"Walks Like Rihanna" is a song by the British-Irish boy band

The Wanted The Wanted are a British-Irish boy band consisting of group members Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness and Nathan Sykes and, until his death in 2022, Tom Parker. The group was formed in 2009 and signed a worldwide contract to ...

. It was released in Australia on 10 May 2013, and in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 23 June 2013, as the third single from their third studio album ''

Word of Mouth Word of mouth, or ''viva voce'', is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one pe ...

'' (2013). The song was written by Andy Hill,

Henrik Michelsen Electric is a Norwegian songwriting and production duo, composed of Henrik Barman Michelsen and Edvard Førre Erfjord. Perhaps best known for their work with Little Mix on their #1 UK hits Black Magic and Shout Out to My Ex, the latter of which ...

, and Edvard Førre Erfjord, and it was produced by

Dr. Luke Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald (born September 26, 1973), known professionally as Dr. Luke, Tyson Trax, and Made in China, is an American record producer and songwriter. His professional music career began in the late-night television sketch comedy ...

and

Cirkut Henry Russell Walter (born April 23, 1986), known professionally as Cirkut, is a Canadian record producer and songwriter. He has co-produced and co-written for Dr. Luke, Katy Perry, Becky G, Ava Max, Nicki Minaj, R. City, The Weeknd, Kesha, C ...

, with additional production by Michelsen and Erfjord under their stage name Electric. The title of the song is a reference to Barbadian singer Rihanna. It peaked at number four on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and number three in the Republic of Ireland. Band member

Jay McGuiness James "Jay" McGuiness (born 24 July 1990) is a British singer, songwriter and actor best known as a vocalist with boy band The Wanted. In 2015, partnered with Aliona Vilani, he won the 13th series of BBC's ''Strictly Come Dancing''. In recen ...

said in a press conference announcing their reunion in September 2021, that he didn't actually like the song. "That song just should not exist. Go in the bin forever. It’s the f****** worst song ever," said McGuiness.Female First. "The Wanted: Walks Like Rihanna is the worst song ever" 21 September 2021.
/ref> Bandmate Nathan Sykes countered that "without being hateful, it is a fan favourite, it’s part of our history – and Rihanna liked it!"

Music video

The music video premiered on 7 May 2013, at a total length of three minutes and thirty-four seconds. It features parodies of three other well-known boy bands' videos: "

Bye Bye Bye "Bye Bye Bye" is a song by the American boy band NSYNC. It was released on January 17, 2000, as the lead single from their third studio album ''No Strings Attached (NSYNC album), No Strings Attached''. The song was written and produced by Kristi ...

" by NSYNC, "

I Want It That Way I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...

" by the

Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. The ...

, and " Back for Good" by

Take That Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...

Track listing

Credits and personnel

;Recording *Recorded at Luke's in the Boo, Malibu,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and

Conway Recording Studios Conway Recording Studios is a recording studio in Hollywood, California. People and awards Conway started in the early 1970s as a mastering studio. In 1976, the studio began recording albums, including projects by Elton John and Stevie Wond ...

, Hollywood, California *Mixed at MixStar Studios,

Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

*Mastered at 360 Mastering Studios, Virginia Beach, Virginia ;Personnel *

– songwriter, producer, instruments, programming, additional vocals *

– songwriter, producer, instruments, programming, additional vocals *Andy Hill – songwriter *

– songwriter, additional production, instruments, programming * Edvard Førre Erfjord – songwriter, additional production, instruments, programming *Clint Gibbs – engineer *Eric Eylands – assistant engineer *Rachael Findlen – assistant engineer *Serban Ghenea – mixing *John Hanes – mix engineer *Nathan Sykes – vocals *Tom Parker – vocals *Max George – vocals *Siva Kaneswaran – vocals *Jay McGuiness – vocals *Kyle Moorman – additional vocals * Chris Jones – additional vocals * Gavin Degraw – additional vocals * Martin Johnson – additional vocals *Dick Beetham – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control Songs about musicians The Wanted songs 2013 singles 2013 songs Rihanna Song recordings produced by Cirkut (record producer) Songs written by Dr. Luke Songs written by Cirkut (record producer) Song recordings produced by Dr. Luke Songs written by Andy Hill (composer) Songs written by Henrik Barman Michelsen Songs written by Edvard Forre Erfjord