Rihanna on What to Anticipate From Her Tremendous Bowl Halftime Present

This Sunday, Rihanna will carry out on the Tremendous Bowl Halftime Present, her first efficiency in years. And whereas she did not handle whether or not or not she could be dropping any new album throughout her interview right this moment with Apple Music’s Nadeska Alexis forward of the game-time present, she did share what to anticipate…and the way motherhood tied into her choice to go huge in her music profession proper now. Rihanna’s son will flip one this Might.

Concerning the timing, Rihanna, dressed impeccably in Alaïa, mentioned, “It feels prefer it might have solely been now. I imply, after I first obtained the decision to do it once more this 12 months, I used to be like, ‘Psst, you positive?’ I’m three months postpartum, like, ought to I be making main choices like this now? Like I’d remorse this. However if you develop into a mother, there’s one thing that simply occurs the place you’re feeling like you can tackle the world, you can do something. And the Tremendous Bowl is likely one of the greatest phases on this planet. In order scary as that was as a result of I haven’t been on stage in seven years, there’s one thing exhilarating in regards to the problem of all of it. And it’s essential for me to do that this 12 months. It’s essential for illustration, it’s essential for my son to see that.”

The efficiency can be 13 minutes lengthy, Rihanna revealed, saying that selecting what songs made the minimize hasn’t been straightforward. “That was the toughest, hardest half—deciding the right way to maximize 13 minutes but in addition have fun,” she began, through Billboard. “That’s what this present’s gonna be. It’s gonna be a celebration of my catalog in one of the simplest ways that we might have put it collectively. You’re attempting to cram 17 years of labor into 13 minutes…however I feel we did a reasonably good job of narrowing it down. There have been in all probability about 39 model of the setlist proper now. We’re on our thirty ninth. Each little change counts, whether or not I desire a guitar minimize out, one thing muted, one thing added or simply put in an entire new music, or take out an entire music.”

Rihanna didn’t reveal what songs she’d be performing, however she did share her favorites from her discography, which can provide some hints. “Okay, I actually loved recording Loud and ‘Diamonds,’” she mentioned. “I used to be on the street for each of these albums after I created them. I used to be touring one album, making the subsequent, after which I got here again and toured that album and made the subsequent, after which ANTI was the primary time that I took my time making an album whereas not being on tour. And that annoyed my followers a bit, and right here I’m doing it once more to them. However ANTI, for positive, high favourite album I’ve ever made.”

Musically now, Rihanna is in a spot of exploration. “I’m feeling open to exploring, discovering, creating, issues which might be new, issues which might be completely different, issues which might be off, bizarre, may not ever make sense to my followers, you understand, the people who know the music that I put out,” she mentioned. “I simply wish to play. I wish to have enjoyable. I wish to have enjoyable with music.”

Senior Information and Technique Editor

Alyssa Bailey is the senior information and technique editor at ELLE.com, the place she oversees protection of celebrities and royals (significantly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She beforehand held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves operating round Central Park, making individuals take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York Metropolis.