Rihanna and Beyonce have been friendly for years but have never collaborated (Picture: Getty Images)

If you were wondering whether Rihanna will be taking inspiration from Beyonce’s iconic Super Bowl halftime show for her own performance, the answer is a firm: absolutely. 

Rihanna, 34, is gearing up to headline the NFL’s halftime show during the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs game in Arizona on Sunday, marking her return to the stage after more than six years. 

The Lift Me Up singer will follow in the footsteps of music legends including Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, Coldplay and, of course, Beyonce, whose 2013 halftime show remains one of the most iconic. 

It’s been months in the making for Rihanna, who welcomed her first child with boyfriend A$AP Rocky in May 2022, and she’s thrown herself into the preparation so much that she even forgot her upcoming birthday on February 20. 

‘You get lost in the pressure of it, you get lost in getting it right,’ she has said in a new interview. 

When asked which former halftime shows she’s been watching to get prepared, the Umbrella singer revealed on The Process With Nate Burleson podcast: ‘One of my favourite ones for sure was Prince’s. That was just such a rockstar show; beautiful, well-thought out and you knew he enjoyed it. 

Rihanna will be taking a leaf out of Beyonce’s book when it comes to the Super Bowl (Picture: Getty Images)

Rihanna has hailed Beyonce as one of her biggest inspirations (Picture: WireImage)

The Super Bowl stage will belong to Rihanna tonight (Picture: FilmMagic)

‘He did not overthink that not one second and I loved that because I felt it, I received it through the screen. I often go back and watch that halftime show.’ 

She went on to praise Beyonce and Destiny’s Child as some of her biggest inspirations, and revealed: ‘I watched Beyoncé’s Halftime performance a couple times, she’s a beast on a whole other level, so just to be inspired, really.’ 

The salute to Beyonce, 41, will no doubt come as music to fans’ ears as they’ve long hoped Rihanna would collaborate with the Halo hitmaker. It’s a surprise to many that their worlds haven’t collided in that way, as Rihanna launched her career under Beyonce’s husband Jay Z’s record label Roc Nation. 

Rihanna no doubt have Jay Z’s support on her big night as the 53-year-old rapper was spotted attending a Super Bowl party in Arizona over the weekend. 

Fans are also hoping that Rihanna’s return to the stage will spell new music, as she hasn’t released an album since 2016’s Anti. 

Teasing what’s to come during a Super Bowl press conference last week, the singer said: ‘Musically, I’m feeling open.

‘I’m feeling open to exploring, discovering, creating things that are new, things that are different, things that are off, weird, might never make sense to my fans.

‘I just want to play, I want to have fun with music.’

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MORE : Rihanna’s iconic career in pictures as she returns to the stage for epic Super Bowl Halftime show

MORE : Rihanna actually forgot her own birthday because of the Super Bowl halftime show

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RiRi is set to headline the NFL game in Arizona tonight.