Rihanna thinks there is a "lot of mending to be done" but she felt it was "powerful" for her to perform at the Super Bowl.
Rihanna covers British Vogue with ASAP Rocky and their son (photos by Inez + Vinoodh)
The 34-year-old singer previously turned down the opportunity to headline the halftime slot at the flagship NFL game in 2019 as a show of solidarity for Colin Kaepernick - who alleged he had been frozen out by the organisation due to his protests against racial injustice - but she took to the stage in Glendale, Arizona, on Sunday (12.02.23) during the sporting extravaganza and has now explained her decision to do so.
Referring to last year's halftime performers Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar, 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.”
“Two Super Bowls back-to-back, you know, representing the urban community, globally. It is powerful. It sends a really strong message.”
And the birth of Rihanna and A$AP Rocky's son - whose name hasn't been publicly revealed - last May was also a factor in her decision.
She told Britain's Vogue magazine: “Raising a young Black man is one of the scariest responsibilities in life. You’re like, ‘What am I leaving my kids to? This is the planet they’re gonna be living on?’ All of those things really start to hit differently.”
Meanwhile, Rihanna - who revealed during the Super Bowl she's pregnant with her second child - admitted becoming parents has brought her and Rocky closer together.
She said: “We’re best friends with a baby,” [...] “We have to be on the same page, but we’ve always kind of had that in our relationship. Everything changes when you have a baby but I wouldn’t say it’s done anything but made us closer.”
And the 'Work' hitmaker loves to see the bond between the two men in her life.
She said: “The second Rocky makes eye contact with him he is on fire. The whole thing they say about sons and moms, it’s a myth. Sons and fathers is crazy. I realised that the validation that you really need as a boy is from your father.”
See the full feature in the March issue of British Vogue available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday (21.02.23). Read more at https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/rihanna-british-vogue-interview