Even Rihanna gets pre-show jitters.
The nine-time Grammy Award winner, 34, admitted she’s starting to feel nervous after being named to headline next year’s Super Bowl halftime show in Glendale, Ariz.
Rihanna finally confirmed an end to her music hiatus by posting a photo of herself with a soccer ball on Instagram and Twitter.
Asked how she feels before her highly anticipated performance, the new mom-of-one told TMZ, “I’m nervous…but I’m excited.”
Rihanna has kept quiet about what fans can expect from the performance, but she is expected to be joined onstage by some famous faces.
In 2018, the “Kiss It Better” hitmaker was previously approached to stage the halftime show for Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta.
However, she turned it down at the time amid controversy surrounding the NFL’s treatment of Colin Kaepernick. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback was both praised and criticized for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality and social injustice.
“I wouldn’t dare. For what? Who will win? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a seller. I couldn’t be an enabler,” she told Vogue in 2019.
“There are things within that organization that I completely disagree with, and I had no intention of serving them in any way.”
The show was eventually spearheaded by Adam Levine’s pop rock band, Maroon 5, with special guests Big Boi and Travis Scott.
The February halftime show turned out to be a huge success, according to the NFL after more than 120 million viewers watched the show. Performers included Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent and Kendrick Lamar.
The unforgettable performance featured a medley of their iconic hits ‘In Da Club’, ‘Family Affair’, ‘California Love’ and more.
Over the past 10 years, a star-studded roster of artists has taken the stage, including Beyonce, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Maroon 5, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez and The Weeknd.
Rihanna’s headliner performance will be the first to be sponsored by Apple Music, which is taking over the reins from Pepsi.