Entertainment icon and business tycoon Rihanna has proved yet again she knows how to keep it classy after losing Best Original Song at the 2023 80th Golden Globe Awards.
After stage presenters announced that her competition, the team behind the movie, RRR, snagged the award for the international hit Naatu Naatu, the singer and new mom was caught on camera walking past their table and congratulating the song’s writers, Kala Bhairava, MM Keeravani, and Rahul Sipligunj for their win.
Video of the friendly interaction has since gone viral. In the footage, the Lift Me Up star is seen with boyfriend A$AP Rocky waving at the group, who wave back as she walks past their table.
The Bajan entertainer was nominated in the category for her contribution to Black Panther II: Wakanda Forever’s slow croon, Lift Me Up. Other songs in the category were Taylor Swift’s Carolina from Where The Crawdads Sing, Ciao Papa from Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio andLady Gaga’s Hold My Hand from Top Gun: Maverick.
Naatu Naatu is the first Asian song to clinch the Golden Globe in the award show’s history. In their acceptance speech, they thanked their team and family for their support in helping him make the song a success.
“Thank you very much HFPA for this prestigious award, Golden Globe,” said MM Keeravani. “I am very much overwhelmed with this great moment happening and I am very happy to share this excitement with my wife, who is sitting right there.”
He continued, “It has been an age-old practice to say that this award actually belongs to someone else. So I was planning to not say those words when I get an award like this, but I’m sorry to say I’m going to repeat the tradition because I mean my words. This award belongs to – in order of priority – my brother and director of the film SS Rajamouli for his vision. I thank him for his constant trust in my work and support.”
Meanwhile, nine-time Grammy Award winner Rihanna nearly broke the internet late last year when she announced on Twitter that she was scheduled to headline the Halftime Show during the Super Bowl LVII in Arizona next month.
The megastar mogul broke the news by tweeting a photo of her infamous tatted hand holding an NFL-branded football against a white background. The tweet only read the “.” punctuation mark. (We guess it’s her way of saying: “I’m headlining the 2023 Super Bowl. Period.)
The move is an about-face from her decision to not appear at the 2019 show in support of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The football star has not played in six years following his choice to kneel during the pre-game national anthem, which eventually sparked a worldwide movement against racism.
In a statement released to the press Sunday, JAY-Z applauded Rihanna for her due diligence in the entertainment industry. “Rihanna is a generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn,” he said. “A person born on the small island of Barbados who became one of the most prominent artists ever. Self-made in business and entertainment.”
Dubbed the “Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show,” the event is in partnership with Apple Music and Roc Nation and will take place at the State Farm Stadium on February 12.
“We are thrilled to welcome Rihanna to the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show stage,” said Seth Dudowsky, NFL Head of Music in a statement. “Rihanna is a once-in-a-generation artist who has been a cultural force throughout her career. We look forward to collaborating with Rihanna, Roc Nation and Apple Music to bring fans another historic Halftime Show performance.”
Past Super Bowl Halftime Show performances have starred Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, The Weeknd, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Prince and Madonna.
For more information about Super Bowl LVII, visit here.
