Rihanna is placing within the work forward of her Super Bowl halftime present, focusing so laborious on what she guarantees shall be “a jam-packed present” that her upcoming birthday and Valentine’s Day virtually slipped her thoughts.
“The setlist was the most important problem. That was the toughest, hardest half. Deciding the way to maximize 13 minutes but additionally rejoice — that’s what this present goes to be. It’s going to be a celebration of my catalog in one of the best ways that we might have put it collectively,” Rihanna mentioned.
At a media preview Thursday forward of Sunday’s matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, the music famous person and new mother mentioned her look — her first dwell occasion in seven years — feels “like it could have only been now.”
The singer mentioned she was initially uncertain about taking over the problem of performing throughout a time when she was three months postpartum and questioned “should I be making major decisions like this right now? I might regret this.”
“But if you change into a mother, there’s one thing that simply occurs the place you are feeling like you possibly can tackle the world, you are able to do something,” Rihanna said. “The Super Bowl is likely one of the largest levels of the world. As scary as that was, as a result of I hadn’t been on stage in seven years, there’s one thing exhilarating in regards to the problem of all of it.”
A nine-time Grammy Award-winner, Rihanna has 14 No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits, together with “We Found Love,” “Work,” “Umbrella” and “Disturbia.” She and rapper A$AP Rocky lately welcomed her first youngster.
“At the end of the day, if it flops or it flies, my name has to stand by that. And so I really get involved with every aspect of anything I do,” she mentioned.
Rihanna joins a listing of celebrated entertainers who’ve performed throughout Super Bowl halftime reveals, together with Beyoncé, Madonna, Coldplay, Katy Perry, U2, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira and The Weeknd. Last yr, hip-hop was celebrated with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar all performing.
The singer had beforehand declined to carry out within the 2019 halftime present out of solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. But she has mentioned that the timing and circumstances this time round had been proper for her.
Country music star Chris Stapleton will sing the nationwide anthem, whereas R&B legend Babyface will carry out “America the Beautiful.” Actor-singer Sheryl Lee Ralph will even carry out “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” When requested who they had been cheering for on Sunday, Ralph mentioned she was rooting for the Eagles whereas Stapleton and Babyface mentioned they had been backing Rihanna.
Ralph applauded the NFL for making an effort towards being inclusive and “represent all people” by way of the three songs.
“On a day, Super Bowl Sunday, 200 million people coming together to sit and experience it here, what a time and what a way to bring us all together,” she mentioned. “I’m very pleased and very happy to be able to be on the 40-yard line.”
Babyface mentioned he first began singing “America the Beautiful” as a sophomore for a play in highschool.
“It’s laborious to consider that so a few years in the past, which is loads of years in the past, that I’m right here to sing ‘America the Beautiful,’” he said. “Back then, my mom was in the audience and she couldn’t believe I was up there on the stage singing. Like the shy kid who actually got up there singing. To think of her looking at this now and see me at this moment singing ‘America the Beautiful,’ it is full circle.”
Oscar winner Troy Kotsur will carry out the nationwide anthem in American signal language. Colin Denny will signal “America the Beautiful” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing” shall be signed by Justina Miles.
Through an interpreter, Kotsur mentioned performing makes him really feel prouder to be an American. Miles mentioned “Lift Every Voice and Sing” represents resilience.
“The national anthem never really resonated with me personally, but the Black national anthem is really inspiring and empowering,” Miles mentioned. “This song is so positive and so beautiful. You don’t really hear or see it very often. There’s many folks who don’t even know the Black national anthem even exist. It’s not only for me to share this experience with the whole world, but to really bring that empowerment to millions of Black, deaf people all over the country who’ve never seen that before.”
Apple Music this yr changed Pepsi, which sponsored the present for the previous 10 years. Terms weren’t introduced, however analysts had anticipated the league to get at the least $50 million per yr for the rights.
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