Rihanna unpacked the “jam-packed present” she’ll be giving on Sunday throughout the Apple Music Tremendous Bowl LVII Halftime Present press convention Thursday (Feb. 9).
In Phoenix simply days forward of the massive recreation and even greater efficiency, RiRi sat down with Apple Music’s Nadeska Alexis in entrance of a stay studio viewers to debate the entire laborious work she’s put into her first stay efficiency in seven years.
“It feels prefer it might have solely been now,” she stated in regards to the timing of her Tremendous Bowl Halftime Present efficiency at this level in her profession. With 14 Billboard Sizzling 100 No. 1 hits, 9 Grammy Awards, eight studio albums and $1.4 billion internet value below her belt, Rihanna (born Robyn Rihanna Fenty) solely accumulates extra achievements in want of celebration, and this weekend’s efficiency is not any exception.
“Once I first bought the decision to do it once more this 12 months, I used to be like, [hisses] ‘You certain?’ I’m three months postpartum. Ought to I be making main choices like this proper now? I would remorse this,” she stated. “However while you change into a mother, there’s one thing that simply occurs the place you’re feeling like you may tackle the world. The Tremendous Bowl is without doubt one of the largest levels on this planet, in order scary as that was as a result of I haven’t been on stage in seven years, there’s one thing exhilarating in regards to the problem of all of it … It’s essential for my son to see that.”
The 34-year-old singer later opened up in regards to the “immense” bodily challenges of performing once more after she welcomed her first youngster with A$AP Rocky in Could. “You’re simply working round for 13 minutes, making an attempt to place like a two-hour set for 13 minutes,” Rihanna defined. “And also you’re gonna see on Sunday, from the time it begins, it simply by no means ends till the final second. I do know I’m saying an excessive amount of, but it surely’s a jam-packed present.”
Even filling the present with all of her jams has been difficult, having to curate a setlist that represents her discography and sticks to that 13-minute runtime. We at Billboard have even tried arising with our excellent setlist for RiRi — and even thought of extra songs she ought to nonetheless contemplate performing — however Rihanna has us beat, as a result of she stated she got here up with 39 variations of the setlist, which she known as the “largest problem” of all.
“That was the toughest, hardest half — deciding methods to maximize 13 minutes but additionally have fun. 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 making an attempt to cram 17 years of labor into 13 minutes … however I feel we did a fairly good job of narrowing it down,” she defined with a chuckle throughout the press convention. “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 need a guitar minimize out, one thing muted, one thing added or simply put in a complete new music, or take out a complete music.”
Whereas Alexis mirrored what Rihanna means to her as a fellow Caribbean lady, the famous person mused about how her halftime present particular will definitely be about “representing for immigrants, representing for my nation, Barbados, representing for Black girls in all places … I’m actually excited to have Barbados on the Tremendous Bowl stage.”
The Apple Music host additionally questioned the course of her new music — sure, what her followers have all been ready for — particularly with regard to RiRi’s declare from her 2019 Vogue cowl story that her ninth studio album, known as R9 within the meantime, can be “reggae-inspired or reggae-infused.”
“Musically, I’m feeling open. I’m feeling open to exploring, discovering, creating issues which are new, issues which are completely different, issues which are off, bizarre, won’t ever make sense to my followers, the those who know the music that I put out. However I simply wanna play it,” she responded. “I need to have enjoyable. I need to have enjoyable with music.”
The Fenty mogul later had enjoyable answering questions from younger followers, certainly one of whom requested what her favourite album or music to report was. After a lot deliberation, she answered, “ANTI, for certain, prime favourite album I’ve ever made,” and joked that her final studio album “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.”
Rihanna additionally shared some recommendation about staying humble to a different younger woman within the viewers.
“My humility got here from my childhood, rising up within the Caribbean, rising up in my family with my mother. She’s a really humble lady, her mother was a really humble lady. And I’ve by no means overpassed that,” she stated. “I typically concern the pedestal that the world can put you on, and I all the time need to really feel my ft on the bottom. That makes me really feel secure.”
