The Super Bowl halftime show will be Rihanna’s first performance in years.
“When I first got the call to do it this year I was like, 'You sure? I’m three months postpartum, should I be making decisions like this right now?' When you become a mom, you feel like you can take on the world, you can do anything," said Rihanna.
Just three months after giving birth to a baby boy, Rihanna got the call to do the Super Bowl Halftime show.
The nine-time Grammy award winner has spent the past several years building her clothing and makeup empire – Savage x Fenty.
Now she’s tasked with condensing her music catalog down to just 13 minutes for the performance.
“There’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all. It’s important for me to do this this year, important for representation important for my son to see that,” she said.
In a room with hundreds of media from around the world, Rihanna took just two questions, one of which was from 12-year-old Julia Crossley of Gilbert, the NFL kid correspondent. She asked, "When you first started pursuing music, what is the most important thing you learned in order to succeed in the industry."
“To stay humble,” said Rihanna.
“She definitely speaks with her words so nicely, she doesn’t treat you like a little kid,” said Crossley.
Also performing at the game are Babyface, country music star Chris Stapleton, and actress and singer Sheryl Lee Ralph.
Before her Eagles take the field, Ralph will make history to be the first person to sing, ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ at the Super Bowl.
“That shows a major effort by the NFL to be truly inclusive,” said Ralph.
Among those signing American Sign Language alongside the performers are Navajo Nation’s Colin Denny, Justina Miles, and Oscar winner and Valley native Troy Kotsur who says he’s inspired by the National Anthem writer Francis Scott Key.
“I’m becoming Francis, putting myself in his shoes, to tell it from his perspective. That’s how I’m going to sign it. It’s a new take,” he said.
