Representatives for Rihanna have confirmed that she is pregnant with her second child after speculation was sparked by her performance at the Super Bowl.
Rihanna performed a medley of hits from across her career during the traditional half-time show, but fans began immediately speculating as to whether she was pregnant.
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Rihanna and her partner A$AP Rocky welcomed their first child – a boy – into the world last May, but now it has been confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that a second is on the way.
Rihanna took to the stage dressed all in red, performing a number of her most famous songs at the State Farm in Arizona during the mid-game break between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.
She didn't even bring out any special guests, with the exception of a legion of dancers clad all in white.
She performed songs such as ‘Work’, ‘We Found Love’, and – of course – ‘Umbrella’, but much of the speculation after her electric performance – which included a load of dancers and a number of floating platforms – was about whether the Barbadian superstar is expecting another child.
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Rihanna’s son was born in May last year, and it was partially down to him that Rihanna decided to track back on a previous boycott of the event due to racial injustice highlighted by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
On making the decision to perform again, she said: “I was like, ‘You sure? I’m three months postpartum.
“Should I be making major decisions like this right now? I might regret this.’
“When you become a mom, there’s something that just happens where you feel like you could take on the world — you can do anything.
“And the Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world, so as scary as that was…there’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all.
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“It’s important for my son to see that.”
She also explained how difficult it had been to distill her long career down into just a short set, which clocked in at less than 13 minutes.
Beforehand, she said: “The setlist was the biggest challenge.
“That was the hardest part — deciding how to maximize 13 minutes, but also celebrate.
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“That’s what the show’s going to be — it’s going to be a celebration of my catalog in the best way.
“I think we did a pretty good job at narrowing it down.”
Fans seemed happy enough with it, anyway.
Now, they'll be happy to learn the news about her second child, too.
Topics: Super Bowl, Sport, Music, Rihanna
Tom Wood