(Phoenix) Four years after refusing to perform at the Super Bowl, the high mass of football, in protest against the treatment of racial issues by its organizers, Rihanna will finally give voice on Sunday in order to “represent the black women”.
The singer with nine Grammy awards will take the stage at halftime of the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, who will try to win this Super Bowl, the event most watched on television each year in the country.
“The Super Bowl is one of the most important stages in the world. As scary as it may be, as I haven’t been on stage in seven years, there’s something exhilarating about this challenge,” she explained during a media presentation on Thursday.
“It’s important for me to do that this year. This is important for a question of representativeness. It’s important that my son sees this,” she added.
The half-time concert, in which the biggest stars in the world have already taken part, such as Prince, Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones and even Beyoncé, is one of the highlights of the event.
The Barbados artist who gave birth to her first child in May hasn’t performed since 2016.
In 2019, she announced that she had turned down the opportunity to sing at this spectacular event in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, then one of the NFL’s rising stars who had demonstrated against racism and police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem before matches.
His career had gone into a sharp decline afterwards, with no team wanting to hire him anymore. The quarterback had filed a complaint against the owners of NFL teams, a complaint later withdrawn after a financial agreement.
PHOTO CAITLIN O’HARA, REUTERS
Host Nadeska Alexis and Rihanna
Rihanna did not hold a traditional press conference before the Super Bowl, but was interviewed by a presenter from Apple Music, sponsor of the event. According to the singer, the concert will reflect her Caribbean roots.
“That’s a big part of why doing this show is important to me: representation. Represent immigrants. Represent black women everywhere. It’s crucial for people to see the possibilities (available to them),” she said.
Rihanna has given no clue as to the identity of the artists invited to take the stage with her.