Category Archives: New Music

Kanye West premiered his “Runaway” short-film on MTV last night. The 35-minute footage soundtrack features five songs from the rapper’s upcoming CD, including “All of the Lights” (feat. Rihanna) at the 7:25 mark.

Click here if the player above doesn’t work.

“Turn off the lights in here, baby. Extra bright, I want ya’ll to see this. Turn off the lights in here, baby. You know what I need? Want you to see everything, want you to see everything. Turn off the lights, fast cars, shooting stars. If you want it, you can get it for the rest of your life.”

Thoughts??

Check out the official track list for “Loud”:

1.  S&M
2. What’s My Name? Feat. Drake
3. Cheers (Drink To That)
4. Fading
5. Only Girl (In The World)
6. California King Bed
7. Man Down
8. Raining Men Feat. Nicki Minaj
9. Complicated
10. Skin
11. Love The Way You Lie (Part II) Feat. Eminem

- Rihanna told London’s 95.8 Capital FM that there would be a balled called “Straight Up Beautiful” on the album. Maybe the song title has been changed.

The average American girl might spend summer camp trying to accessorize her lame crewneck tee or crushing on the boy two cabins down, but it didn’t go down like that for Rihanna and childhood friend-turned-singer Shontelle. Far from deconstructing T-shirts or penning gushy love notes, the Barbados-born singers were busy working up a sweat.

“Just picture Rihanna’s ‘Hard’ video,” Shontelle joked to MTV News, comparing their camp experience to the combat-inspired clip. “Picture both of us being that G.”

While Rihanna is currently prepping Loud and Shontelle dropped her sophomore LP last month, the future stars were once enrolled in a boot-camp-style cadets program on the lush island — though apparently the two didn’t share equal rank.

“I was the drill sergeant,” the 25-year-old informed us. “And yes, I did give [Rihanna] push-ups. I have given her push-ups.”

The Caribbean crooners can “laugh about it now,” and as if to offer further proof that there aren’t any lingering hard feelings, Shontelle said she recently caught a show on Rihanna’s Last Girl on Earth Tour “and we got in the studio. So there’s actually a track that we worked on together that’s gonna be on Loud.”

The “Impossible” singer confirmed widely circulated rumors that her fellow Bajan’s fifth album will revive pre-”Russian Roulette” Rihanna.

“Loud is a real contrast from the last album, from Rated R. It’s a lot brighter. … This album is gonna be so much fun, as you can tell just from the first single. It’s just like, ‘Unh, unh la la la,’ “ she explained, letting out the first bar of “Only Girl (In the World).” “That’s pretty much how the whole album sounds. It’s a lot of fun.”

Source: MTV

On the new track “Man Down”:

“When I was writing my part, we were in the studio together, she really works hard. We were at one of her concerts and she literally got straight off the stage, walked right onto the studio bus, and went straight to work.”

The “Impossible” songstress revealed that “Man Down,” which she describes as “very dramatic,” was easy to write based on the duo’s comfort level that came with growing up together.

“It was good because it was like, ‘I know you, I know what you need, I know what you want.’”

Source: ShontelleOnline

Next month Rihanna will release one of the year’s most anticipated albums, Loud, and the singer has a lot of ambitions for it. “It’s really expressive and sassy and flirty,” she tells SPIN. “It’s also blissful and really feminine.”

There’s a lot on the line with this record. Rihanna’s been riding high on the pop charts with her Eminem collaboration “Love the Way You Lie,” while her last album, the platinum-selling Rated R, spawned the massive singles “Rude Boy” and “Hard.”

The singer took a break from finishing the album to give us a sneak peek of four of the edgier songs, including the Avril Lavigne-sampling “Cheers” and the sexually charged “S&M”:

“S&M”:
Rihanna delivers some of her most provocative lyrics on this track, including lines like “Sticks and stones may break my bones but chains and whips excite me.” But she says people shouldn’t take the sexually charged lyrics too literally. “I don’t think of it in a sexual way, I’m thinking metaphorically,” she says. “It’s more of a thing to say that people can talk….people are going to talk about you, you can’t stop that. You just have to be that strong person and know who you are so that stuff just bounces off. And I thought it was super bad ass.”

“Man Down”:
On this reggae-tinged track, Rihanna delivers graphic lyrics about shooting a man, but it’s not like she’s armed with a glock and gunning down dudes on the street. “The song is about breaking a man’s heart,” Rihanna explains. “It’s a very cleverly written song and what I love about it is that it’s not a lyric you’d normally hear a female singing.” As for the reggae vibe of the record, Rihanna says the music is an echo of her roots. “The vibe is Jamaican and West Indian,” she says. “That’s something that’s close to me.”

“Cheers”:
Rihanna experiments with grungier sounds (heavy guitars, rock beats) on this pub-appropriate anthem, which samples Avril Lavigne’s ballad “I’m With You.” “It’s one of my favorites on the album,” Rihanna says. “It’s a song you would hear in a bar but I think you could also hear it all over pop radio. It’s really grungy and melodic and catchy. And the way the producers sampled Avril — it’s like she’s an instrument. It’s really cool how they combined [the song] with her vocals.”

“What’s My Name”:
Stargate and Ester Dean penned this track, which features guest vocals from Drake. “It’s a really fun flirtatious song,” she says. “It has a youthful energy. And it’s so catchy, like, you can’t get it out of your head.”

On the video front, Rihanna just dropped her latest, “Who’s That Chick,” and the production may be her most over-the-top yet. She teamed up with chip-maker Doritos to produce a “day” and “night” version of the video, which allows the user to toggle back and forth between both versions while the video streams. “It was strange because we had to shoot the exact video twice, the exact same way with the exact same staging and the same choreography,” Rihanna says. “But it was cool to see the dynamics of the set, just to see how much it was contrast. I think it’s very cool.”

Source: SPIN.com

Below you will find newly released “What’s My Name” single cover. The 2nd “Loud” single release is yet unknown.

Thoughts?

Thanks again John for the tip :*

Rihanna will have a sequel to her and Eminem’s hit song, “Love The Way You Lie.”

JustJared.com can confirm the Alex Da Kid-produced song will appear on Ri’s forthcoming album Loud, which drops in stores November 16th.

In the song “Love The Way You Lie (Part 2)“, Rihanna sings,

“Even angels have their wing cut schemes, and you take that to new extremes, but you will always be my hero, even though you lost your mind.”

UPDATE: Eminem is still not confirmed to be on the track, but the song will be on the new album.

We can now listen to “What’s My Name”, the second single off of Rihanna’s upcoming album — “Loud”. The track features Drake and had its music video shot last month in New York City.

Thoughts??

Via MuuMuse.com: From the jagged, metallic logo to the last seconds of the Last Girl on Earth Tour, Simon Henwood has been the crucial creative force behind one of the most dramatic artistic reinventions in recent pop history: Rihanna’s Rated R campaign.

Back in the fall of 2009, a gritty, static viral video for “Wait Your Turn” teased its way onto the singer’s official website. The clip showcased the formerly sunny Barbadian pop princess now looking murderously serious in all black; her long hair slicked back beneath a hood and over-sized sunglasses.

With the release of the devastating lead ballad “Russian Roulette” days later, it became clear: Gone was the sun soaked, island-infused energy of Music Of The Sun and A Girl Like Me. Instead, Rated R ushered in a chilly new era of sound, colored (or rather, darkened) by the ominous imagery of sharp metal, broken glass, dismembered mannequins and guns.

To execute this new image, Rihanna worked with Simon Henwood, the creative director responsible for such productions as Kanye West‘s Glow In The Dark Tour and the gorgeous video for the rapper’s “Love Lockdown,” Imogen Heap‘s video for “Headlock,” and the bulk of Róisín Murphy‘s visual output over the past decade. (Fitting, especially given that the two recently welcomed a child together.)

Henwood and Rihanna worked together closely throughout the entire Rated R era, evolving and finessing the entertainer’s dramatic change of style into a sophisticated neo-rock ‘n’ roll noir.

Now, that transformation is about to be put on public display with the release of The Last Girl On Earth, the long delayed photo-book that promises to guide fans through the entire Rated R creative journey from start to finish.

A few days ago, Henwood was kind enough to answer a few lingering questions that remained from Rihanna’s last campaign. The creative director provided a few small glimpses into the process throughout, as well as a better idea of his vision as an artist (plus a brilliantly subtle swipe at Madame Gaga).

For skeptics, casual fans and fellow Rihanna Navy members alike, this one’s a must read.

Be sure to click “Read More” and see the interview!

+ Continue reading…

Review by David Griffiths from 4Music:

Less than a year after Rated R became her fourth global smash hit album, Rihanna is getting ready to unleash the follow-up – and we’ve had a sneaky first listen!

The Bajan beauty was on hand to introduce five tracks from the album in front of assembled media at a very swanky bash in London’s West End. Admittedly our note-taking was somewhat hindered by the delicious cocktails on offer, but here’s what we could gleam from our scribbles…

The album
Rihanna explained that the title very much symbolises the energy of the record and promised that it will take us on a ride. She revealed that her primary aim was to create an album that people would listen to from start to finish, joking that there’s nothing more frustrating than having to get out of the shower to skip a track! She also promised that it will definitely make us dance and confirmed that the track Raining Men will feature a ‘fun’ guest rap from Nicki Minaj.

Only Girl (In The World)
We’re sure that you’ve heard this one by now. The album’s lead single sees Rihanna return to the electro-pop vibe of Don’t Stop The Music and showcases her considerable vocal talents.
RiRi revealed that the video for the track will be released very soon and was shot just outside of LA. She explained that, while the shoot itself was a ‘gross’ because of all of the bugs and snakes on set, it had all been worth it. We were told that Anthony Mandler’s treatment was ‘unexpected’ and features some beautiful backdrops of mountains and hills.
Speaking about the track itself, she said it was a ‘big push’ for her and that she was very keen to get the song’s ‘big vocal’ right, resting her voice for three days before recording it. Sounds like it was worth the effort!

What’s My Name?
Described by the lady herself as being a ‘young’ and ‘playful’ record, What’s My Name? has been confirmed as the second single from the album. Produced by Stargate, the track still has an electronic edge to it but it’s much slower than Only Girl (In The World).
Notable for its strong percussion, the track sees Rihanna making her intentions known to the object of her affections, singing “Hey boy, I really wanna be with you, you’re just my type.” Oh, and she’s also recorded a version with Drake for the album!

S&M
Rihanna reckons this sassy little number is the loudest track on the album and described it as being ‘bad ass’. Quite!
Arguably the strongest track of the night, it immediately grabbed our attention with its synth loops and catchy ‘na na na na’ intro. The verses don’t sound a million miles away from Disturbia and, despite being the work of Stargate, the production on the chorus reminds of David Guetta’s Sexy Chick.
Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but the lyrics sounded to me like: ‘Sex in the air / I don’t care / I like the smell of it’. Make of that what you will…

Cheers (Drink To That)
Dedicated to all the ‘semi alcoholics around the world’, Rihanna seemed a bit miffed about the mix that was played out on the night. Well, it sounded good to me anyway.
Cheers is less danceable than you might expect for a track about getting merry on a night out and has an almost ‘rock’ feel to it. With its guitar riffs and hooky ‘yeah yeah yeah’ bits, it’s a great one to nod your head along to!

California King Bed
Another personal favourite of mine. Written about a relationship that’s gone sour, the verses are very stripped back, with just an acoustic guitar for backing and simple lyrics (‘Cheek to cheek / Nose to nose / Palm to palm)’, before kicking in for the chorus.
Rihanna puts in another impressive vocal performance on this one and it’s got an amazing breakdown and guitar solo. RiRi admitted that she loves listening to this one and that it was one of the last songs recorded for the album.

(Click here to watch the video in better quality)

Rihanna steps in front of the camera with a whole new look — and ET is exclusively behind the scenes with the Barbados beauty whose new bright red hair color matches her new album title, Loud.

“It feels really loud and liberating,” she tells ET. “You know, it is not a very quiet color and it grabs a lot of attention, I have to say, whether it is positive or negative. But I love it. I don’t know why. I really love it. It is really expressive and daring. It is also fun to have your hair be a ridiculous color. It is so out of the ordinary…”

Rihanna was on a break from shooting her So Kodak commercial. She is the only female to be a part of the campaign, joining previous artists Drake, Trey Songz and Pitbull.

The setting for the commercial is a fashion show, where Rihanna and her girls — and they really are women in her life, including her stylist, her hairdresser and her sister — are all in the front row watching the models walk the runway — and Rihanna is taking photos with her So Kodak camera.

“It is not just technically advanced, it is sexy looking. It comes in cool colors. It is a fun camera…. It is really easy. You take the picture and you can share right away,” she says, pointing out the share button that allows you to quickly send photos to friends and family when the camera is plugged into a computer. So what photos does Rihanna enjoy sharing? “I travel a lot and I get to see a lot of cool things and cool places and meet a lot of cool people,” she tells ET. “So, it is really cool to capture those moments. Those are the moments that you want to share with your friends and family.”

Rihanna also told JustJared.com:

“I am excited to team up with Kodak on this project. I am an avid fan of photography and love taking pictures, so this was a natural fit for me. Being on tour, traveling around the world, I have so many cool moments that I have captured on my camera.”

Rihanna, Drake, Trey Songz and Pitbull will be featured on national TV spots, radio, online advertising and social media platforms.

We have updated our gallery with the 2 latest “Loud” promotional pictures in high quality. Gorgeous!

Amazon has posted more details about the deluxe edition of “Loud”. Yes! Finally we can expect a deluxe version of the album! Many thanks to Fernando for the tip.

This special deluxe version of LOUD includes a 30 minute DVD that chronicles Rihanna recording her new album and features special behind the scenes content.

Definitely sounds worth purchasing! Click here to pre-order.