Rihanna is heading to our shores. And this time nothing can stop her. Fans had their hopes dashed back in May when she cancelled her Dubai gig. But, to be fair, she had a pretty solid excuse. Her ex-boyfriend, Chris Brown, was due in court that day charged with her assault, for which he is currently carrying out a six-month community service order, along with attending domestic violence counselling sessions and not being allowed within 100 yards of the star (cut down to 10 yards at public events), after pleading guilty to the offence.
Since the news of the attack and the pictures of the battered and bruised Rihanna flooded the media, the public have witnessed the rollercoaster aftermath. There have been numerous reports of the starlet forgiving Brown and going back to him, but the public rejoiced earlier this month when, on Good Morning America, she spoke out for the first time about the incident – showing that she had put Brown behind her once and for all. She was quickly heralded a heroine by Glamour magazine, which honoured her as one of its ‘Women of the Year’, for speaking out against domestic violence.
Only recently returning to the stage for the first time since the attack, UAE fans will join her to bring in 2010 at Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace with the likes of ‘Shut up and Drive’, ‘Umbrella’ and ‘Disturbia’. It’s bound to be a sell-out as, no matter what has happened in her personal life, Rihanna’s music career has been a huge success.
Unlike many who work for years to get a break, Rihanna is the first to admit she got lucky. ‘When I first started I was just a normal girl growing up in Barbados,’ she tells us. ‘One of my friends introduced me to a couple of producers who were vacationing there. I sang for them and we started working on a demo, [then] we sent it out to a few labels and Jay-Z and Def Jam [Jay-Z’s record label] were the first people to call back. I went and auditioned for them, I got signed and here I am.’ At the age of 16 she had a hit single with ‘Pon de Replay’ and, after her sexy re-launch with huge hits ‘SOS’ and ‘Umbrella’, she is now one of the richest young stars in Hollywood. We’re used to seeing teenyboppers driving their own Ferraris by now, but it’s still surprising for a 21-year-old to have accomplished so much, and it seems Rihanna agrees: ‘It definitely surprises me. When I think about all the things I’ve accomplished and achieved it makes me a little scared because it’s kind of overwhelming. It’s a surreal feeling and I really have a lot to be grateful for.’
As if singing is not enough, she is following in the footsteps of the likes of Beyoncé, J Lo and Jessica Simpson by branching out into acting (she’d like to play someone ‘who kicks butt’, apparently) and bringing out her own fashion line. The latter is hardly surprising, given her obvious love for dressing up, sporting anything from long, flowing gowns to thigh-high, ripped leather boots. But how is she going to make her line stand out from the rest? ‘Obviously, I’ve been brought up in a completely different culture. I want it to be very true to who I am and I want it to be very, very edgy.’ So will we be able to have a ‘Rihanna original’ in our wardrobes? ‘I want it to be affordable: not too cheap, not too expensive. But I want it to be in the right market, I want the right people to buy it. I just want women to be very fashionable and stoic.’ Fashionable? We hope so. Stoic, as in ‘free from emotion’? Er, we hope not.
No matter how her fashion line or acting abilities turn out, there’s no doubt Rihanna has firmly established her place among today’s biggest and best pop princesses. With Shakira having played at Emirates Palace last New Year, and others including Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys and Beyoncé to have already graced the stages of Abu Dhabi, she is continuing the line of pop royalty hitting the capital. We’re certainly pleased she’s finally making it to the UAE, and, best of all, that she’s sorted our plans for New Year’s Eve.
Rihanna plays Emirates Palace on December 31. Buy your tickets from www.timeouttickets.com. Prices range from Dhs395-1,695. Rihanna’s latest album, Rated R, is in record shops now
