Even stars get starstuck, especially when talking about Rihanna. Missy Elliott and Jack Harlow weighed in on what they hope to hear and see from RihRih on Sunday (Dec. 12) when she takes the stage for the halftime show at Super Bowl LVII. And, as you might expect, they’re anticipating nothing but the best.
“I expect nothing less than the best from Rihanna,” Elliott tells Billboard. “When Rihanna steps out she will most definitely give 200%. I know she’s working hard and I can’t wait to see it. I know it’s going to be incredible.”
Elliott and Harlow — who co-star in a Doritos commercial along with Elton John that will air during the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs — say they will be on the couch awaiting the big moment just like everyone else.
“Sheesh. I mean, what an icon,” says Harlow about Rihanna’s step into the halftime performer pantheon. “I can’t wait to see what she’s got planned. I know it’s going to be show-stopping. It’s amazing to have someone that’s such a legend still fully relevant and completely important to what’s going on at the moment. I think Rihanna’s incredible.”
As for what songs he wants to hear? Harlow isn’t picky. “The whole catalog,” he says. “Everything.”
Elliott — who performed with Katy Perry and Lenny Kravitz during halftime at the 2015 Super Bowl — says game day is a huge event in her house, which is why she’s excited for Rihanna to join the exclusive halftime veterans club.
“My cousins are all Super Bowl fanatics,” Elliott ays of her family’s reaction when the rapper/songwriter/producer got the call for Perry to huddle up for that year’s extravaganza. “I knew it was big, but not to the magnitude that my cousins was like, ‘Oh my God, do you understand what is about to happen?’”
They were so hyped, in fact, that even industry veteran Elliott says she got a bit scared. That said, Elliott thinks it’s only fitting that a huge star like Rihanna is taking the biggest stage during the year’s most tuned-into event. “Doing the Super Bowl is amazing because I don’t think there’s a bigger platform of people that are watching you,” Elliott says. “I was on a high.”
Super Bowl LVII will air on Fox at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.
