On if she’s releasing new music after a new baby and the Super Bowl news, she was quick to dispel those rumors too. “That’s not true. Super Bowl is one thing. New music is another thing. Do you hear that fans?” she said, laughing. “The second that I announced this, I said, ‘Oh, my God, they’re going to think my album is coming. I need to get to work.” She released her first music in over 5 years with “Lift Me Up” as the lead single from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. The single is the first solo single from the “Umbrella” singer since her album ANTI was released in 2016.

She reiterated her excitement for the Super Bowl Half-Time Show to Entertainment Tonight about how the event was a “now or never” opportunity. “Nothing would have gotten me out of the house if it wasn’t a challenge like that,” she said. “You could get real comfortable being at home as a mom, [so this is] challenging myself to do something that I’ve never done before in my career. I have to live up to that challenge.”

When asked about what her plans for the show were, Rihanna said that she wanted to “incorporate a lot of culture” into the show. “I want to incorporate different aspects of entertainment and things that I just enjoy and bring it to the stage,” she said. “I want to celebrate the music that I’ve made.”

Rihanna released a trailer of her Super Bowl performance on January 13, 2022. In the stunning trailer, the “Rude Boy” singer appears in a silhouette in front of a white background while voiceovers about the anticipation of her releasing new music. “Dude, Rihanna, we’ve waited for you,” said one voice. Another added, “It’s been six years since the nine-time Grammy-winner dropped an album.”

According to an insider to HypeBeast, Rihanna will reportedly be making a documentary for Apple TV following the days up to the actual performance. “She will be recorded during rehearsals and meetings in the lead-up to the big night and give an insight into what her life is really like now that she is returning to pop as a mum,” an insider alleged. “Rihanna is a massive force to be reckoned with when it comes to music and so Apple has paid millions.”

“There is a massive appetite for everything to do with Rihanna, especially as this will be her major return to the stage for the first time in years,” the source added. “The Super Bowl is one of, if not the, biggest stages in the world, so her show was always going to be huge. Add on top of that it’s a live comeback and the pressure is immense. She is keen for the world to remember why she is one of the greatest performers of all time.”

Rihanna 1 Rihannas Just Released a Super Bowl Half time Show Trailer—Heres What We Know of Her Once in a Generation Performance

Image: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

An insider told Hollywood Life that the Savage X Fenty founder was going to bring her son along for the show, but not on stage for him. “She knows it’s going to be loud so she’s thinking that either she’ll have him wear noise-canceling headphones for babies or her family, many of which are also coming, will enjoy the show from a skybox or some type of club seating,” the insider explained.

Rihanna and her boyfriend A$AP Rocky announced her pregnancy in a photoshoot in Harlem, New York City in early 2022. In a surprise picture, Rihanna wore a long puffer jacket and exposed her very pregnant belly. In an interview with Vogue, she expressed how much A$AP supported her during the pregnancy. “What I love the most about us? Transparency with everything: how we’re feeling, what our goals are, what our fears and insecurities are. The vulnerability to be able to say what you feel about each other.”

After keeping her baby away from the public eye for seven months, the “Love on the Brain” singer posted a gentle video of the baby for her first TikTok with the caption, “Hacked.” “You trying to get mommy’s phone? Oh wow…oh wow,” she asked him after exclaiming “Ooh!”

She was also able to keep her pregnancy private from her own friends before she announced it to the world. “They’re around me, they know my habits. They’re like, ‘You don’t want something to drink? You’re not smoking?’” Rihanna told  E! News. “And I’m eating all the things I’m not used to eating. They know I hate sweets and I’m all of a sudden asking for cookies and donuts. But finally, I just had to let it all out, and they were all shocked, of course, as the world was shocked as well.”

In 2019, Rihanna made headlines by boycotting the Super Bowl after the NFL fired Colin Kaepernick after he began kneeling during the National Anthem before games. When asked if she would decline the opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl she responded, “Absolutely. I couldn’t dare do that. For what? Who gains from that? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler. There’s things within that organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.” During that time, Jay-Z and RocNation teamed up with the NFL for a “diversity” initiative when Shakira and Jennifer Lopez were scheduled to perform at the 2020 Super Bowl.