There seems to be the pre-perceived notion that she can't sing. I don't get it. I saw her in concert this year and she blew everyone away. When you look at her singing live you'll notice she never lip synchs. She said on many occasions that she refuses to lip-synch because it detracts from being a 'singer'. She is right and that's why I admire her.
Rihanna may not have the strongest voice but she can certainly sing, why would Jay-Z sign her if she couldn't? I saw her SNL performance and was shocked. There's a rumor going around that she was given the mic that was supposed to go to one of the backing vocalists and that's why it was out of tune. I actually believe that because you only have to watch her X Factor performance to see that she is great live. You can hear that it is not identical to the single so therefore she is singing live.
Her stage presence is amazing and she's stunning looking. I don't know why she gets such a hard time. She may not have Beyonce's belting voice but she's an amazing entertainer in her own right.
I think the performance last night blew a lot of people away and made a lot of people realize that despite what they read, Rihanna CAN sing!!
The food fight was a bit random and distracting.. kind of put me off the performance. Love the song though.
It's weird I've seen Rihanna live loads in the past and think she's amazing, but I know others who have seen her live and think she sounds awful..real nasal etc.
What is SNL?
There seems to be the pre-perceived notion that she can't sing. I don't get it. I saw her in concert this year and she blew everyone away. When you look at her singing live you'll notice she never lip synchs. She said on many occasions that she refuses to lip-synch because it detracts from being a 'singer'. She is right and that's why I admire her.
Rihanna may not have the strongest voice but she can certainly sing, why would Jay-Z sign her if she couldn't? I saw her SNL performance and was shocked. There's a rumor going around that she was given the mic that was supposed to go to one of the backing vocalists and that's why it was out of tune. I actually believe that because you only have to watch her X Factor performance to see that she is great live. You can hear that it is not identical to the single so therefore she is singing live.
Her stage presence is amazing and she's stunning looking. I don't know why she gets such a hard time. She may not have Beyonce's belting voice but she's an amazing entertainer in her own right.
I think the performance last night blew a lot of people away and made a lot of people realize that despite what they read, Rihanna CAN sing!!
You're absolutely right, it's just she's underperfomed on television performances a number of times for whatever reason. She has repented as of last night
There seems to be the pre-perceived notion that she can't sing. I don't get it. I saw her in concert this year and she blew everyone away. When you look at her singing live you'll notice she never lip synchs. She said on many occasions that she refuses to lip-synch because it detracts from being a 'singer'. She is right and that's why I admire her.
Rihanna may not have the strongest voice but she can certainly sing, why would Jay-Z sign her if she couldn't? I saw her SNL performance and was shocked. There's a rumor going around that she was given the mic that was supposed to go to one of the backing vocalists and that's why it was out of tune. I actually believe that because you only have to watch her X Factor performance to see that she is great live. You can hear that it is not identical to the single so therefore she is singing live.
Her stage presence is amazing and she's stunning looking. I don't know why she gets such a hard time. She may not have Beyonce's belting voice but she's an amazing entertainer in her own right.
I think the performance last night blew a lot of people away and made a lot of people realize that despite what they read, Rihanna CAN sing!!
I don't get these comments either, of course she can sing. She performed live on Graham Norton, last year, I think, and was amazing then too.
Rihanna's vocals were and always will be fantastic! like someone posted, much like Madonna (my favourite artist of ALL TIME) she isn't a strong vocalist, but her vocals are always very sharp and regularly hits the nail, but the media always attacks perhaps and some people are sceptical.
Anyways in that degree Rihanna definately evokes that Madonna style, singing strong and knows her own style of voice and i prefer it to the likes of Beyonce who just belt to no degree. For me Christina Aguilera and Tina Turner are THE vocalists i have grown up with
Rihanna, Madonna, Florence, Bjork, Nico, Annie Lennox, Britney (although not always live) have strong distictive voices and evoke so much more in their material, and while not to everyone's taste, they prove themselves!
Rihanna for me has fast become something of an iconic figure! and LOUD will be a real opus, i can feel it
Er, no. She would've then had to mime and you'd then be complaining about that...
Why should a bit of dancing make her have to mime? But I'd prefer a louder backing track and more movement, rather than watching her stand still and try to sing the song. Her vocals weren't bad, no. But they weren't as good as they are in the studio, so she might as well have had a bigger performance.
Acts like Beyonce, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Pink, etc. are all perfect examples of pop stars who ALWAYS manage to perform and sing at the same time. Sometimes the vocals suffer, but the vocals would suffer even if they were standing still... Others can manage to make the song sound BETTER live, even when dancing (Beyonce in particular).
Rihanna has a stronger voice than people give her credit for, but it's still very hit and miss.
At least she tries though, and sings live. It may be ridiculous that a singer actually singing is considered a bonus, but these days it seems to be.
Didn't like the performance though. The food fight/staging looked very clumsy. And by god, what is with her terrible fashion sense lately? It looks like she's going for 80's Madonna meets Midsummer Nights Dream. Not good.
Hmm im finding the Madonna comparions very interesting
I agree, Rihanna is very much an icon. It overwhelms me how bloody far she has come when she was just a one hit wonder back in 2005.
it's true though isn't it, many wrote her off in 2005, then she scored bigger in 2006, and *thus far) hit her biggest in 2007/8 with HUGE hits. The momentum has continued with Rated R and her singles RUssian ROulette and Rude Boy and Te Amo and now with LOUD and Only Girl's success!
Rihanna is evidently influenced by Madonna, she has stated a few times and i think they've met several times over too which is neat! for D&G conventions and VMA's etc. And her image is very retro and Madonna meets Marylin Monroe style of retro chic.
and yes in 5 years Rihanna has come a LONG way! i mean to think 3 years ago i wouldn't have bought anything by her and now i own three albums! a couple of singles and revving up for LOUD!!!!
also i think the way her career is not unlike her peers Britney and P!nk in the sense she has grown to get her aknowledgement, and in a sense it shows (although not timeless defining) how far she's come in half a decade much like Madonna did from her debut through to her Blonde Ambition era! and i really think Rihanna is at that stage of growth and is now gonna certify that with LOUD and hopefully she'll tour with it and grow more with the video's too! Rude Boy and Only Girl's videos are AMAZING! nust so simplistic yet arty looking.
And that red hair it is very much Madonna meets Marylin Monroe meets that 70's style movement in the music industry, and i think it's been planned. Also the direction to LOUD is not too dissimilar to the aim and HUGE Confessions On A Dance Floor! and also the comparisons with Thriller's timeless sense too makes me more and more excited by LOUD.
and finally (after a bit of an analytical essay which i have a habit of!) I truely think after the acclaim of Only Girl and her HUGE performance of last night (very Vogue too i must say!) really reflect Rihanna as musician, artist and showgirl! and as always looked AMAZING!!! seriously there's no doubt she's the most stunning woman out there!
I agree. She has grown to get acknowledgement. I think she has really grown outside Beyonce's shadow although i fail to see the comparison between them both when Ri first started out anyway.
I agree. She has grown to get acknowledgement. I think she has really grown outside Beyonce's shadow although i fail to see the comparison between them both when Ri first started out anyway.
yeah i think the comparisons started when she had a similar 'look' about her for her debut and Pon De Replay etc. but then with GGGB she really came into her own, classy R&B Dance style and has grown over the last 3 years into a true superstar and somwhat icon in the music industry!
Why should a bit of dancing make her have to mime? But I'd prefer a louder backing track and more movement, rather than watching her stand still and try to sing the song. Her vocals weren't bad, no. But they weren't as good as they are in the studio, so she might as well have had a bigger performance.
Acts like Beyonce, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Pink, etc. are all perfect examples of pop stars who ALWAYS manage to perform and sing at the same time. Sometimes the vocals suffer, but the vocals would suffer even if they were standing still... Others can manage to make the song sound BETTER live, even when dancing (Beyonce in particular).
But she isn't a dancer, she's a singer. Madonna, Usher, Christina and Michael Jackson are (were) all dancers as well as singers, whereas Rihanna has never claimed to be one. Thus punters shouldn't turn up expecting amazing dance routines. But if you insist she dances, you must accept she'll probably have to mime.
Understated beat (almost downtempo electronica based) - nothing that really stands out there.
Verses very boring.Chorus picks it up a bit - but being a male doesn't speak to me at all.Very cliched as well.Similar to many other dance chorus's I've heard a thousand times before.Lyrics very poor throughout - they usually are in dance tracks though.Construction of the song seems to be very tight does what it needs to do to satisfy dance pop lovers.She's not the worst mainstream pop vocalist out there, but you don't need to be that great to achieve that.
But she isn't a dancer, she's a singer. Madonna, Usher, Christina and Michael Jackson are (were) all dancers as well as singers, whereas Rihanna has never claimed to be one. Thus punters shouldn't turn up expecting amazing dance routines. But if you insist she dances, you must accept she'll probably have to mime.
Lady Gaga isn't a natural dancer, yet still manages to dance with a lot of her songs. Rihanna could do the same. But dancing isn't necessary. Good performance skills, however, are.
Yes, she sang live, which is great. But it was nowhere near as good as the studio version, even though she stood still for the majority... So she might as well have put some more effort into the performing.
Comments
Rihanna may not have the strongest voice but she can certainly sing, why would Jay-Z sign her if she couldn't? I saw her SNL performance and was shocked. There's a rumor going around that she was given the mic that was supposed to go to one of the backing vocalists and that's why it was out of tune. I actually believe that because you only have to watch her X Factor performance to see that she is great live. You can hear that it is not identical to the single so therefore she is singing live.
Her stage presence is amazing and she's stunning looking. I don't know why she gets such a hard time. She may not have Beyonce's belting voice but she's an amazing entertainer in her own right.
I think the performance last night blew a lot of people away and made a lot of people realize that despite what they read, Rihanna CAN sing!!
It's weird I've seen Rihanna live loads in the past and think she's amazing, but I know others who have seen her live and think she sounds awful..real nasal etc.
What is SNL?
You're absolutely right, it's just she's underperfomed on television performances a number of times for whatever reason. She has repented as of last night
Oh, and I prefer her to Beyonce any day...
Didn't stop her.
Saturday Night Live- US entertainment show. Rihanna performed on there recently and was... underwhelming
Anyways in that degree Rihanna definately evokes that Madonna style, singing strong and knows her own style of voice and i prefer it to the likes of Beyonce who just belt to no degree. For me Christina Aguilera and Tina Turner are THE vocalists i have grown up with
Rihanna, Madonna, Florence, Bjork, Nico, Annie Lennox, Britney (although not always live) have strong distictive voices and evoke so much more in their material, and while not to everyone's taste, they prove themselves!
Rihanna for me has fast become something of an iconic figure! and LOUD will be a real opus, i can feel it
Why should a bit of dancing make her have to mime?
Acts like Beyonce, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Pink, etc. are all perfect examples of pop stars who ALWAYS manage to perform and sing at the same time. Sometimes the vocals suffer, but the vocals would suffer even if they were standing still... Others can manage to make the song sound BETTER live, even when dancing (Beyonce in particular).
That's the way I feel about Rihanna's voice as well. I thought she sounded well on xfactor but other times she sounds like a moaning goat.
At least she tries though, and sings live. It may be ridiculous that a singer actually singing is considered a bonus, but these days it seems to be.
Didn't like the performance though. The food fight/staging looked very clumsy. And by god, what is with her terrible fashion sense lately? It looks like she's going for 80's Madonna meets Midsummer Nights Dream. Not good.
I agree, Rihanna is very much an icon. It overwhelms me how bloody far she has come when she was just a one hit wonder back in 2005.
it's true though isn't it, many wrote her off in 2005, then she scored bigger in 2006, and *thus far) hit her biggest in 2007/8 with HUGE hits. The momentum has continued with Rated R and her singles RUssian ROulette and Rude Boy and Te Amo and now with LOUD and Only Girl's success!
Rihanna is evidently influenced by Madonna, she has stated a few times and i think they've met several times over too which is neat! for D&G conventions and VMA's etc. And her image is very retro and Madonna meets Marylin Monroe style of retro chic.
and yes in 5 years Rihanna has come a LONG way! i mean to think 3 years ago i wouldn't have bought anything by her and now i own three albums! a couple of singles and revving up for LOUD!!!!
also i think the way her career is not unlike her peers Britney and P!nk in the sense she has grown to get her aknowledgement, and in a sense it shows (although not timeless defining) how far she's come in half a decade much like Madonna did from her debut through to her Blonde Ambition era! and i really think Rihanna is at that stage of growth and is now gonna certify that with LOUD and hopefully she'll tour with it and grow more with the video's too! Rude Boy and Only Girl's videos are AMAZING! nust so simplistic yet arty looking.
And that red hair it is very much Madonna meets Marylin Monroe meets that 70's style movement in the music industry, and i think it's been planned. Also the direction to LOUD is not too dissimilar to the aim and HUGE Confessions On A Dance Floor! and also the comparisons with Thriller's timeless sense too makes me more and more excited by LOUD.
and finally (after a bit of an analytical essay which i have a habit of!) I truely think after the acclaim of Only Girl and her HUGE performance of last night (very Vogue too i must say!) really reflect Rihanna as musician, artist and showgirl! and as always looked AMAZING!!! seriously there's no doubt she's the most stunning woman out there!
yeah i think the comparisons started when she had a similar 'look' about her for her debut and Pon De Replay etc. but then with GGGB she really came into her own, classy R&B Dance style and has grown over the last 3 years into a true superstar and somwhat icon in the music industry!
Verses very boring.Chorus picks it up a bit - but being a male doesn't speak to me at all.Very cliched as well.Similar to many other dance chorus's I've heard a thousand times before.Lyrics very poor throughout - they usually are in dance tracks though.Construction of the song seems to be very tight does what it needs to do to satisfy dance pop lovers.She's not the worst mainstream pop vocalist out there, but you don't need to be that great to achieve that.
Lady Gaga isn't a natural dancer, yet still manages to dance with a lot of her songs. Rihanna could do the same. But dancing isn't necessary. Good performance skills, however, are.
Yes, she sang live, which is great. But it was nowhere near as good as the studio version, even though she stood still for the majority... So she might as well have put some more effort into the performing.