The Rihanna Thread

[YRBB]

What is she even doing? Is she trying to ruin her career? So far, what I've heard from Anti is VERY underwhelming. She used to be counted on to release fun pop record after fun pop record. Unapologetic was average at best (although "Diamonds" and especially "Stay" were great) and it sort of started this meh phase for Rihanna....

 

Luckily, Kanye West is no longer executive producer of the album. Really wise move. I don't even know what she was thinking. And I'm not going to touch the stupidity of abandoning a whole album before its completion in order to "work on your own album." It's more like that they realized they have sh1t in their hands and need to retool.

 

She needs to drop that horrible album cover, do a bomb ass photoshoot for it, update the songlist with pop/R&B and ballads and call it a day, because this 'highbrow' West crap will not work out.

[Markjeh]

The Queen has just released her new album and it's safe to say that it's her best album yet (not that that was very hard). No hits on it but oh well.

 

'Close to You' is everything that 'Stay' should've been. So gorgeous. And 'Higher' makes me feel so good . Those are my favorites but there are many more highlights.

[AllMyDaysatGH]

the album flopped

[YRBB]

LMAO

 

So it sold 460 copies. DISASTER.

[AllMyDaysatGH]

How do u have 55 million twitter followers (55 million people know your album is out) and only 460 people buy it? LMAO  tragic

[MissLlanviewPA]

Putting it on Tidal couldn't have helped.

Plus, she didn't put any of the singles she released last year on the album, either, which makes NO sense to me whatsoever. 

 

 

[YRBB]

I felt sorry for this bitch, so I picked up the Deluxe edition at Target, without having listened to any of the songs except Work.

 

That being said, the album is very, very good. I was pleasantly surprised. I think it's a huge mistake for her to transition to this kind of music without any hit singles to help out, and the disastrous reception of the album, even with better second week sales, is only part of it. Long term, this will not help.

 

 

I have no idea what that means  Stay was brilliant, and so is Close to You.

 

The whole roll-out of the album was tragic. Putting it on Tidal for free, giving free downloads, dropping it unannounced as if she's Beyonce, during the end of the week (thus INVITING horrific sales), then releasing physical editions but NOBODY knew they had released physical editions... it was a huge ass mess.

 

The album did go to No. 1 in its second week and sold 124,000 copies, but I don't know how much of a success that should be considered, especially since there was NO competition whatsoever. 

 

 

Actually, I think that's one thing she did get right. With the possible exception of ThreeSevenEight seconds, those singles were TRASH and, by all accounts, screamed that they were singles thrown out there just to appease the long wait for fans. I'm glad she left them out. The album doesn't need them. However, they could have been included as bonus or extras.

[Mr. Vixen]

I'm confused what y'all are talking about this album flopping and being poorly received? I just keep reading that it's already been certified platinum and I keep seeing great reviews?

[ChitHappens]

Didn't it go platinum because it was given away?  I read that in the first week, only 460 copies were sold but the albun was still platinum.  I don't listen to her music, but I truly don't understand why the album was given away. 

[YRBB]

@Mr. Vixen When I said received, it was in regards to sales. It was a poor choice of word. Most critics and fans agree the album is really good or even excellent. 

 

In terms of sales, certifications and chart positions, it's been a complete clusterfuck of a release. It was certified platinum because the RIAA counts streams now. In that regard, people streamed it for free a bunch o' times. There were also a million FREE downloads. However, it sold 460 copies in its first week and debuted at #27 on Billboard. That's a disaster, even if it owes a lot to the dumb decision to release it during the end of the week.

 

It did go to #1 in its second week, with 124,000 copies sold, again as mentioned above. That's good and respectable, but let me not bring up examples of artists selling, streaming and/or downloading for free with MUCH larger numbers than this and their albums being called flops....

 

When the physical edition was released, there was no promotion or general knowledge about it....

 

In other words, it's a confusing mess.

 

Should be interesting to see what happens in week 3....

[Soapsuds]

I had no clue she had a new album out.  I checked it out on iTunes and the album is horrible. No wonder it didnt sell well. What happen to all the uptempo dance hits?

[MissLlanviewPA]

IIRC, she had wanted to release it in the fall originally, but decided to wait until after Adele released her album. Which...I get that, but the promotion could still have been a LOT better. 

[DramatistDreamer]

Didn't Tidal mess up the roll out or something?  I think I read somewhere that Tidal accidentally released early (i.e. 'leaked') some songs (or something) before the time, so Rihanna had to go with it and release the album.  I think the free downloads may have been Rihanna's attempt to manage the situation.

[KateW]

Rihanna just scored her 14th #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with Work (feat. Drake). She's now in sole possession of 4th place among all artists with the most #1s (Michael Jackson has dropped to 5th). Rihanna is now five #1s away from surpassing Mariah Carey as the female solo artist with the most #1s, and seven #1s away from surpassing The Beatles for most #1s among all artists.

[Soapsuds]

This is what you came for with Calvin Harris is classic Rihanna(love the song!)…..don't know why she isn't putting out more songs like that one.  Her failed album has nothing remotely to that…shame….