She took a risk with a very folksy lead single, which was commendable and while it faired high chartwise, it was not the mega smash she is use to with previous lead singles. Then came 'American Oxygen,' which was released exclusively through Jay Z's struggling streaming service Tidal. Unsurprisingly, that badly underperformed.
We had several performances of trashy trap single 'Bitch Better Have My Money' but that underperformed too and the music video is now waaaay overdue. Now ticketmaster confirmed that a joint tour with Kanye West was set to go ahead this week but has now been cancelled. Last night, they were scheduled to play a concert at the Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester.
We knew this was on the cards because Kanye heavily hinted it in previous interviews. Instead, Rihanna and her fiery red hair was walking around NYC last night looking flawless, and well, Kanye stayed home too with his pregnant wife. The tour would have supported her new album but since the album has not been released, a tour would seem pointless, hence the cancellation. Only Beyoncé can get away with that mess and I thought Ciara's album era was horrible. This might trump it though.
In related news, Rihanna will be performing in South America's Chile for the first time, just a few days after performing in Rio de Janeiro. The newly announced gig will take place at Santiago’s National Stadium on September 29th. Hopefully, we get some info on what's going on with her album by then but it's looking like we're going to get a fall release alongside Janet Jackson, Tinashe and Alicia Keys.
