Rihanna confirmed that her unborn baby was in fact the “surprise guest” she had hinted at during a pre-game interview before her halftime performance at Super Bowl LVII.
A rep for the singer verified the news Sunday night after Rihanna’s tight-fitting outfit set the internet into a frenzy of speculation. The 34-year-old star could be seen rubbing her stomach during her performance of “Diamonds,” which led fans to assume she was referring to the child while singing.
Rihanna and rapper A$AP Rocky just welcomed their first baby last May.
Just before the performance on Sunday, she had opened up about how motherhood changed the trajectory of her career.
“Becoming a mother has only added to the inspiration in my life,” she told Elle in an interview.
The Barbados-born singer admitted she’s turned down projects since the birth of her first child but that she hasn’t stopped working completely.
“Getting back to anything right now has to feel worth it because once you have a child, nothing seems worth it,” she said during an appearance on the podcast “The Process with Nate Burleson.”
“Nothing is, like, worthy of your time away from your kid, so I was very careful in the things that I said yes to,” Rihanna continued. “Super Bowl was one of them. ‘Wakanda Forever’ was the first thing that got me out of the house.”
The “Umbrella” singer also told People that her work-life balance was “almost impossible” now that she’s become a parent.
“No matter how you look at it, work is always something that’s going to rob you of time with your child. That’s the currency now, that’s where it goes. The magnitude of how much it weighs,” Rihanna said during a press conference with Apple Music, per People.
“When you make decisions of what you’re going to say yes to, it has to be worth it,” she continued, noting how she dubbed her Super Bowl performance as a meaningful contribution.
“It’s important for me to do this this year. It’s important for representation. It’s important for my son to see that,” Rihanna explained.