Music Rihanna says she studied Beyoncé's Super Bowl halftime shows to prepare for her own "She is a beast and a whole other level." By Jessica Wang Jessica Wang Jessica is a staff writer at Entertainment Weekly, where she covers TV, movies, and pop culture. Her work has appeared in Bustle, NYLON, Cosmopolitan, InStyle, and more. She lives in California with her dog. EW's editorial guidelines Published on February 12, 2023 05:13PM EST Please do not be alarmed; remain calm, and do not attempt to leave the dance floor: Rihanna revisited past Super Bowl halftime performances in preparation of her own, including Beyoncé's stints on the big game stage. "I watched Beyoncé's halftime performances a couple of times," Rihanna told Nate Burleson on his NFL and iHeartPodcast The Process on Sunday. "She is a beast and a whole other level. Just to be inspired, really." Beyoncé previously headlined the 2013 Super Bowl halftime show as a solo act, and broke the internet when she reunited with former Destiny's Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams as special guests onstage. She returned for the 2016 halftime show for a show-stopping performance alongside Coldplay and Bruno Mars. Beyoncé performs alongside Coldplay and Bruno Mars at the 2016 Super Bowl. Christopher Polk/Getty On the podcast, Rihanna opened up about the initial fears of being invited to perform at this year's game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles in Arizona, which came not too long after she welcomed her first child, a baby boy, with partner A$AP Rocky. "It was so scary because it was kind of unexpected," she said. "My son was only maybe 3 months old." "I haven't performed in seven years," Rihanna said. "2016 was my last tour — that to me was the last time I remember being out there on the stage." She said she has very much missed performing, "but to come back from zero to the Super Bowl, that's kind of nuts," Rihanna said. Beyonce and Rihanna. Kevin Mazur/Getty for Clara Lionel Foundation The "Lift Me Up" singer revealed during an Apple Music press conference earlier this week that her performance would be a celebration of her music catalogue from the past 17 years and feature Caribbean influences. "That's a big part of why this is important for me to do this show: representation," she said. "Representing for immigrants; representing for my country, Barbados; representing for Black women everywhere. I just think that's really important." Country superstar Chris Stapleton has been tapped to perform the national anthem this year, while actress Sheryl Lee Ralph will perform "Lift Every Voice and Sing," and Babyface will perform "America the Beautiful." Oscar winner Troy Kotsur will perform the national anthem in American Sign Language, while Colin Denny, a member of Arizona's Navajo Nation, will sign "America the Beautiful," and Justina Miles will sign "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Super Bowl LVII airs Sunday, Feb. 12 on Fox at 12:30 p.m. EST/3:30 p.m. PST. Related content: Super Bowl 2023: How to watch Rihanna's halftime show and everything else to know Chris Stapleton, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Troy Kotsur, and more to perform during Super Bowl LVII pregame show The best — and the rest — of the star-studded 2023 Super Bowl commercials