Music affects people in ways that are very well known by everyone, and I know that. However, bringing a baby into your life… This turns the world completely on its head for you.
For years, I would be looking at touring bands, thinking that their lives consist of nothing but partying, sleeping until noon, and smashing guitars. All of it was hard, yet so very appealing. But then, Reality sets in. Throw screaming kids like toddlers and teething babies into a tour bus, and your fantasies about being a rock star will all disappear. Forget about your sound check and VIP list. Now you are stressing out over the missed afternoon nap in a totally different time zone. It’s crazy. Truly crazy.
Traveling with children inevitably makes you dump your usual methods of travel. Anyone who has taken their entire family from point A to point B through an airport terminal knows what I mean when I say pack light. Much lighter than that. Carting around bulky baby equipment across state lines can be torture. That is exactly why finding minimalist tech tricks is such a game-changer now. Instead of shoving a massive, heavy video monitor into your already overflowing suitcase, you can use an app like the BlinkBaby BabyMonitor to check on them right from your phone. When you’re frantically trying to get settled in a strange hotel room, having one less physical gadget to plug in is weirdly liberating.
Throwing Out the Old Playbook
When people talk about balancing a crazy travel schedule with kids, Rihanna is basically the ultimate blueprint right now. For decades, the music industry kind of acted like becoming a mom meant your touring career was on pause. You were supposed to settle down. Rihanna just completely ignored that rule.
I mean, think about that Super Bowl halftime performance. Floating on a suspended glass platform in front of the entire world while secretly pregnant? The level of nerve that it takes is just insane to think about.
Now she’s flying all over the globe with her two boys, RZA and Riot. Between dropping new fashion lines and attending international events, she keeps her kids incredibly close. She has made it pretty clear she hates leaving them behind for long trips. So, if she flies out, the kids usually fly out too. Logistically, it sounds like an absolute nightmare to coordinate. Yet, she makes it happen. The global pop star persona is obviously still there, but being a protective mom definitely runs the show now.
A Totally Different Sound
It is amazing how her music also depicts this life-changing period. Take, for instance, "Lift Me Up" from the Wakanda Forever soundtrack. There is something different in her voice on this song. It is much heavier. Much more grounded. She does not sing in that usual upbeat radio-pop manner we hear her sing. On the contrary, her voice sounds raw. As if sung by a person who now knows the burden and the joy of the task to keep another human being safe.
While we might continue singing her "Diamonds" to entertain ourselves on car rides on family holidays, she proves us wrong by showing that one can still rock while being there for their child. Of course, she hires helpers like nannies and personal assistants. Everyone knows it. But the overall attitude? It is her. While she might choose to remain backstage at a fashion show or take two hours of sleep in a penthouse somewhere, she manages to create an oasis of stability for her family amidst all this movement.
The Real Takeaway for the Rest of Us
For the record, you do not have to win a Grammy after Grammys to realize how stressful traveling with a baby can get. The stress of trying to put your child to sleep in an unknown room is the same regardless of whether you are sleeping in a luxurious suite in London or a roadside motel 3 hours away from your hometown.
In other words, seeing Rihanna coping with her challenges proves that having a child doesn't mean giving up on your adventures. All you need to do is find ways around and learn to pack right, use technology instead of hardware, and probably take twice as much patience as you think you need. Traveling with a baby suddenly stops seeming to be a frightening experience and turns out to be an amazing adventure. To be perfectly honest, such trips are usually the ones you will remember best.
