Rihanna Wants to Release an Album ‘This Year,’ Talks Super Bowl Politics, Motherhood & Pregnancy

Will she ever release new music? What are her thoughts on her Super Bowl Halftime Show performance? Holy s–t, she has a nine-month-old baby and is already pregnant with her second? Rihanna‘s fans have questions, and finally, the mystical pop star finally has some answers, thanks to a candid new interview with British Vogue.

First thing’s first: Will this year finally be the one Rihanna drops her first album since 2016’s Anti? She hopes so. “I want it to be this year,” Rih told the publication in the Wednesday (Feb. 15) profile. “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.”

“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,” she added, revealing that she never actually stopped recording music, but is indecisive about which songs are good enough for release. “I have my ideas in my head, but I can’t say them out loud yet.”

The interview with British Vogue — in which she posed alongside boyfriend A$AP Rocky and their adorable baby son — took place back in January, right after Rih and A$AP attended the Golden Globes together. There was still a month left to go before the “Lift Me Up” singer (who lost the Globe for best original song but is nominated for an Oscar) would perform for the first time in years at the Super Bowl Halftime Show, which went down Sunday (Feb. 12).

Rih expressed feeling nervous for the 13-minute, aerodynamic medley of hits, during which she subtly revealed that she’s pregnant with her second baby. On Sunday, though, it all went off without a hitch.

The publication hinted that the Fenty Beauty founder has been approached by the NFL every year for ten years to perform at halftime, an offer she poignantly declined in 2018 to stand in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. Asked about why she decided to accept this year, Rih said she was inspired by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s 2022 Halftime Show to continue the streak of “representing the urban community, globally.”

“There’s still a lot of mending to be done in my eyes,” she said of the NFL’s infrastructure. “But it’s powerful to break those doors, and have representation at such a high, high level and a consistent level.”

Even before she knew that she’d be pregnant with her second child with Rocky, Rih couldn’t believe she agreed to be this year’s headliner so soon after giving birth to her son, whose name they keep private. “I’m going to say yes to the Super Bowl in the middle of postpartum? What the heck am I thinking?” she recalled thinking.

One major struggle she’s faced since she and Rocky welcomed their baby boy in May last year is the invasiveness of paparazzi. “Throw me to the wolves. Do what you want with me. But he doesn’t have a say in any of this,” Rih said. “We’ve been protecting him thus far and you don’t have any consent to be posting photos or selling photos of my child, a minor. Get the hell out of here with that.”

When it comes to her relationship, though, becoming parents has only strengthened things between her and Rocky, whom she’s been dating since 2020. “We’re best friends with a baby,” Rih told the publication. “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.”