RIHANNA’S ‘ANTI’ RETURNS TO CHARTS BEFORE SUPER BOWL

Rihanna‘s record-breaking eighth studio album ANTI has re-entered the Billboard 200 album chart as fans countdown to her Super Bowl LVII Halftime performance.

According to Chart Data, the album not only returned to the chart this week, but has actually once again cracked the top 100. All in all, ANTI has now appeared on the Billboard 200 for a total of 351 weeks, two of which it spent at the No. 1 position.

The news comes in the same week that found Rihanna not only celebrating her first Academy Awards nomination, but also a series of new Platinum certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Two songs from the 2016 album — “Same Ol’ Mistakes” and “Higher” — were certified Platinum for the first time on Saturday (January 28); while “Desperado,” “Kiss It Better,” “Needed Me,” and “Love On The Brain” all added to their multi-Platinum status. The best selling song from the collection, ANTI‘s Drake-assisted lead single “Work,” is now certified 9x Platinum.

.@rihanna‘s ‘ANTI’ returns to the top 100 on this week’s Billboard 200.

— chart data (@chartdata) January 26, 2023

.@rihanna extends her record as the highest certified female singles artist in @RIAA history (161.5 million units as a lead).

— chart data (@chartdata) January 28, 2023

With the addition of her latest Platinum plaques, Rihanna has extended her record for the most RIAA certified singles for any female artist in the organization’s history with 161.5 million singles sold.

Rihanna fans have famously been awaiting a follow-up to ANTI, with countless memes having been created over the past few years to mark their anticipation, including a new round of jokes after the singer announced that she was expecting her first child with A$AP Rocky at the top of last year.

News that the Grammy Award winner would headline this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show immediately sparked speculation about that the February 12 performance would be preceded by a new project.

In October 2022, Rihanna delivered “Lift Me Up,” her first solo single in six years and the lead single to the soundtrack for Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever. She made a second appearance on the album with “Born Again,” but has yet to hint at any new music of her own.

She did, however, address the chatter with her first official trailer for her highly anticipated Super Bowl performance, uploaded on January 13 by Apple Music — the Super Bowl halftime show’s new sponsor.

The 30-second clip dubbed “Rihanna Is Back,” begins with audio of fans, reporters and radio hosts counting the days since the release of her last album — 2,190 to be precise — while impatiently clamoring for her comeback.

Eventually, Rihanna — wearing a furry yellow jacket, silver jewelry and an elaborate braided hairstyle — steps out of the shadows and into a spotlight, immediately quelling the noise. She then brings her finger to her lips and hushes the audience.

Fans may get some new content from the upcoming production, as the singer and fashion/beauty mogul is reportedly working on a documentary about the performance, a music insider told The Sun in November.

“She will be recorded during rehearsals and meetings in the lead-up to the big night and give an insight into what her life is really like now she is returning to pop as a mum,” the source reportedly said. “Rihanna is a massive force to be reckoned with when it comes to music and so Apple has paid millions.”

The source added that Rih signed “a huge deal with Apple” for the documentary to appear on Apple TV+, but nothing has been confirmed by her camp just yet.

In the meantime Rihanna has capitalized on the excitement by unveiling a new collaboration between Fenty and Mitchell & Ness. The collection features a swanky coach’s jacket in black that includes an NFL and Super Bowl LVII patch embroidered on the front and football and Fenty U.S.A. on the back.

In support of “diversity, equality and freedom,” The Fenty x Mitchell & Ness collection also features nine unisex pieces that include oversized, long-sleeve shirts, regular tees, and hoodies available in black or white.

Set to take place in Glendale, the Super Bowl Halftime Show performance will serve as RiRi’s first stage appearance since the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, where she ran through a career-spanning medley of hits to coincide with her receiving the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.

Details surrounding the upcoming State Farm Stadium performance have remained scarce, but according to CapitalFM, JAY-Z will be working in tandem with Roc Nation to organize the show.

Hov has served as the NFL’s live music entertainment strategist since 2019 and actually signed Rihanna to Def Jam in 2005 during his brief presidency at the iconic label.