Rihanna fans are looking forward to her upcoming Super Bowl halftime show, but many are still wondering when she will release new music. The Barbadian singer hasn’t released a new album in over six years, and many fans have been impatient. Rihanna recently teased her fans, saying new music is coming, but it might not be what they expect.
Rihanna is headlining the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show
Fans of the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will be more preoccupied with worrying about who will win the game, but many other viewers will be watching the Super Bowl for Rihanna’s halftime show. There will be many surprises in store, including what guest artists will appear and which songs she will perform.
There are even bets on which song Rihanna will start with and which she will end with. At a press conference for the halftime show, Rihanna said it took a while to figure out the official setlist, saying they decided between “39 versions.”
“Some songs we have to lose because of that, and that’s going to be okay,” Rihanna shared. “We did a pretty good job at narrowing it down. There’s probably been about 39 versions of the setlist right now. We’re on our 39th. Every little change counts.”
Rihanna teases new ‘weird’ music following her performance
Rihanna hasn’t released a new album since 2016’s Anti. The only single she’s released in that time is “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which garnered a nomination at the Academy Awards. Many believed that Rihanna’s Super Bowl performance would align with an announcement of an upcoming project, but that hasn’t happened yet.
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The “Umbrella” singer said during the press conference that she is “exploring” fresh and creative ideas in terms of new music. It might not be what fans expect, but she is “feeling open” to different things.
“Musically, I’m feeling open,” Rihanna explained. “I’m feeling open to exploring, discovering, creating things that are new, things that are different, things that are off, weird. Might not ever make sense to my fans… I want to have fun with music.”
The ‘Disturbia’ singer is more selective about committing to projects after becoming a mother
Rihanna recently welcomed her first child with A$ap Rocky in May 2022. The singer said her new perspective as a mother has affected what she says yes to because it impacts her time with her son.
“The balance is almost impossible because no matter how you look at it, work is always something that’s going to rob you of time with your child,” she said. “That’s the currency now, and that’s where it goes. The magnitude of how much it weighs. When you make decisions on what you’re going to say yes to, it has to be worth it.”
The decision to perform at the Super Bowl was a tough one for Rihanna, especially since she hasn’t performed live since 2018. However, taking on this challenge was important for her, and she called the experience “exhilarating.”
