna and any other recording artist could dream to have, which will send her sales into overdrive.
For example, when Lady Gaga graced the stage in 2017, her album and song sales skyrocketed by a whopping 1,000 percent.
In 2020, Jennifer Lopez gained a staggering 2.3 million new followers across social media channels after she and Shakira performed.