Did Rihanna Lip Sync During Her Super Bowl Halftime Performance?

Lip Sync Battle is one thing — performing in front of the entire world and being accused of badly lip syncing is another story. On Sunday (Feb. 12), Rihanna headlined the Super Bowl Halftime Show and a plethora of critics bashed the “Lift Me Up” singer for cheating her way through her performance by lip synching; some even deemed her alleged act the “worst ever” infringement in Super Bowl Halftime Show history.

It’s been 7 years since Rihanna‘s last live performance, however, the songstress tore down the Super Bowl Halftime Show stage as if she never left. In 13 minutes, the pop icon trundled through a mashup of her greatest hits from “Diamonds” to “Umbrella.” To add to her grandness, at one point during the show Rihanna even announced her pregnancy while holding her baby bump. Regardless, onlookers picked apart the singer’s rendition of “Umbrella” saying Rihanna lip synched the song and others instead of singing them live.

One social media user blasted Rih‘s cover of Ye‘s “All Of The Lights” during her performance, saying, “Too bad Rihanna is lip-syncing!” Another viewer snarkishly posted, “Amazing how Rihanna is able to keep singing even when she puts the mic aside and doesn’t move her lips at all..” Someone else barbed, “Lip-syncing at the Super Bowl should not be allowed,” while another spewed, “You know I love you but that’s the worst lip syncs ever. OMG!”

One jaded spectator grumbled, “Rihanna not even having the mic near her mouth while the lyrics are playing. Why bother doing the Super Bowl halftime show if you’re not even gonna try and lip sync, bizarre.” Despite the scrutiny, lip-syncing is not necessarily a swindle depending on the circumstances. Super Bowl Halftime Show dry runs are pre-recorded live, so the performer’s able to utilize it as a ‘safety net’ (e.g. they’re pregnant, have a burdensome choreographed routine, etc.). With Rihanna performing with her second bun in the oven, lip syncing in this case is totally acceptable.

Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation

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