From 39 setlist changes to 'weird' new music – Rihanna shares details about Super Bowl halftime show

• Rihanna's highly anticipated Super Bowl halftime show will mark her return to a live music stage for the first time in seven years.
• Speaking to Apple Music's Nadeska Alexis ahead of Super Bowl Sunday, Rihanna said taking it on is "scary", but "there's something exhilarating about the challenge of it all".
• She also shared more about what fans can expect from her musically, saying: "I'm feeling open to exploring, discovering, creating, things that are new, things that are different."

Rihanna's highly anticipated Super Bowl halftime show will mark her return to the live music stage for the first time in seven years.

Speaking to Apple Music's Nadeska Alexis ahead of Super Bowl Sunday, the Fenty founder said performing the halftime show "could have only been now" – four years after saying she had refused to perform at the sporting event in protest over race issues.

Sunday's show, however, Rihanna says, will be used to represent immigrants and black women.

Regarding the challenges of putting the 13-minute show together, RiRi said the biggest was deciding on a setlist. 

"We did a pretty good job at narrowing it down. There's probably been about 39 versions of the setlist. Right now, we're on our 39th. Every little change counts," she said.

Rihanna, who welcomed her son with A$AP Rocky in May 2022, also said the physical demands of getting ready for Sunday's game were a challenge.

"I haven't done this in a minute," the hitmaker said. "First thing's first, so you're just running around for 13 minutes, trying to put a two-hour set in 13 minutes, and you're gonna see on Sunday, it just, from the time it starts, it just never ends until it's like the very last second."

The 34-year-old, who released her first single in six years in October, also shared what fans can expect from her musically, saying: "Musically, I'm feeling open."

The 57th annual showdown will be broadcast live, exclusively across Africa, at 01:30 on ESPN (DStv 218, Starsat 248).

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