Rihanna Explains How Her Son Motivated Her To Do Super Bowl Half-Time Show

Rihanna explains how motherhood inspired her to perform at the Super Bowl half-time show.

BYAron A.
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Super Bowl LVII Pregame & Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show - Press Conference

Whether or not you’re a fan of the NFL, the Super Bowl Half-Time Show will undoubtedly be one of the best ways to follow up the epic Dr. Dre-led performance last year. The NFL and Roc Nation tapped Rihanna for her first performance in seven years. Needless to say, fans are excited. Some feel as though this could open the doors for her new album while recent reports indicate that she might follow up the epic performance with a tour.

This morning, Rihanna appeared for a press conference with Apple Music’s Nadeska Alexis.  Though she didn’t reveal much about the performance, she confirmed that it will be 13 minutes in length. However, Rihanna admitted it was difficult to narrow down the setlist. “There are probably like 39 versions of the setlist right now,” she said. “Every little change counts.” What the setlist consists of, however, remains a surprise reserved for Sunday night’s Half-Time show. However, reports previously claimed that Jay-Z assisted in putting the show together. 

Rihanna’s Son Inspired Her Decision To Perform At The Super Bowl

During her conversation with Nadeska Alexis, Rihanna also explained that motherhood motivated her to do the Half-Time show. “When you become a mom, there’s just something that happens that makes you feel like you could take on the world. You could do anything. The Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world,” she explained. Though it’s been seven years since her last performance, she felt there was no better time than now. “It’s important for me to do this this year, it’s important for representation. It’s important for my son.” 

We clearly have Rihanna and A$AP Rocky’s son to thank for her return to the limelight. The couple welcomed their first child together in May 2022 before revealing the first photo of him a few months later. Reports recently emerged stating that Rihanna’s filming the lead-up to the Super Bowl performance for a documentary. Though there isn’t much news surrounding that, we could imagine that her son will make a cameo. Rihanna hits the stage on Sunday, Feb. 12th. Will you be tuning in? 

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About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.