Rihanna’s highly anticipated halftime show will mark her return to the big stage for the first time since 2018.  During an Apple Music press conference, Rihanna shared how she’s feeling about her upcoming performance, “It feels like [playing the Super Bowl] could have only been now.  When I first got the call to do it again this year I was like, ‘Are you sure? I’m three months postpartum. Should I be making major decisions like this right now? I might regret this.'”

 

 

 

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“When you become a mom there’s something that happens where you feel like you can take on the world and can do anything. The Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world. As scary as it was, because I haven’t been on stage in seven years, there’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all. It’s important for me to do this year. It’s important for my son to see that,” she continues.

 

 

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One of the biggest challenges for her halftime show has been nailing down a setlist – considering Rihanna has been in the game for 17 years (8 albums altogether), she says ‘cramming all of that material into a 13-minute show has been difficult,’ “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. There’s probably been about 39 versions of the setlist right now. We’re on our 39th. Every little change counts.”

 

 

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During the press conference, Rihanna said her ‘Caribbean culture will be a huge part of the halftime performance,’ “That’s a big part of why it’s important for me to do this show. Representing for my country, Barbados. Representing for Black women everywhere. That’s really important.”

 

 

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And when it comes to new music, Rihanna says, “Musically I’m feeling open.  “I’m feeling open to exploring, discovering, creating things that are new, things that are different, things that are off, weird. Might not ever make sense to my fans… I want to have fun with music.”

 

 

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Watch Rihanna take the halftime stage on Sunday, Feb. 12!

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