I never wanted to be a celebrity, I wanted to be
a musician and I wanted to make music that was worldwide.
I like things that are a little twisted.
It was a rollercoaster for me, emotionally.
Bit of bad ass
People really don't know who I am.
A bit of lady.
Rihanna.
Hello.
Thanks for being on the record with Fuse.
My pleasure, finally be able to do this.
I know.
So, how are you?
Are you happy?
I'm great!
I'm great, I'm really excited.
Tell me about the evolution of Rihanna, cause you
start off with Music of the Sun and then it's
A Girl Like Me and then it's Good Girl Gone Bad
and now it's Rated R, kind of like, where can
you go after Rated R?
Every album for me has been a natural step, um in
my career growth, it has displayed the different
steps in my career and every one happens to be
better than the previous one.
For me, that's the most important thing-just
making sure that every time you do something you
do it better than you did it before and those,
even when I listen to my music or watch my videos for
instance from "Pon De Replay" to "Russian Roulette"
it's not even the same person, it's not even the
same person, but I don't know anyone who has
been the same person at 17 that they were at 21.
I talked to L.A. Reid about this album.
He's executing...executive producing this and he said
he's given you hit records and you knew they're hits
and he knew they're hits and you said,
"Nope, it's not my vision."
So clearly, you had a lot of say in what's happening
with this album.
Yeah, because, um, I guess, the last album it
really worked, but I didn't want to repeat
myself and I didn't think that was true artistry.
And, I paid attention to it a lot more musically
and lyrically cuz' I did help pen most of the songs
and I just didn't want a hit, anybody can make a
hit, but I wanted a real album with true music,
real deep lyrics, clever lyrics.
And they are hits too, so we wanted to make great
songs, but with great meaning.
So why do an album now?
Why not take 6 months, you know, you've got the
money, you've got the time, everybody would wait for you.
It's not like your spots going anywhere.
All your fans still love you.
Why not take 6 months, 9 months and hang out?
Well that was the original plan.
I knew after the Grammys was when I would have
taken a little bit of time.
But I drove myself crazy for the few weeks I had
off before I got back in the studio.
That's what made me get back in the studio because
I felt like such a delinquent.
I'm like, I'm going crazy in here guys.
I got cabin fever.
I just stayed in the house because I didn't really
want to hang out around people.
And then I just got out, I just started working again
'cause I called Jay Brown and LA Reid, I said
I'm ready, I am ready, I'm going crazy, I need to get
in the studio and we did just that.
Right away.
And it just made you feel better
Yeah it was my place of peace.
Of course you know how crazy it was out there,
it was just chaotic media circus and the only place
that was peaceful for me was the studio.
It was just 4 walls of protection, something that
was positive, and something that I love to do.
And it was therapeutic.
I got to vent there, I just felt like no one was
judging me, no one was staring, no one was
feeling sorry for me, it was just all about music
Do you think it's fair to say this is, Rated R is an
angry album?
No. It's a display of so many different emotions
and moods because it was a rollercoaster for me
emotionally, and it's documented on it cuz' as I
said everyday in the studio I didn't feel the same.
Some days I was angry, some days I was sad,
some days I was felt like talking about sex,
some days I just felt like being cocky. So there—
there—there are different moods, I would never say
it's an angry album.
There's definitely some angry songs, some songs
that you know, having that feeling of wanting to
have revenge.
There are those songs there.
Tell me about "Russian Roulette," cuz it's a very
intense song you know it's very emotional song and
um, your heart is beating hard as you listen to it,
cuz the girl in the song is actually playing Russian
Roulette, right? And it's her turn to go and she's
nervous but she's like I'm going to face down my fear,
I'm going to do it.
Yes, "Russian Roulette", um, when you think about the
game, it's a very terrifying game.
And potentially, you can get hurt in the end and
it's a lot like the game of love.
Because that's when feeling are involved.
Um, and that's what the song is actually about,
it's not about literally playing "Russian Roulette"
But you've introduced this crazy game to a lot of
kids who perhaps weren't aware of it before, do you
think about the impact on them, suddenly discovering
this game through you?
This time around I wasn't so concerned about a
demographic or what people thought.
I was in a very very deep place and I had a lot to
say and "Russian Roulette" is a part of that expression.
It's not about the game at all, which is—I wish people
would get that.
It's poetry.
"Photographs" was the last song you made.
And you said you went to Will.I.Am's house and he
played it for you and it was a Black Eyed Peas'
song and you said no, no, no-I'm taking that
song. How do you go to Will.I.Am's house and take
a song away from the Black Eyed Peas?
He didn't really want to play that at first,
because he was like Ok, Rihanna's here now, y'all
come to strong arm me and we were like, we just want
to hear it.
But when I heard it, the story is so, so real and it—
I was like this is my story.
What are you guys doing with this song?
This is not "The Energy Never Dies" this is some
deep shit and everybody knows that feeling of
after a break up, you know, you just feel empty like
"What? I just spent the last how many years in this
relationship, building this foundation and all I
have left to show for it is some photographs of memories"
It was so personal and I felt it right
here, and I wasn't leaving the studio without it.
One of my favorite lines on the album is on
"Wait Your Turn," you say "I'm such a fuckin' lady!"
And you very much are a lady.
So explain what that meant to you?
Well, everything goes back to that line, which is
funny that you picked that out because that's my
favorite line too.
I actually wanted to name my album, "Such A Fuckin' Lady"
couple of stores, uh...couple of major outlets didn't allow that.
Um, but...
Was that really the first title?
Yeah.
That was the title for, for a while, but Rated R
made more sense because of the overall story.
It's a movie really, the album.
But "Such a fucking lady" we take everything back to
that—especially in our style.
It's that playing with the tough but not too tough,
and being a lady but not too girlie because that's not me.
I kind of play on both.
I like things a little twisted, a bit a bad ass
and a bit of lady.
Do you think your image has changed this year?
I've been away for a few months, probably like
8 months or so, people didn't hear anything from
me because I didn't talk.
All they saw was me getting out of my hotel
into the car, out of the car.
They didn't know where I was going or who I was
going with or what I was doing.
They didn't know my growth.
They just—All of the sudden they saw from the Clive Davis party to now
Yeah
And the album definitely lets you in on what I thought about
for those 8 months.
I was going through my mind, what made me come to this
place right now.
And, for me, my image has definitely changed.
Absolutely, because again, I grew up, I grew up.
I was forced to.
My story has been pretty exposed and naked out
there so, I spoke about my situation so women can
learn from it.
And now I'm in a different place and, I just want them to
learn from my experience.
How early did this dream of being a singer start?
Very young.
I had to be like 6 years old.
I always loved music.
I always loved it.
And then I would start singing along and before you knew
it, I wanted to be that person so bad that I would
lip sync or dance or look in the mirror or perform
for my friends or cousins, and I just always knew,
I just always knew that one day I'm gonna be doing this.
I knew.
Well, who are the singers you idolized and tried to
follow, pattern yourself?
Well, I always used to listen to all the divas
like Mariah Carey for sure was one of my favorites always.
Whitney Houston, I love Celine Dion, loved Shania Twain.
I used to listen to those 4 for sure, religiously.
And now they're my peers which is so crazy.
[Laughs]
You've talked about Bob Marley as an influence too.
What is the musical influence on you from Marley?
Being from Barbados, Bob Marley is like our king.
And every artist from the Caribbean, they see
Bob Marley and they're like, if he made it from a small
island to be this worldwide legend, we can do it too.
And that's why he was such a big inspiration,
and motivation for me.
You've talked about nobody gets off the island,
but you did, so why were you able to do that?
Well I was presented with a very, very great opportunity.
Evan Rogers and Carl Surkin, they're two producers.
They discovered me.
I met with them, auditioned, started
recording a demo, a year later we finally finished
it and sent it out to a few labels and luckily we
got some calls back.
So big moment in the ascent of Rihanna,
when you auditioned for Jay Z.
Describe that story for me.
So scary.
All I remember saying is "oh my gosh, I'm about to
not only meet Jay-Z," because that's a big thing.
Then I have the audition of my life, and it's with Jay-Z.
So it was double, double pressure and I literally
was shaking.
No lie, I sat there in the lobby waiting and I was shaking.
And when I saw him all I remember is I sat back and
I was like "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! He's coming, he's coming, he's coming!"
But you were still able to sing In a way that knocked
his socks off, right?
Well, I had to put my game face on.
It was do or die at that moment.
I could not mess up that opportunity I would have
been a fool.
What did you sing?
I sang this song called "The Last Time" from my
first album, as well as "Pon de Replay" and...
They heard the demo so they kind of knew.
But they wanted to see me in person, and hear me
live, and after I performed for them, it was
just a matter of us coming to an agreement.
How soon after you stopped singing did you get a deal?
12 hours?
And 12 hours later, your manager called you?
No, 12 hours later we signed.
We didn't really leave.
We stayed.
You didn't leave the building?
Right, it was pretty much that day.
It was literally 12 hours later.
And Jay told you—
It was 3 am.
And they told you, you can't leave?
You were like "I'm tired, I wanna go back to the
hotel, don't worry I'll sign with you."
Because they didn't want us to audition with other labels.
That's what the fear really was.
So they semi kidnapped you for 12 hours.
It was worth it, though. It was so worth it.
So let's talk about "Umbrella", it's your biggest hit.
What about "Umbrella" struck such a chord to
make it become this monster hit?
I think "Umbrella" to me is one of the most magical records.
And anyone could have done it, and it would have been massive
'cause it's a very infectious song, like you
don't ever get tired of it.
Even performing it now for me, I never get tired of it.
Two songs, not of yours, that I love that you kinda took over,
"Run This Town" and "Live Your Life".
These are hip hop songs, but you come in, you kinda
take over the record and overshadow the rappers.
Is there something about doing a track with these
MCs that brings out an extra energy in you?
If you notice, I don't really do a lot of collaborations.
And "Live Your Life" and "Run This Town", they're two
songs that you can't say no to, and they're also
artists that you want to work with.
Jay Z and T.I., they're very credible rappers so I
didn't have a problem doing it for them,
and also I loved the songs and they became hits which I
was also very very happy about.
I was very grateful to be a part of those records too.
What has been Jay's best advice to you?
In the beginning of my career, I remember
"Pon de Replay" started doing really well and he
came up to me at a showcase and he said
"You must be really be a great person because great things
keep happening for you.
Don't ever change who you are. Always remain humble, the same"
And it kind of rings in my ear every day I hear that.
And it stuck with me.
And I have a lot to be grateful for.
You said you've built an empire.
How do you define empire?
Um, well, I built a brand.
The brand is Rihanna.
And there are a lot of things that come with that.
It's a lot of work that went into this brand,
and that's why I say I built an empire because it was
from the ground up, ya know?
We started from scratch.
And everything we've done thus far has had
a lot of influence for me.
What does Rihanna the brand stand for?
Naughty, naughty, just kidding.
I'm a musician, I'm a very creative person, I love
music, I love fashion, I'm very edgy.
I'm always a little to the left, never safe,
because it's just not me, it's never who I am.
Everything I do, it reflects that, whether it
be what I wear in an interview, a photo shoot,
nothing is safe cause that's just not Rihanna.
You're taking acting classes now?
Tell me something...
Yeah on and off.
I want to do movies.
So that's why I'm getting into acting classes but...
right now, I have a very demanding schedule when it
comes to music so that's not really going to happen
right now.
But in the future, movies.
Yeah I want to do movies for sure.
You are gorgeous.
Thank you!
Did you have that in your little notes?
Yes.
Yes, really?
But I mean, the first time I met you, I was like wow, whole
other level face to face.
Thank you, God bless you.
But do you look in the mirror, no ego, but look
in the mirror and be like, "Wow, I kind of got lucky
with the way bone structure—
Oh my God, I mean every day I look in the mirror
and say damn I'm cute.
No.
[Laughs with Toure]
Usually I'm like, "Oh great, now I have a fuckin' pimple."
[Laughs with Toure]
But when you don't have a pimple, are you like,
kind of lucky?
No, no, every day there's something is never good enough.
You never look in the mirror and say yes,
I'm perfect today.
It's always like, "okay, I don't have a pimple but my
gut looks huge."
Awesome.
You always find a flaw.
That's what the mirror is there for, it's very bad.
When you were in Barbados, you wanted to be a
celebrity, that's what you've been dreaming about
for all this time.
But there is a downside to that, what is the downside
to all that?
Well the downside is there's no private life,
there's no privacy.
You can't imagine what that has to feel like.
There's nothing you can do.
You can't step out of your hotel room without the
paparazzi being parked outside of there, they're
parked outside of your house.
There's no moment of "Okay, now I'm finished where I
can close the door."
No, there's none of that.
And that's the downside, that's the big downside.
But also if that's what I have to deal with to do what
I love, I'll take it.
Because the upside is I get to do what I love and
I get to travel to all these amazing countries
and cities and meet amazing people and just
reach out to my fans all over the world. There's—
I can deal with the paparazzi.
Thank you so much.
Thank you!
You're awesome.
That was wonderful.
Thank you.