Rihanna was hired to sing at the Super Bowl, not play dress-up. Though her performance at the halftime show was chock-full of hits, it was equally notable for what it didn’t have: special guests (besides her fetus), stunts (besides the floating platforms), or costume changes. The singer performed her entire 13-minute set in essentially one outfit, a red Loewe jumpsuit and breastplate, to which she added a long puffy Alaïa coat. And that was totally by design.
In a new interview with British Vogue, held before she took the stage (well, field), the Fenty Beauty mogul opened up about how many costume changes she wanted for her show: “My goal is to do none. Seriously. You get 12 to 13 minutes. You just want to come out, rock out, and be done. Costume changes aren’t fun.” To complete the visual spectacle, the singer did allow for an army of dancers in white to join her, joking, “You do get dancers, tons! So. Many. Dancers.”
Rihanna performs during Super Bowl LVII.Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
She also opened up about her goal for the performance, and who it was for: not football fans but Rihanna fans. “I want to put on a show,” she told the outlet. “I want to have fun. I haven’t done this in a minute and I’m doing this for the people that love my music, the people that have supported me and gotten me to this place in my career. And who miss me as a musician in particular. It’s me really just getting back onstage—a crazy stage to be back on—but I’m really doing this for my fans.”
And yes, she addressed The Question. New album coming this year…hopefully. “I want it to be this year,” she told the magazine. “Like, honestly, it’d be ridiculous if it’s not this year. But I just want to have fun. I just want to make music and make videos.” Whatever you wanna give us, Rih, we will be happy to receive.
