Role of the Performer

 Rihanna 



Robyn Rihanna Fenty is a pop superstar. Growing up she was shy but her outlet was singing and performing for her friends. Her and 2 other friends formed a girl group and got te chance to meet Evan Rogers, who is a famous producer. Evan Rogers liked Rihannas sound. She signed with Evan Rogers in 2004 and he then began to send her music to many different record labels. She released her first single in 2005 and that hit number 2 on the billboard singles chart. She received her first grammy in 2008. She is known for fashion, having a beautiful voice and her Fenty brand. 



Music by Rihanna

Disturbia by Rihanna was composed by Chris Brown, Brian Kennedy, Andre Merritt and Robert Allen. It was released in 2008. In this song the beat and tempo were pretty fast paced. Rihannas voice when singing over this matched perfectly in the sense that she was able to reach higher notes that went along with this sound. The articulation was choppy and she was able to match it with her voice allowing the song to still sound well and put together. The way she is able to change the pitch in her voice and make it sound almost creepy is what made the lyrics in the song match up nicely.  

Diamonds by Rihanna was composed by Sia and was released in 2012. In this song the beat and tempo are definitely a bit slowed but along with that, so was her voice. She was able to soften the sound which matched with the lyrics and balanced the song very well. The dynamics were not soft nor loud but her voice was more on the soft side which made it sound kind of combined. 



I think Rihanna singing the lyrics to these songs rather than writing them allowed her to focus more on what to bring attention to throughout the songs. I feel like her being able to change he own personal sound in and throughout each of these songs showcased her many different talents and probably even some challenges she overcame while trying to perfect her sound for these songs.  We need musicians who are able to simply interpret the compositions of others simply because they have a sound that matches what the writers are looking for and are able to have the lyrics being written down felt by the listeners rather than just read or listened to. 






Sources

Holland, Georgie. “Rihanna: A Career Timeline.” KISS, 2020, planetradio.co.uk/kiss/entertainment/celebrity/rihanna-career-timeline/.

Lee, Helena. “Rihanna's Remarkable Journey: from Teenage Pop Star to Entrepreneur and Advocate for Equality.” Harper's BAZAAR, Harper's BAZAAR, 5 Aug. 2020, www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/culture-news/a33496963/rihanna-september-cover-shoot/. 

Comments

  1. Elle PaulsenNovember 8, 2020 at 12:36 PM

    Great post! I think you nailed the importance of a performer when you mentioned allowing a performer to "focus more on what to bring attention to throughout the songs." I enjoy listening to Rihanna's voice and found that she actually has a huge range, over three octaves. Even more amazing is her effortless ability to switch to different notes so fluidly!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hannah FontecchioNovember 8, 2020 at 11:14 PM

    Wow, I had heard the song "Diamonds" before, but I didn't know Rihanna sang it! The lyrics to this song are interesting, and her vocal range really brings extra emotion to the song. The part where she repeats "Shine bright like a diamond" is kind of like a chorus to this song and it really gets stuck in my head. I haven't spent a lot of time listening to Rihanna, but I do agree that we need musicians who can interpret music that other people write in new and creative ways.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Adreonna SilvaNovember 9, 2020 at 9:16 PM

    Rihanna is one of my all time favorite performs. I agree with your statement that performing the songs rather than singing them helps her to focus on the performance itself! I would have liked to see more regarding her achievements throughout her career. Overall, a very informative blog post!

    ReplyDelete

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