Rihanna may not have released music in a moment, but it goes without saying that the megastar is the moment. Seemingly ever and always.
One of the key moments the 34-year-old is keen to chronicle most is her journey into motherhood. As such, she aptly covers the March 2023 issue of British Vogue alongside her adorable baby son and partner ASAP Rocky.
Beyond posing it up in the stunning Inez & Vinoodh lensed shoot, RiRi opens up for what serves as her most candid interview in quite a while.
Dishing on a whole host of topics, the icon – who recently announced her pregnancy with her second child – discussed what it was like giving birth and the immediate aftermath of welcoming her son. She also lifted the lid on the layers of her relationship with rapper Rocky.
Elsewhere, Ms. Fenty spoke frankly about her somewhat last-minute agreement to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show – a gig she reveals she agreed to just weeks before it was formally announced.
Naturally, attention turned to new music. Indeed, as widely known, Rihanna hasn’t released an album in seven years.
And, in a response that may give some fans a glimmer of hope, she revealed that she ideally wants the follow-up to 2016’s ‘ANTI’ to drop this year and even expanded on her sonic process as well as the hurdles causing the now prolific delay.
Head below for pics and quotes…
On Her First Months of Motherhood
“Oh, my God, it’s legendary. It’s everything. You really don’t remember life before, that’s the craziest thing ever. You literally try to remember it – and there are photos of my life before – but the feeling, the desires, the things that you enjoy, everything, you just don’t identify with it because you don’t even allow yourself mentally to get that far because it doesn’t matter.”
On The Experience Of Giving Birth & Coming Home
“It was beautiful. But the head-f**k was real though. I cannot believe it. Essentially, from one person I became two. You walk into the hospital as a couple and leave as a family of three. It’s nuts. And oh, my gosh, those first days are insane. You don’t sleep. At all. Not even if you wanted to. We came home, cold turkey, had no one. It was just us as parents and our baby. Man, you’re a zombie for the most part.
You’re just going through the motions and even then you’re so paranoid. Because you’re like: they trusted us to come home with this baby? This new life? With us? No doctors, no nurses, we’re just… going home?”
On Choosing To Do The Super Bowl After Turning It Down In Support Of Colin Kaepernick
“For this Super Bowl I was approached a few weeks before [the announcement] and I kind of kept putting off my answer.
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 [referring to last year’s headliners, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J Blige and Kendrick Lamar] representing the urban community, globally. It is powerful. It sends a really strong message.”
Of course, 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?’” She shakes her head. “All of those things really start to hit differently.”
On Why She Said Yes To The Halftime Gig Now, Especially
“It’s this knowing that you can do anything, even things that seem the craziest, like, ‘I’m going to say yes to the Super Bowl in the middle of postpartum?’
What the heck am I thinking? But you’re geeked on a challenge like that because you know what your body just did. You feel this sense of ‘Nothing is impossible.’ It was almost like an out-of-body experience [speaking of the day it was announced]. I have not been on stage in seven years. Seven years! From zero to Super Bowl? That’s mental.
I want to put on a show 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.”
“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.”
“I’m just sitting on the sidelines when they’re together. I’m literally the girl trying to get into the boys club, waiting for my turn. He is obsessed with his father. And I’m like: ‘Didn’t I give birth to you? What is going on?’ Their connection is undeniable. 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.”
“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 realise it. But it always felt like the most cohesive album I’ve ever made. When you break it down and you realise 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?But there’s this pressure that I put on myself. That if it’s not better than that then it is not even worth it. It is toxic. It’s not the right way to look at music because 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.”
“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.
Rihanna never stopped recording. The past years are littered with songs she’s fallen in and out of love with. She says that listening back to an unreleased song is “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.” But all being well, I venture, a new album this year?
“I want it to be this year. 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. And I need the right background music with the visuals. I can’t just go shoot a video to me talking.
[Note: the interview notes that the remarks about new music were made while Rihanna was “unaware” she was pregnant again. Take from that what you will…]
Anti is such a OVERRATED lifeless album, some strong cuts definitely but most were MID ASF. I definitely agree with its 73 critic score.
‘Sadly, with Anti the intent and promise is more admirable than the end result. There’s a certain dreary joylessness to it that saps any energy the songs might possess.’
Really bad airbrush on her face but cute baby boy!!! More vague answers about music. I don’t foresee any new Rihanna music coming anytime soon.
Ugh… that baby is ugly as s h I t 🤢 did Jay-Z donate some s p e r m? Diva can tell by that thick ass baby lips
The music quotes made me chuckle as I can’t see a new Rhianna musical era this year….but who knows?
I think her and her baby should’ve been on the cover, Asap looks like her nanny instead of the daddy…..better yet husband. I wouldve made her marry me first 4get that aint she a billionaire?
But congratulations ri you look marvelous doll.
That baby ugly AF. She has to include ASAP Celie in everything. He really is riding her coattails. Lol
Thee shade…. lol
Rihanna is definitely the man in the relationship.
i bet she was having a non-taurus baby girl like she wanted ,but my sinister spawn of satan mind changed that….after rihanna and rakim went to baldi for mothers day in may of 2022 my mind randomly wanted the gender to be a boy and for it to be born on friday the 13th which made it a taurus boy like her violent ex.
..its sad i cant follow celebrities i like without terrible things happening to them and their unborn offspring(if their preggo)…and before that my evil mind wanted to ruin the fetus looks by making it look like reign rushing(toya’s 2nd kid) as a way to ruin its looks..im devastated that it happened!
https://twitter.com/handsomelythicc/status/1626705821089366016