Rihanna shocked fans in December when posting a first look at her son on TikTok. But, as it turns out, it was a deliberate move to thwart the paparazzi.
British Vogue features Rihanna as its March cover star and revealed the cover shoot was apparently intended to be the baby boy’s introduction — on her and father A$AP Rocky‘s terms. Those plans were foiled when paparazzi managed to snap photos of him.
“I just went straight into protective mode,” Rihanna said. “Like there wasn’t even time for rage.” The singer recalled speaking with Rocky on how to “move forward” because, as she said, “It just feels so icky, like a violation.”
They didn’t want the first images of their son being photos they hadn’t consented to, so Rihanna posted a video of her baby boy on TikTok, which amassed over 20 million views. She also sent approved pictures of her infant to a “friendly blogger,” in an attempt to further derail deals to publish the paps’ unauthorized photos.
“We get to decide as parents when and how we do that. End of story,” Rihanna said. “Throw me to the wolves. Do what you want with me. But [my child] doesn’t have a say in any of this.”
The singer continued, “We’ve been protecting him thus far and you don’t have any consent to be posting photos or selling photos of my child, a minor. Get the hell out of here with that.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Rihanna acknowledged fans’ hunger for a new album. She last released Anti in 2016 and, according to the singer, she hopes fans won’t have to wait too much longer.
While she said she wants to release something “this year,” the comments were made before she knew she was pregnant with her second child.
The March issue of British Vogue is available on newsstands and via digital download from Tuesday 21st February.
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