Rihanna’s impressive halftime performance at Super Bowl 2023 didn’t satisfy all fans. Accusations are being made online that playback was heard instead of the singer.

For the first time in five years, Rihanna was back on stage for the halftime show of Super Bowl 2023. In fact, it was the first time in seven years that she performed as a solo artist.

As if she had never been away, she ploughed through her repertoire in 13 minutes, evoking international excitement. Many celebrities like basketball star LeBron James praised the singer’s performance. For British model Cara Delevingne, the performance was even the highlight of the evening, as she openly revealed via Instagram.

Former US President Donald Trump, on the other hand, made negative comments on his Twitter copy “Truth Social”: “Rihanna unquestionably delivered the worst halftime show in Super Bowl history – and that’s after offending well over half our nation with her foul and offensive language.”

Even before Super Bowl Sunday, Trump had criticised Rihanna. However, this has a history: in 2019, Rihanna dubbed Trump the “mentally sickest man in America” in Vogue. The following year, she posted photos of a Cadillac adorned with the graffiti “F*** Trump. “

But it wasn’t just Trump who criticised the 34-year-old. Numerous accusations circulated on the net that she had not sung live. Some complained that the singer’s voice could still be heard, even though she repeatedly put the microphone down or did not move her lips.

Super Bowl: playback allegations not new

One fan wrote: “Rihanna doesn’t have the mic anywhere near her mouth while the lyrics are playing. Why is she doing the halftime show when she’s not even trying and just pretending to sing, bizarre.”

This is not the first time a Super Bowl show act has had to endure such accusations. In previous years, Katy Perry and Shakira, among others, were accused of not singing live.