Tuesday marked a victorious day for Rihanna fans, as the Anti artist and Savage X Fenty founder was revealed as the new Vogue cover star, complete with an accompanying interview featuring a wide variety of noteworthy quotes.
Naturally, the topic of pregnancy was broached, with Rihanna revealing that she’s actually been saying “yes” to more invitations as of late in anticipation of the birth. “I think I even say yes to more now because I know it will be different on the other side of this,” she said. “At first I expected some magical change, but really I remain who I am.”
Reflecting on first finding out she was pregnant with her and ASAP Rocky’s child, Rihanna—who this month made her debut on Forbes’ annual billionaires ranking—recalled thinking to herself there was “no way” she would be shopping in maternity sections. “I’m sorry—it’s too much fun to get dressed up,” she said. “I’m not going to let that part disappear because my body is changing.”
On a larger scale, Rihanna said she’s aiming to inspire other women to take a similar approach. More specifically, the goal is to—in her words—“redefine what’s considered ‘decent’ for pregnant women.”
Also discussed here is Rihanna and Rocky’s relationship, with the former pointing out that it took some time to “get over” how well the two knew each other in a friend capacity. Specifically referenced as an example of the kind of “trouble” they are capable of getting each other in was a certain 2012 VMAs performance, with Rihanna recalling that Rocky “grabbed my ass on stage” despite such a move not having been rehearsed.
As has been previously touched on, including in a 2021 Rocky interview with GQ, the two grew romantically close during the early days of the pandemic. Per Rihanna, Rocky “became my family” during that time. Now, Rihanna said, she feels she can “do any part of life by his side.”
And as for new music, the Vogue feature sees Rihanna praising the aforementioned Anti (originally released in 2016) as her “best album” to date. Suggested in the celebrated multihyphenate’s latest comments on what fans can expect next, at least musically, is that Rihanna now has a different view on the potential release strategy behind the long-awaited follow-up.
“I’m looking at my next project completely differently from the way I had wanted to put it out before,” Rihanna said. “I think this way suits me better, a lot better. It’s authentic, it’ll be fun for me, and it takes a lot of the pressure off.”
For the full Vogue feature, click here.
In January, NYC-set baby bump photos—including one from Miles Diggs of Rihanna and Rocky together that was later shared by the official ASAP Mob Twitter account—alerted fans to the pregnancy. The following month, Rihanna shared her first social media update about the headlines-spurring news.
In a subsequent chat with Elle, published in March, Rihanna predicted that she will be a very protective parent, notably comparing her potential parenting style to Teresa Giudice from The Real Housewives of New Jersey. “You talk about my kids, it’s over,” she said at the time.