On March 1, Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s pre-wedding celebration in Jamnagar brought Rihanna out of her semi-retirement. It has been eight years since the R&B singer gave a complete performance, if you don’t consider her 2023 Super Bowl halftime show (which it appears the singer doesn’t!). It follows that her performance garnered a lot of attention, even from international media. Look at a few of the responses.
“Rihanna plays her first extended show in eight years.”
At the Friday night private performance for the Ambanis, Rihanna reportedly sang 19 songs, according to Billboard, which noted that this was her first full set since the Anti World Tour in 2016. She was cited as saying, “The show was the best,” when speaking to the media following the show. It had been eight years since my last true show. B**** Better Have My Money, Work, Umbrella, Stay, All of the Lights, We Found Love, and Diamonds are just a few of the songs she sang.
“Rihanna had to compensate for revenue she lost.”
According to Vulture, Rihanna is performing at a “for the wealthy” concert, her first in a long time. “She has to make up potential lost revenue from the free show somehow,” they said, referencing her unsuccessful attempt to earn money during the Super Bowl. The publication speculated that Rihanna’s net worth of $1.4 billion may have something to do with her beauty business Fenty and the Ambanis’ Sephora India, questioning why the singer received a “measly $6M.”
“Everyone who wasn’t invited was green with envy after Rihanna’s performance.”
Variety reported that Rihanna’s performance at the billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s son’s secret pre-wedding celebration left everyone who wasn’t invited green with jealousy. The website stated that she performed Work, Wild Thoughts, Birthday Cake, Pour It Up, and Pose “in the same order” as she did in the past, and that she “borrowed” some of the dance steps choreographed by Parris Goebel. They mentioned that she ended the evening donning a “hot pink headpiece,” even though she didn’t change her attire.
Dreams come true at Anant’s bachelorette party.
Harper’s Bazaar reported that most women dream of a well-known celebrity performance in addition to the ideal gown, heartfelt vows, and celebrating with loved ones. “In the deepest recesses of my imagination, I also relish the thought of picturing my favorite musicians performing to celebrate the milestone,” they said. For Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, whose wedding festivities included a private performance by Rihanna, those aspirations came true last night.
Rihanna wasn’t there only to entertain.
In addition to her performance, Rihanna was talked about in articles along with her interactions with partygoers during the pre-wedding celebration, including a leg shake with Janhvi Kapoor on Zingaat. “The Love on the Brain singer wasn’t just there as a performer,” they noted. She was seen dancing her hips with actress Janhvi Kapoor in a video that was uploaded on X. The two shimmied together, grinning. In a different video that was posted on X, Rihanna performed and moved to the song Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus in front of a DJ booth.
Rihanna’s drab performance was made fun of.
Even though Rihanna was paid $6 million, some internet users felt that her performance was “lacklustre,” according to Page Six. Reviews of Rihanna’s most recent performance said that she didn’t work hard at it. The comments “She got that coin and said f–k y’all ima do what I can” and “I’ve always said she’s an incredibly lazy performer…she never took the time to improve her performances” were cited by the website.
Along with a sizable salary and gift bag, Rihanna departed.
After her private concert, TMZ reported that Rihanna was “absolutely glowing” and that “she even left the gig with some parting gifts to go along with an astronomical payout.” Not that we’ve been in that circumstance, but we’re betting when you attend a party held by the 11th richest guy in the world, everyone – even the headliner – departs with a badass swag bag. They stated that the guests included everyone from Ivanka Trump to Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg. Additionally, they conjectured that because “the show was so long,” they may have received a higher salary than what is currently being published.