Rihanna pulls out all the stops ahead of her Super Bowl halftime show, focusing so hard on what she promises will be “a jam-packed show” that her upcoming birthday and Valentine’s Day almost slipped her mind .
“The setlist was the biggest challenge. It was the hardest part, the most difficult. Deciding how to maximize 13 minutes but also celebrate – that’s what this show is going to be about. It will be a celebration of my catalog in the best way we could have put it together,” Rihanna said.
In a media preview Thursday ahead of Sunday’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, the music superstar and new mom said her appearance — her first live event in seven years — gives the impression “that it could only have been now”.
The singer said she was initially unsure about taking on the challenge of performing as she was three months postpartum and wondered “should I make big decisions like this Right now ? I might regret it.
“But when you become a mom, something happens where you feel like you can take on the world, you can do anything,” Rihanna said. “The Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world. As scary as it was, because I hadn’t been on stage in seven years, there’s something exhilarating about the challenge.
Nine-time Grammy Award winner Rihanna has 14 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including “We Found Love,” “Work,” “Umbrella” and “Disturbia.” She and rapper A$AP Rocky recently welcomed their first child.
“At the end of the day, if it fails or it flies, my name has to stick to it. And so I really involve myself in every aspect of everything I do,” she said.
Halftime performance sponsor Apple Music hosted a moderated event on Thursday, but moderator Nadeska Alexis was the only reporter allowed to ask Rihanna questions.
Rihanna joins a list of famous artists who have performed at Super Bowl halftime shows, including Beyoncé, Madonna, Coldplay, Katy Perry, U2, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira and The Weeknd. Last year hip-hop was celebrated with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar.
The singer previously declined to perform on the 2019 halftime show in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. But she said the timing and circumstances were right for her this time around.
Country music star Chris Stapleton will sing the national anthem, while R&B legend Babyface will perform “America the Beautiful.” Actor-singer Sheryl Lee Ralph will also perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” When asked who they were cheering on on Sunday, Ralph said she was supporting the Eagles while Stapleton and Babyface said they were supporting Rihanna.
Ralph applauded the NFL for making an effort to be inclusive and “represent everyone” through all three songs.
“One day, Super Bowl Sunday, 200 million people come together to sit down and experience it here, what a time and what a way to bring us all together,” she said. “I’m very happy and very happy to be able to be on the 40-yard line.”
Babyface said he started singing “America the Beautiful” in second grade for a high school play.
“It’s hard to believe that it’s been so many years, that is, so many years ago, that I’ve been here to sing ‘America the Beautiful,'” he said . “At the time, my mum was in the audience and she couldn’t believe I was up there on stage singing. Like the shy kid who went up there singing. To think of her watching this now and seeing me right now singing “America the Beautiful” comes full circle.
Oscar-winning actor Troy Kotsur will perform the national anthem in American Sign Language. Colin Denny will sign “America the Beautiful” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing” will be signed by Justina Miles.
Through an interpreter, Kotsur said acting made him more proud of being an American. Miles said “Lift Every Voice and Sing” represents resilience.
“The National Anthem has never really resonated with me personally, but the Black National Anthem is truly inspiring and uplifting,” Miles said. “This song is so positive and so beautiful. You don’t really hear it or see it very often. There are many people who don’t even know the existence of the black national anthem. It’s not just for me to share this experience with the world, but to really bring this empowerment to millions of black and deaf people across the country who have never seen this before.
Apple Music this year replaced Pepsi, which had sponsored the show for 10 years. Terms were not announced, but analysts expected the league to get at least $50 million a year for the rights.
—Jonathan Landrum Jr., Associated Press
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