Like all things Rihanna does, the announcement that the pop icon and makeup mogul would be headlining the 57th Super Bowl Halftime Show got a lot of people talking. The conversation mostly revolved around what the show would look like and whether or not she'd preview new music (she didn't), but one other major question came up too — what about the time she turned down the Super Bowl Halftime Show in solidarity with Colin Kaepernic?
In a new interview with British Vogue that was published today (wherein she also shares photos of her first-born child), Rihanna addressed that question while also talking about the possibility of new music from who was once one of the most prolific pop artists of the last two decades.
About new music (or the lack thereof), Rihanna explained that the positive critical reception and ongoing cultural impact of 2016's ANTI left her nervous about attempting a follow-up:
When you come off of an album like ANTI… In hindsight, it really is my most brilliant album. I say that because in the moment, I didn't realize it. But it always felt like the most cohesive album I've ever made. When you break it down and you realize this album goes from "Work" to "Kiss It Better" to "Needed Me" to "Love on the Brain" to "Sex with Me" to "Desperado." And somehow it all fits and not for a second did you glitch?
She says that she's recorded plenty of new music in the years since ANTI's release, but that none of it has felt right, describing the new songs as "almost like trying to dress like you used to dress. It's like, 'Ew, no. I would never wear those again.' Your taste changes, your vibe changes."
That doesn't exactly sound promising, but she also suggested she's ready to let go of her hangups and just start creating again, saying:
Music is an outlet and a space to create, and you can create whatever. It doesn't have to even be on any scale. It just has to be something that feels good. It could just be a song that I like. It literally could be that simple. So I realized that if I keep waiting until this feels right and perfect and better, maybe it's going to keep taking forever and maybe it'll never come out and no, I'm not down to that. So I want to play. And by play, I mean I have my ideas in my head, but I can't say them out loud yet.
In terms of when we can actually expect those ideas to leave Rihanna's head, she says it would be "ridiculous if it's not this year. But I just want to have fun. I just want to make music and make videos… And I need the right background music with the visuals. I can't just go shoot a video to me talking."
However, it should be noted that according to interviewer Giles Hattersly, these comments were all made two days after this year's Golden Globes, before Rihanna knew she was pregnant with the baby that she revealed during her Super Bowl performance.
In regards to that performance, and her past remarks about refusing to support the institution of American football, she said, "there's still a lot of mending to be done in my eyes, but it's powerful to break those doors, and have representation at such a high, high level and a consistent level." She then referenced last year's Super Bowl Halftime Show with Dr. Dre and co., adding, "Two Super Bowls back-to-back, you know, representing the urban community, globally. It is powerful. It sends a really strong message."
In a new interview with British Vogue that was published today (wherein she also shares photos of her first-born child), Rihanna addressed that question while also talking about the possibility of new music from who was once one of the most prolific pop artists of the last two decades.
About new music (or the lack thereof), Rihanna explained that the positive critical reception and ongoing cultural impact of 2016's ANTI left her nervous about attempting a follow-up:
When you come off of an album like ANTI… In hindsight, it really is my most brilliant album. I say that because in the moment, I didn't realize it. But it always felt like the most cohesive album I've ever made. When you break it down and you realize this album goes from "Work" to "Kiss It Better" to "Needed Me" to "Love on the Brain" to "Sex with Me" to "Desperado." And somehow it all fits and not for a second did you glitch?
She says that she's recorded plenty of new music in the years since ANTI's release, but that none of it has felt right, describing the new songs as "almost like trying to dress like you used to dress. It's like, 'Ew, no. I would never wear those again.' Your taste changes, your vibe changes."
That doesn't exactly sound promising, but she also suggested she's ready to let go of her hangups and just start creating again, saying:
Music is an outlet and a space to create, and you can create whatever. It doesn't have to even be on any scale. It just has to be something that feels good. It could just be a song that I like. It literally could be that simple. So I realized that if I keep waiting until this feels right and perfect and better, maybe it's going to keep taking forever and maybe it'll never come out and no, I'm not down to that. So I want to play. And by play, I mean I have my ideas in my head, but I can't say them out loud yet.
In terms of when we can actually expect those ideas to leave Rihanna's head, she says it would be "ridiculous if it's not this year. But I just want to have fun. I just want to make music and make videos… And I need the right background music with the visuals. I can't just go shoot a video to me talking."
However, it should be noted that according to interviewer Giles Hattersly, these comments were all made two days after this year's Golden Globes, before Rihanna knew she was pregnant with the baby that she revealed during her Super Bowl performance.
In regards to that performance, and her past remarks about refusing to support the institution of American football, she said, "there's still a lot of mending to be done in my eyes, but it's powerful to break those doors, and have representation at such a high, high level and a consistent level." She then referenced last year's Super Bowl Halftime Show with Dr. Dre and co., adding, "Two Super Bowls back-to-back, you know, representing the urban community, globally. It is powerful. It sends a really strong message."
