Rihanna's amazing baby announcement during her Super Bowl performance left everyone in absolute shock, but should we have been able to predict it all along?
While Rihanna's baby bump was no surprise to her proud partner A$AP Rocky, with whom the star already shares one child, it turns out the We Found Love singer dropped plenty of hints to suggest the rest of us should also have been ready for her news.
Before we get into all the clues the A-list singer left for us to decipher, relive part of her amazing performance in the video below.
WATCH: Rihanna reveals her baby bump to the world at the Super Bowl
During press interviews for her halftime show, the star successfully hid her baby bump from the eyes of the media. However, her comments to various outlets about her show turned out to be very revealing.
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Speaking to CBS Sports on the subject of whether she would have any special guests performing with her on Sunday evening, the Diamonds singer said she was: "thinking about bringing someone" but warned that to say any more would spoil the surprise.
© Photo: Getty ImagesRihanna successfully hid her pregnancy during pre-show press interviews
She continued teasingly: "I'm not sure, we'll see." Fans at the time assumed this was a hint that she would be inviting another artist to join her on stage, but the truth turned out to be even more exciting.
During her Apple Music interview, the 34-year-old also made comments which now in retrospect hold a lot more meaning.
Talking about what empowered her to perform at the Super Bowl this year, Rihanna said: "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."
© Photo: Getty ImagesRihanna wanted her halftime show to be an inspiration
She continued: "The Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world, so as scary as [it is] because I haven't been on stage in seven years, there's something exhilarating about the challenge of it all. And it's important for me to do this this year. It's important for representation. It's important for my son to see that."
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Rihanna's comments about representation and motherhood were originally seen solely in the context of her first child with A$AP Rocky, whose name they have yet to publicly reveal. But now, her comments take on a new meaning too, as she became the first singer to perform a halftime show while pregnant.
© Photo: Getty ImagesRihanna and A$AP welcomed their first child in May 2022
Another reason we should have been expecting Rihanna's baby news on Sunday is that the star has been very open about her desire to have more than one child.
Speaking to British Vogue in 2020, she said: "I'll have kids," adding: "Three or four of them." So perhaps we should have known all along!
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