Rihanna has been preparing for her upcoming Super Bowl LVII Halftime show on Sunday, and even though she might be short on sleep, the artist popped in at Apple Music’s Rihanna’s Road to Halftime ahead of Super Bowl LVII, where she gave fans a snippet of what to expect.
When asked about the fact that she was glowing despite being under pressure, Rihanna shared that the Fenty Beauty highlighter was hiding the fact that she had not slept in the last 24 hours, having spent the night rehearsing and then coming to the press launch before rushing back off to rehearsal.
The artist also shared that she has been consumed with preparation for the Super Bowl and has mentally blocked out everything else.
“I’ve been so focused on the Super Bowl I totally forgot that my birthday is coming up. I totally forgot about Valentine’s Day I am just like ‘Super Bowl Super Bowl’ so a lot of preparation, a lot of moving parts and this week, this is the week that it really is being tested,” Rihanna said as she revealed that there are 300-400 people were working on the set for her 8-minute performance.
Rihanna also spoke about her 13-minute performance noting that much effort has been dedicated to fit the performance into the timeframe.
“I don’t know if could do that in like eight minutes but we’re excited to do this for the Super Bowl. We are. We’ve been working on it for a while and every day gets closer and closer to the finished product then today is a really big rehearsal, an important one that will be crucial for Sunday.”
As for the setlist, Rihanna confirms that her expansive catalog of No. 1 hits posed a great challenge, but she did not give any hints about what fans can expect.
“The setlist was the biggest challenge. That was the hardest part. Deciding how to maximize 13 minutes but also celebrate – that’s what the show is gonna be about, a celebration of my catalogue and the best way we could have put it together and you only have 13 minutes, that’s the challenge so you’re trying to cram 17 minutes of work into 13 minutes so it’s difficult so you know some songs we have to lose because of that and that’s gonna be ok and I think we did a pretty good job of narrowing it down,” Rihanna said.
Rihanna also revealed that a shocking 39 versions of the setlist exist as she and her team fine-tuned the line-up. She did not reveal any detail about
Rihanna’s upcoming performance will mark the first time in seven years that she’s performing, but her decision is driven by setting good examples for her son.
“It feels like it could have only been now. When I first got the call to do it again this year, I was like …you sure? I’m three months post-partum, like should I be making major decisions like this right now? Like I might regret this. When you become a mom, there’s something that happens where you feel you could take on the world, you can do anything and the Super Bowl is one of the biggest events in the world. So 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 representation, and it’s important for my son to see that,” Rihanna said.
Rihanna’s report card mentions the artist being friendly, working hard, and being a group leader as a child; all things Rihanna says are core values she carries with her for life.
In the meantime, Rihanna also jokes about being bossy and “annoying” at times but takes time out to recognize the hardworking people behind the scenes who work alongside her.
“At the end of the day if it flops or it flies, my name has to stand by that,” Rihanna says as she reveals that she is involved in everything, even though that can come off bossy.
Rihanna also hinted that she would be all about “representation” – her native home Barbados, immigrant life, and black women everywhere- everything she is, so it’s fair to assume that we’ll be seeing a little of Caribbean flair on stage at Super Bowl LVII.
“I’m really excited to have Barbados on the Super Bowl stage,” Rihanna says.
In her Apple Music interview, Rihanna did not share any detail about upcoming music, but she said she was in a space where she wanted to “have fun” with music at this stage of her life.
Elsewhere in her interview, Rihanna revealed that her favorite albums that she enjoyed recording were her album Loud and her mega-hit “Diamond.” Still, Anti is her top favorite because she took her time to record the project.
As for advice for others in the industry, the artist shared that being humble was key.
“Stay humble. If not this industry will humble you one way or the other. My humility comes from my childhood growing up in the Caribbean also with my mom, she is a very humble woman, and her mom is also a very humble woman…I often fear the pedestal the world can put you on and I always want to feel my feet on the ground. That makes me feel safe,” Rihanna answered a young fan.
