Rihanna Says There's 39 Versions Of Her Super Bowl Setlist — Here's Our Predictions

Rihanna will be performing at the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show, and she's been getting prepared for the special night. "The Super Bowl is one of the big stages in the world, so as scary as that was because I haven't been on stage in seven years, there's something exhilarating about the challenge of it all," she said at the Apple Music press conference ahead of the big game, reported CNN. "It's important for me to do this this year. It's important for representation. It's important for my son to see that.

In true Rihanna fashion, the multi-hyphenate mogul is planning a show of epic proportions. Apparently she has made several adjustments and changes to be sure that she delivers in the 13 minutes she's allotted. "Some songs we have to lose because of that, and that's going to be okay. We did a pretty good job at narrowing it down," she explained at the presser. "There's probably been about 39 versions of the setlist right now. We're on our 39th. Every little change counts." As many fans know, the new mom, who welcomed a son with boyfriend A$AP Rocky in May 2022, has had 14 No. 1 songs across eight studio albums so she has a lot to worth with. 

And although she didn't drop any hints about which songs she's chosen to perform, we've made some predictions — and we're really hoping to hear at least some of these hits on Sunday.

"Diamonds" is a track off of Rihanna's seventh studio album, "Unapologetic." In an interview with The New York Times in 2014, Sia confirmed that she not only wrote the hit song, but that she did so in just 14 minutes. "Diamonds" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2012 and is one of the star's most popular songs ever. And, spoiler alert: It's one of her favorite songs, too. "It's hopeful," she said when asked to describe the tune before its release, according to Pop Crush. "It gives me a great feeling when I listen to it. The lyrics are hopeful and positive. It's about love and the gears are different than what people will expect."

We fully expect Rihanna's Super Bowl set to be an all-out dance party and we can totally picture singing "This Is What You Came For," a Calvin Harris track that features RiRi's vocals. Released in 2016, the song was a smash hit and was streamed more than one billion times on YouTube, according to Billboard. 

Rihanna and Harris have collaborated more than once, and they have developed a working relationship over the years. "She thought I was kind of funny, this strange guy making cool music, or I guess what she thought was cool," Harris recalled of meeting the Barbados native for the first time (via NME). Could Harris be a surprise guest during Rihanna's halftime performance? We wouldn't rule it out.

We're not convinced that "Work" featuring Drake will get its own verse as part of Rihanna's set, but we do think that she will incorporate the hit in one way or another. "Work" was released in 2016 and while it only peaked at number two on the charts, according to Official Charts,  we're pretty confident that Rihanna will jam out to it as part of her Super Bowl playlist. 

Taking a trip down memory lane, Rihanna teamed up with Jay Z and Kanye West for one of the most recognizable tracks, and we think it would make the perfect show opener. "Run This Town" actually came at a pivotal time in Rihanna's life: It was the first song that she appeared on since an incident with her ex Chris Brown made headlines, according to Rolling Stone. 

So, could Rihanna get the band back together for Super Bowl LVII? It's possible. Jay Z didn't appear when Beyoncé performed the Halftime Show at Super Bowl XLVII, but he could be on Rihanna's guest list. In 2020, he told The New York Times that he turned down the NFL's offer to have him headline the show because he wanted to perform "Run This Town" and the organization was putting a block on the guests he wanted to appear with him. "That is not how you go about it, telling someone that they're going to do the halftime show contingent on who they bring. I said forget it. It was a principle thing," he said at the time. We would love to see it.

Chances are, if you're asked to name on Rihanna song, you're going with "Umbrella," and it's definitely getting stuck in your head. One of her earliest hits, the track was released in 2007 and was on her studio album "Good Girl Gone Bad." We can picture some sort of rain feature as part of RiRi's Super Bowl LVII set and we're so here for it. 

"Don't Stop the Music" has a really good chance of being at the top of Rihanna's song choices for her Super Bowl Halftime performance. The dance track, released in 2009, has a catchy hook that will get everyone out of their seats and it's one of the songs that just about everyone knows the lyrics to. We wouldn't be surprised if RiRi planned a sort of medley with some of her catchiest tunes, including "Shut Up and Drive" and "SOS." 

We think it's safe to assume that Rihanna will perform her 2008 hit, "Disturbia" at Super Bowl LVII. The song was co-written by Rihanna's then-boyfriend Chris Brown. "It's fun being creative and even if you have a concept in your head to write about, you can write it and give it to someone else because it might not personally fit you, but it might be an idea you have," Brown told The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the track's release. "I just wanted to go totally left and kind of weird, and that's what I threw at her," he added.

Fun fact: "Disturbia" was the most streamed 21st century Halloween song on Apple Music on October 31, 2020, according to Chart Data.

"Pon de Replay" was Rihanna's first song ever release and we can't imagine her making her Super Bowl debut without performing it in some capacity. In an interview with the Guardian, Rihanna revealed that "Pon de Replay" was one of the songs that she performed for Jay Z during her audition, which she said "definitely went well." 

After hearing her sing, Jay Z told her, "'There's only two ways out. Out the door after you sign this deal. Or through this window." To which Rihanna recalled, "And we were on the 29th floor," adding that it was "very flattering." 

Super Bowl LVII kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, February 12 on Fox. The Philadelphia Eagles will take on the Kansas City Chiefs at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The Halftime Show will likely begin around 8 p.m. Eastern.