Rihanna has defined her choice to conform to carry out on the Tremendous Bowl after infamously turning earlier affords from the NFL down.
The star rejected the organisation’s strategy for her to be the Halftime Present performer in 2018. That transfer was made in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, the previous San Francisco 49ers quarterback who was shut out of the league after taking a knee to protest police brutality through the US nationwide anthem at video games.
In a brand new interview with British Vogue, Rihanna acknowledged there have been nonetheless points with the system and society. “There’s nonetheless a variety of mending to be accomplished in my eyes,” she mentioned. “Nevertheless it’s highly effective to interrupt these doorways and have illustration at such a excessive, excessive degree and a constant degree.”
The singer pointed to final yr’s efficiency from Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar, coupled with hers this yr. “Two Tremendous Bowls back-to-back representing the city neighborhood, globally,” she mentioned. “It’s highly effective. It sends a extremely robust message.”
She continued to clarify that changing into a mom had additionally modified her perspective in additional methods than one. “Elevating a younger Black man is among the scariest tasks in life,” she mentioned. “You’re like, ‘What am I leaving my youngsters to? That is the planet they’re gonna be dwelling on?’ All of these issues actually begin to hit otherwise.”
Rihanna famous that giving beginning had given her a way that “nothing is not possible”: “It’s this realizing that you are able to do something, even issues that appear the craziest, like, ‘I’m going to say sure to the Tremendous Bowl in the midst of postpartum?’ What the heck am I pondering? However you’re geeked on a problem like that as a result of you understand what your physique simply did.”
The star’s Tremendous Bowl efficiency on Sunday (February 12) was the second-most-watched halftime present of all time, averaging 118.7million viewers. Katy Perry’s 2015 efficiency nonetheless holds the file with a median of 121million viewers.
The set additionally featured a tribute to late trend icon André Leon Talley, the previous editor-at-large of Vogue. On the finish of her set, Rihanna donned a crimson sleeping bag coat by Alaïa – an obvious homage to Talley, whose favorite Norma Kamali coat was in the identical type and color.
