Rihanna hailed the 'best singer of all time' ahead of Super Bowl performance

1Rihanna is set to take to the stage and perform during this year's hotly anticipated Super Bowl halftime show.

Her upcoming performance is one long awaited return for the singer-songwriter-come-actor-fashion-and-beauty-entrepreneur, who last performed live at the Grammys back in 2018. 

The Super Bowl halftime show will take place mid-way through the National Football League (NFL) league championship, which will see Kansas City Chiefs go head to head with the Philadelphia Eagles to be crowned champions. 

The Super Bowl will take place on Sunday 12 February at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and we cannot wait for Rihanna's comeback.

The interval performance is said to be one of the biggest annual music shows in America, and it has previously been helmed by Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, Beyonce as well as The Rolling Stones. 

This year the Fenty Beauty founder will take to the stage, and we cannot contain our excitement. 

But it seems Coldplay's frontman, Chris Martin, is also raring for Rihanna to step into the limelight once again, for the first time in five years. 

Speaking on The Zane Lowe Show, the 45-year-old singer - who collaborated with Rihanna on Princess of China song back in 2012 - said: "I don't know Rihanna very well. I'm mainly just a fan, and we have performed with her a few times, and you're right, it is rarer and rarer for her to just sing, which is what makes it even more special, and in a strange way, it shows that she really, really wants to do it.

"No one can make Rihanna do anything at this point, and so I think the fact that she has chosen to do it now [is a big deal]. You have to be an idiot not to recognise that she's the best singer of all time."

Chris - who headlined the Super Bowl halftime show back in 2016 - believes Rihanna could do anything and still wow the audience.

He added: "I'm very biased because I'm such a big Rihanna fan.  I think she could just walk out in sweatpants and sing, and that would be just great."

Rihanna, 34, has recently admitted she was uncertain about headlining the show, especially so soon after having a baby, as she agreed to perform the 13-minute segment just months after giving birth.

Speaking recently at an Apple Music press conference, Rihanna - who gave birth to her first born with boyfriend A$AP Rocky in May last year - said: "I was like, 'Psst, you sure?' I'm three months postpartum, like, should I be making major decisions like this now? Like I might regret this. 

"But when you become a mom, there's something that just happens where you feel like you could take on the world, you could do anything.

"It's important for me to do this this year. It's important for representation, it's important for my son to see that. I am excited to have Barbados on the Super Bowl stage.

"A big part of why it is important for me to do this show, representing for immigrants, representing for my country Barbados, representing for black women everywhere.

"I think that is really important, it is key for people to see the possibilities. I am honoured to be doing this this year."

However, preparing for the Super Bowl halftime show has come with its challenges, especially juggling rehearsals with motherhood.

She explained: "The physical challenge has definitely been immense, for many reasons, of course. But, I haven't done this in a minute. 

"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 going to see on Sunday, it just, from the time it starts, it just never ends until it's like the very last second. 

"Now I'm saying too much? But it's a jam-packed show, and it takes a toll on your body, it does."

"The balance is almost impossible because 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. When you make decisions on what you're going to say yes to, it has to be worth it."

There is speculation Rihanna's Super Bowl halftime show will be the catalyst for the star to release new music and embark on a possible tour, as her last album, Anti, was released in 2016, but Rihanna has yet to confirm any future projects.