Several of Rihanna's collaborations with other artists have broken records, and more importantly, set the bar in the music industry higher.
Rihanna is a worldwide phenomenon, who - ever since the beginning of her career - has consistently set trends that others follow, and reinvented herself to adapt to the changing times. Her music is fascinating to say the least, which dominates charts and popular culture like no other. Having said that, she has also been open to collaborating with other artists, delivering some of the most unforgettable hits of the century. Those collaborations not only showcase her versatility but also shape her evolving musical identity.
The best-selling female recording artist of the 21st century, Rihanna celebrates her 37th birthday today. On this occasion, let's revisit some of her iconic collaborations that made waves internationally.
Back in 2012, Rihanna collaborated with the renowned British rock band Coldplay - and the result was an explosion. Well, "Princess of China" - a duet recorded by the two (Rihanna & Chris Martin) was written by band members (Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, and Chris Martin), with additional composition by Brian Eno and a sample from "Takk..." (performed by Sigur Rós). It was a part of Coldplay's fifth studio album Mylo Xyloto.
(Credit: Coldplay)
Rihanna's unprecedented vocal range is quite evident in the song, which perfectly captures the spirit of the lyrics. However, the song received mixed response from music critics.
"Can't Remember to Forget You" is an up-tempo track that fuses reggae, rock, and new wave pop. A collaboration between Rihanna and Shakira, the song was released as part of the latter's tenth studio album, 'Shakira', and was an instant success commercially.
(Credit: Shakira)
Lyrically, it explores the idea of forgetting someone who is bad even though you love the person. The two lead singers' chemistry shines through the bass line and their accented vocals, delivering (in Jason Lipshutz's words) an enjoyably grandiose.
A historic collaboration between Rihanna, Kanye West, and Paul McCartney - "FourFiveSeconds" is undoubtedly one of the greatest things to have happened to the music industry. Rihanna's raw and emotive vocals, Kanye's electrifying delivery, and McCartney's understated instrumentation blend seamlessly here - bringing three distinct styles together and how! It's truly an example of how one can step out of their comfort zone and yet shine in their unique style.
(Credit: Rihanna)
Released in 2015, "FourFiveSeconds" is a folk-pop and soul song with an instrumentation consisting of an acoustic guitar, organ and bass guitar. It peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, thus gave Rihanna her 26th top-ten song on the chart.
"Umbrella" - released in 2007 - marked a turning point in Rihanna's career, catapulting her to international fame. However, it owed primarily to the collaborative effort between her and the celebrated rapper Jay-Z. And besides, Def Jam Recordings' contribution here cannot be overstated as well.
Rihanna and Jay-Z co-wrote the songs alongside its producers Tricky Stewart and Kuk Harrell, with additional writing contributions coming from The-Dream. Upon its release, the song emerged as a massive success globally, and remained atop of the US Billboard Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks.
(Credit: Rihanna)
In 2009, Rihanna and Jay-Z - along with Kanye West - joined forces again to produce the song "Run This Town". It was released as the second single from Jay-Z's eleventh studio album, 'The Blueprint 3'.
(Credit: Jay-Z)
"Run This Town" reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, topped the charts in the United Kingdom, and additionally made top ten chartings in ten other countries including in Australia, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. And yes, it won Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.
The list obviously doesn't end here. Besides the above-mentioned ones, Rihanna has also collaborated with artists like Drake, David Guetta, Calvin Harris, and DJ Khaled among others.
