Rihanna Has Been "So Focused" on Her Super Bowl Performance

(Image credit: Getty Images-Christopher Furlong)

published 10 February 2023

We're at T minus two days until Rihanna makes her musical comeback at the Super Bowl. And if you thought you were excited about it, wait till you hear how she's feeling.

"Sunday, now that's the one. I've been so focused on the Super Bowl I totally forgot that my birthday's coming up. I totally forgot about Valentine's Day," the Fenty founder admitted during an Apple Music press conference ahead of the big day (via People).

Speaking about her upcoming Half Time Show performance, the star said, "It feels like it could have only been now. I mean, when I first got the call to do it again this year, I was like, 'You sure? I'm three months postpartum. Should I be making major decisions like this right now? I might regret this.'"

She also explained that being a new parent, far from deterring her from taking on this challenge, was actually kind of a catalyst. (She and ASAP Rocky welcomed their son in May 2022.)

"But when you become a mom, there's something that just happens where you feel like you can take on the world," Rihanna said.

"You can do anything, and the Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world. So, as scary as that was... there's something exhilarating about the challenge of it all, and it's important for me to do this this year. It's important for representation. It's important for my son to see that."

Obviously, though, it's not like preparing for this show was an easy thing to do.

"The physical challenge has definitely been immense for many reasons, of course," Rihanna said. "I haven't done this in a minute. You're just running around for 13 minutes, trying to put a 2-hour set in 13 minutes, and you're gonna see on Sunday.

"From the time it starts, it just never ends until it's the very last second… It's a jam-packed show, and it takes a toll on your body, it really does."

We are truly blessed that she's doing this for us, honestly.

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.