''Unapologetic'' is the seventh

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by Barbadian singer

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...

. It was released on 19 November 2012 by

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

and SRP Records. It was recorded between June and November 2012, during promotion of her sixth studio album, '' Talk That Talk'' (2011). As executive producer, Rihanna enlisted previous collaborators

The-Dream Terius Adamu Ya Gesteelde-Diamant ('' né'' Youngdell Nash; born September 20, 1977), known professionally as The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for having written or co-produced songs for artists in ...

David Guetta Pierre David Guetta (; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and record producer. He has sold over 10 million albums and 65 million singles globally, with more than 30 billion streams on Spotify. Guetta was voted the number one DJ in the DJ Mag ...

Chase & Status Chase & Status are an English electronic music duo composed of Saul Milton (Chase) and Will Kennard (Status). In addition, Andy Gangadeen is the drummer when the band performs live. MC Rage formerly performed as MC with the group, but left in ...

, and

Stargate ''Stargate'' is a military science fiction media franchise owned by Amazon MGM Studios. It is based on Stargate (film), the film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin; production company StudioCanal owns the ...

to work alongside new collaborators such as Parker Ighile,

Mike Will Made It Michael Len Williams II (born March 23, 1989), known professionally as Mike Will Made It (often stylized as Mike WiLL Made-It) or simply Mike Will, is an American record producer. He is best known for producing trap beats for several Southern hi ...

, and

Labrinth Timothy Lee McKenzie (born 4 January 1989), better known by his stage name Labrinth, is an English singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Labrinth signed as a recording artist with Simon Cowell's record label Syco Music in 2010, ini ...

. ''Unapologetic'' is primarily a pop,

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

, and R&B record that incorporates elements of

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

, EDM,

dubstep Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

in its production, merging the sound of her previous albums ''Talk That Talk'', '' Loud'' (2010) and '' Rated R'' (2009). ''Unapologetic'' received generally mixed reviews from critics, with some reviewers describing its music as interesting, while others criticized its weak lyrical content and rushed nature. The album won the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 2014 ceremony, while "

Stay Stay may refer to: Places * Stay, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the US Law * Stay of execution, a ruling to temporarily suspend the enforcement of a court judgment * Stay of proceedings, a ruling halting further legal process in a tr ...

" was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. It debuted at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200 with first-week sales of 238,000 copies, becoming Rihanna's first number one album on the chart and best-selling debut week of her career. The album also became the singer's third, fourth, and fifth consecutive number one album in the United Kingdom, Norway, and Switzerland, respectively. According to the

International Federation of the Phonographic Industry The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 1 ...

(IFPI), it was the ninth global best-selling album of 2012 with sales of 2.3 million copies. As of December 2014, ''Unapologetic'' has sold over four million copies worldwide. The album produced six singles including the international hits "

Diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of electricity, and insol ...

" and "Stay". The former peaked at number one on both the UK Singles Chart and the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 where it became Rihanna's twelfth number one song, tying her with

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

and

the Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful Amer ...

for fourth most number one songs in the history of the chart. Prior to its release, Rihanna promoted the album with the 777 Tour which consisted of a seven-date promotional tour in which she performed seven concerts each in a different city in North America and Europe in seven days. To further promote the album, Rihanna embarked on her fourth worldwide concert tour, entitled the Diamonds World Tour.

Background

In November 2011, Rihanna released her sixth studio album, '' Talk That Talk''. The album was rooted in pop,

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

and R&B, but also incorporated a variety of other musical genres such as

electro house Electro house is a genre of electronic dance music and a subgenre of house music characterized by heavy bass and a tempo around 125–135 beats per minute. The term has been used to describe the music of many ''DJ Mag'' Top 100 DJs, including ...

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...

, and

, a genre which was prominent on her fourth

, '' Rated R'' (2009). ''Talk That Talk'' received generally positive reviews from contemporary

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

upon its release. It was a commercial success and reached the top ten in over twenty national charts, including number one on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

and number three on the US ''Billboard'' 200. The album produced six singles including the worldwide hits "

We Found Love "We Found Love" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna released as the lead single from her sixth studio album, '' Talk That Talk'' (2011). The song features Scottish DJ Calvin Harris, whose 2012 album '' 18 Months'' also includes the track. Produ ...

" and " Where Have You Been". "We Found Love" topped the charts in over 25 countries and sold over 9 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. In March 2012, Rihanna revealed that although she had not yet begun recording, she started "working on the new sound" for her seventh studio album.

Recording and production

On 20 June 2012, Rihanna began recording her seventh studio album, working with Nicky Romero and Burns. Rihanna and Burns booked three days in a studio in London while Rihanna was performing at Radio 1's Hackney Weekend. It was also confirmed that Rihanna worked with Eric Bellinger,

Sean Garrett Garrett Robin Hamler (born March 30, 1979), known professionally as Sean Garrett, is an American record producer and songwriter. He is known his songwriting work on a series of commercially successful R&B and hip-hop songs, beginning with Ush ...

, and

Swedish House Mafia Swedish House Mafia (SHM) are a Swedish house music, house Supergroup (music), supergroup consisting of Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso. The group officially formed in late 2008, were placed at number ten on the ''DJ Mag'' Top 100 D ...

for her seventh album. On 6 July,

Def Jam Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The ...

executive

No I.D. Ernest Dion Wilson (born June 23, 1971), known professionally as No I.D. (formerly Immenslope), is an American record producer, DJ and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. He is known for his early work with Chicago-based rapper Common, as well a ...

revealed that he had begun working with Rihanna on the album saying "I'm going in next week for about a week". On 10 July, British singer and producer

revealed to Capital FM that he had been working with Rihanna on the album. On 17 July, it was reported that Rihanna would be working with R&B singer

Ne-Yo Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo ( ), is an American singer and songwriter. Regarded as a leading figure of Contemporary R&B#2000s, 2000s R&B music, he is the recipient of numerous accolades, includi ...

and

N-Dubz N-Dubz are an English hip-hop trio from Camden Town, London, England, consisting of cousins Dappy and Tulisa, and their friend Fazer. After winning a MOBO Award for Best Newcomer in 2007, N-Dubz briefly signed with Polydor Records before j ...

member

Fazer Fazer (, ) is one of the largest corporations in the Finland, Finnish food industry. The company was founded by Karl Fazer in 1891, as a "French-Russian café" in central Helsinki. Today, it employs over 6,000 people across Finland, Sweden, Lat ...

. In an interview with Capital FM Ne-Yo spoke on working with Rihanna on the album saying: "I just recently went in to do some stuff for Rihanna, you know. She's the hardest working woman in showbiz right now. She's in the process of putting together a new album as we speak, I got in with

and

and a few other people for that project. In July 2012,

confirmed that he had been in the studio with French DJ

working on Rihanna's album saying: "I was in the studio with David doing some stuff for Rihanna recently. He finds inspiration in the things I don't like, and I get excited by the things he doesn't like. He wants to be more urban and I want to be more international, so we push each other, I try to help Rihanna. She works hard and it's cool to write for someone who is so open-minded." On 21 August, American songwriter Claude Kelly said that he had been writing songs for Rihanna while she was performing in London. Kelly spoke on the songs that he had written for Rihanna saying: "Rihanna's a worldwide superstar at this point and she's performing in stadiums and arenas now, so I wanted songs that reflected her audience, when I was in London she was performing at a festival in front of like 30,000 to 40,000 people. So I didn't want small songs that only worked on radio, so I tried to do anthemic big stadium-themed songs." On 16 August,

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

R&B singer-songwriter

Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

stated that he had been writing for Rihanna's album. He said: "I love writing songs and it's good to pitch tracks to other artists. A couple of weeks ago I was doing some writing for Rihanna". In September 2012, Ne-Yo confirmed his involvement the album saying "I did go in the studio with her, I know I got one or two on the album that she's definitely keeping."

Composition

Music and lyrics

Rihanna explained her interest in developing new soundscapes, "I love experimenting and I love working with different sounds and putting them together so they're not one-dimensional." She also added "Right now we're working on collecting and creating the sound first before we even start working on the lyrical direction or melodies. I kind of have an idea though, and it's very rough right now. So I'm very eager to start that."

spoke on the album's sound saying it was "a great mish-mash of genres". Rihanna revealed during an interview with GQ's "Men of the Year" that she wanted her music to be uplifting saying "I want to make music that's hopeful, uplifting. Nothing corny or supersentimental. I just want it to have the feeling that brings you out of whatever you're going through. I want it to spark that fire. I want it to be real, authentic, and raw." The album's first half is made up of EDM and "syrupy"

Southern hip hop Southern hip-hop, also known as Southern rap, South Coast hip-hop, or dirty south, is a blanket term for a regional genre of American hip-hop music that emerged in the Southern United States, especially in Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee ...

minimalism songs, which feature abrasive sound effects and eccentric beats. Like most of the album, they generally draw on

, a bass-heavy subgenre typified by wobbly

synthetic Synthetic may refer to: Science * Synthetic biology * Synthetic chemical or compound, produced by the process of chemical synthesis * Synthetic elements, chemical elements that are not naturally found on Earth and therefore have to be created in ...

noises and blaring bass drops, as well as

dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...

and

chopped and screwed Chopped and screwed (also called screwed and chopped or slowed and throwed) is a genre of hip-hop music and technique of remixing music that involves slowing down the tempo and DJing. It was pioneered by DJ Screw, and became a staple in the ...

sounds.

Jon Caramanica Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, Caramanica received his bachelor's degree ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' characterizes the album's music as "brutish and bruised" with "tough and layered" production, citing David Guetta's "guttural" production on "Phresh Out the Runway" and "Right Now" as an example. Music journalist Jude Rogers characterized the album's music as voluminous "R&B-pop", while ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine's Melissa Locker said that it has an "urban R&B sound". According to

Alexis Petridis Alexis Petridis (born 13 September 1971) is an English journalist. He is the head Rock music, rock and pop music critic for ''The Guardian'', and a regular contributor for ''GQ''. In addition to his music journalism for the paper, he has written ...

, the different producers who worked on ''Unapologetic'' appeared to make an effort away from Rihanna's previous "pop-dance template ... or at least to rearrange voguish sounds into less familiar shapes". ''Unapologetic''s ballad-oriented second half incorporates

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

, and

styles. According to music critic

Greg Kot Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the ''Chicago Tribune'', where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and busines ...

, ''Unapologetic'' is "ostensibly" a pop album, while ''

Vibe Vibe, alternatively '' vibes,'' is short for ''vibration''. A "vibe" is an emotional reaction to the aura or energy felt to belong to a person, place or thing. Vibe may also refer to: People * DJ Vibe (born 1968), Portuguese DJ * Lasse Vibe (b ...

'' said that it is "on the surface" an assortment of genres such as R&B, dubstep and pop. Up-tempo songs such as "Phresh Out the Runway", " Jump", and "Pour It Up" celebrate the pleasure of living. Much of the album's lyrics are presumably concerned with Rihanna's relationship with

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

, with a second half of lighter songs that have references to a dysfunctional love life. The album's subject matter is reflected by an abundance of

minor key In music theory, the key of a piece is the group of pitches, or scale, that forms the basis of a musical composition in Western classical music, jazz music, art music, and pop music. A particular key features a '' tonic (main) note'' and it ...

sounds throughout its songs. James Reed of ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' called ''Unapologetic'' "a defiant middle finger to her critics, particularly the ones who don't approve of her relationship with Brown." Kot observed a "celebrity subtext" throughout the album and characterized the songs' narrators as "troubled, anxiety-ridden, lost ... the characters in these songs linger in a limbo of mixed emotions, emotionally attracted to a lover and yet uneasy about the next step." ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' magazine's Caryn Ganz wrote that "Rihanna sings about her unapologetic love of" money, love, and "living in the moment" on the songs "Pour It Up", "Loveeeeeee Song", and "Right Now", respectively.

Songs and lyrical content

The album's opening track, "Phresh Out the Runway", is a "gritty club banger" that features hip hop and EDM styles. The song is a "noisy, trap-tastic twerker" that is reminiscent of Rihanna's 2012 single "

Birthday Cake A birthday cake is a cake eaten as part of birthday celebrations. While there is no standard for birthday cakes, they are typically highly decorated layer cakes covered in frosting, often featuring birthday wishes ("Happy birthday") followed b ...

", and contains "blazin' beats, brags aplenty" and an "unapologetic attitude". The song's lyrical content revolves around Rihanna explaining how if any of her crew does not respect her, then they should no longer remain with her. "Diamonds" is a mid-tempo

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

which incorporates electronic and pop musical genres. It features heavy

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

s, orchestral sounds and electronic rhythms. The song's lyrical content marks a departure from the recurring themes of unhealthy relationships on the album's other songs, and contains a prominent concept of love. "Numb" is a "slow-grinding, Middle Eastern-flavored party track". Numb's

instrumentation Instrumentation is a collective term for measuring instruments, used for indicating, measuring, and recording physical quantities. It is also a field of study about the art and science about making measurement instruments, involving the related ...

consists of an Egyptian flute riff and "a crashing bombastic beat". "Numb" contains a sample of

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

's song " Can't Tell Me Nothing", written by West and Aldrin Davis. The song's lyrical content is "controversial" as it is about feeling "numb after taking drugs" and a "homage to getting high". "Pour It Up" is a club song, with a minimal

beat. Lyrically, it finds Rihanna turning a strip-club anthem into a declaration of independence, pulling out her dollar bills at the strip club, getting drunk, and bragging loudly. "Loveeeeeee Song" is a duet with rapper and singer

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ex ...

, with soft vocals by Rihanna and lyrics that posit love as an adversarial game. "Jump" is a dubstep-influenced dance song that samples

Ginuwine Elgin Baylor Lumpkin (born October 15, 1970), better known by his stage name Ginuwine ( ), is an American R&B singer. He began his career as a member of the musical collective Swing Mob in the early 1990s. As a solo act, he signed with Epic R ...

's 1996 song "

Pony A pony is a type of small horse, usually measured under a specified height at maturity. Ponies often have thicker coats, manes and tails, compared to larger horses, and proportionally shorter legs, wider barrels, heavier , thicker necks and s ...

". Lyrically, in "Jump" Rihanna preaches to her former partner that she won't be chasing him. "Right Now" is a "feel-good anthem for the clubs". The song contains electronic and

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...

, with a duration of . and the song features a "churning

bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched P ...

". "What Now", produced by Parker Ighile, is a "vulnerable ballad" containing a "hard chorus". The song is a

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

-led mid tempo pop ballad and "builds nicely from its calming verse to its electrified hook". "

" is a

that has piano and guitar instrumentation. The lyrics revolve around "failing to resist true love", according to Dan Martin for ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' "Nobody's Business" mixes Chicago stepping and

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

styles, featuring strings, piano, and a four-on-the-floor kick drum. Rihanna said that the song's lyrics show "basically the way I look at everything regarding my personal life." Lyrically, the couple proclaims their eternal fealty, make out in a Lexus and acknowledge the world that the romantic relationship between them is only their business. "Love Without Tragedy / Mother Mary" represent two

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

and new wave integrated songs, which last for a duration of with lyrics that are deeply personal, two-part song that opens with a somber mood and shifts to confessional subject matter and Rihanna's uplifting vocals. "Get It Over With" is a down-tempo, "chilled-out" song. "No Love Allowed" is a reggae song with a "bubbly, dubbed-out groove". The final track "Lost in Paradise" is a "somber-but-hopeful" mid-tempo ballad with frequent tempo drops. Lyrically, it speaks about a love stronger than a gun shot, "Half of Me" is a

chamber pop Chamber pop (also called baroque pop and sometimes conflated with orchestral pop or symphonic pop) is a music genre that combines rock music with the intricate use of strings, horns, piano, and vocal harmonies, and other components drawn from t ...

song which lasts for a duration of three minutes and twelve seconds.

Singles

" premiered on 26 September 2012, and was released the following day as the

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

from ''Unapologetic''. Critics were divided on the track; some complimented Rihanna's different musical direction, however, others criticized its production. The cover artwork for the song features Rihanna rolling diamonds on a piece of

marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...

paper. The song's music video depicts Rihanna in four environments that represent the elements of earth, air, water and fire. "Diamonds" debuted at number 16 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, eventually reaching number one, giving Rihanna her twelfth number one in the country and tying her with

and

as the artists with the fifth-most number ones in the chart's history. The song also topped the charts in eighteen other countries worldwide including Austria, Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. "

", which features guest vocals by American recording artist

Mikky Ekko John Stephen Sudduth, known professionally as Mikky Ekko, is an American singer and songwriter from Nashville. He co-wrote and was featured on Rihanna's 2013 single "Stay (Rihanna song), Stay", which charted in multiple countries, becoming his fir ...

was released as the second international single from the album, first impacting radio stations in France on 13 December 2012. Dan Martin for ''

'' thought that the lyrical content of "Stay" puts a "vulnerable spin" on her relationship with

. The song's accompanying music video was released on 11 February 2013, via E! and then to

Vevo Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...

the following day. The song reached the top five of twenty-four countries worldwide including number four in the UK and number three on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming Rihanna's twenty-fourth top ten on the latter chart, thus passing

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...

's tally of 23 top ten songs. Furthermore, it reached number one in Canada, Czech Republic and Denmark, while also topping the US

Pop Songs Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the U ...

chart.

" Pour It Up" was solicited to urban radio as the album's third single in the United States on 8 January 2013. The song debuted on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 90, eventually reaching a top twenty peak of number 19. "Pour It Up" additionally charted on multiple sub-charts in the country including number one and six on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

charts, and number 47 on the

Hot Dance Club Songs The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set list ...

chart. It also made appearances in other countries such as Canada, France and the UK. A remix of "Pour It Up" was later distributed with rap verses from American rappers

Young Jeezy Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. He is credited, alongside fellow Georgia-based rappers T.I. and Gucci Mane, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music fo ...

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. An influential figure in modern Hip-hop, hip hop music, Rick Ross has become known for his "Wiktionary:booming, booming" vocal perfor ...

Juicy J Jordan Michael Houston III (born April 5, 1975), known professionally as Juicy J, is an American rapper and record producer. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, he is a founding member of the Southern hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia, established ...

, and

T.I. Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. (born September 25, 1980), known professionally as T.I. or Tip, is an American rapper and singer raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Harris is credited as a pioneer of the hip hop subgenre trap music, along with fellow Georgi ...

On 2 October 2013, an accompanying music video was released to Rihanna's official

account after several delays. " Right Now" was released as the fourth single from the album and was sent to

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top ...

in the United States on 28 May 2013. Upon the release of ''Unapologetic'', the song charted at number one on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

chart and number seven on the

UK Dance Chart The Dance Singles Chart and the Dance Albums Chart are music charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company from sales of songs in the electronic dance music, dance music genre (e.g. house music, house, trance music, trance, ...

. "

What Now What Now may refer to: Albums * What, Now? (Peter Hammill album), ''What, Now?'' (Peter Hammill album), 2001 * What Now? (Kenny Wheeler album), ''What Now?'' (Kenny Wheeler album), 2005 * What Now (Sylvan Esso album), ''What Now'' (Sylvan Esso al ...

" was released as the fifth single from the album in selected countries; it peaked at number 21 and 13 in Australia and New Zealand respectively. The single also appeared on the singles charts of France, United Kingdom and Belgium. On 29 August 2013, a promotional digital remix EP of "What Now" was released exclusively to

Beatport Beatport is an American electronic music-oriented online music store owned by LiveStyle. The company is based in Denver, Los Angeles, and Berlin. Beatport is oriented primarily towards disk jockey, DJs, selling full songs as well as resources that ...

. "What Now" officially impacted US rhythmic radio on 24 September 2013, and later impacted on Top 40/Mainstream radio on 1 October 2013. The song's accompanying music video was released to

on 15 November 2013.

Release and promotion

On 12 September 2012,

France announced via

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

that Rihanna would release a new single the upcoming week while her seventh studio album was scheduled to be released in November 2012. However, the tweet was shortly deleted and replaced with another clarifying that "more information will be made available tomorrow, Thursday, September 13". To further promote the announcement for her seventh upcoming studio album, Rihanna launched a promotional website rihanna7.com. Via her official

account, Rihanna posted series of "teasing" tweets announcing her seventh studio album. On 11 October 2012, she revealed the cover art and title of her new album, ''Unapologetic''.

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

ranked the cover at number one on their list of The 30 Hottest Naked Album Covers Ever. Regarding the title of the album, Rihanna explained that she named it because she wanted to express how honest she is, "I named my album 'Unapologetic' because there is only one truth, and you can't apologise for that. It's honest. I'm always evolving, of course, I think the only motto I have is to be true to myself." Rihanna-mexico-city

In August 2012, it was revealed that ''Unapologetic'' would be released in late November 2012. In early October, it was reported that the album would be released on 19 November 2012. On 2 November 2012, Rihanna released a behind the scenes video of the journey to making ''Unapologetic''. The first video included a behind-the-scenes view of Rihanna backstage at the

2012 MTV Video Music Awards The 2012 MTV Video Music Awards, hosted by Kevin Hart, took place on Thursday, September 6, 2012, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. The awards were broadcast from the Staples Center arena at L.A. Live in Downtown Los Angeles ...

, a shooting range, rehearsing for the iHeartRadio Music Festival and a photoshoot at a studio. On 14 November, Rihanna embarked on a seven-date promotional tour for ''Unapologetic'' titled the 777 Tour. She performed seven concerts in seven days, each in a different city in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

and

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. Fans and members of the international press (150 journalists representing 82 countries) were invited aboard a chartered

Boeing 777 The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The 777 is the world's largest twinjet and the most-built wide-body airliner. ...

twinjet to every venue. Beginning on 14 November in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, the tour visited

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

(

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

(Sweden),

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

(France),

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

(Germany),

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

(UK) and ended on 20 November in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

(United States). On 6 May 2013,

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

aired a tour documentary, with a documentary DVD being released the following day. Rihanna performed "Diamonds" and "Phresh Out the Runway" at the 2012

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is an annual promotional event sponsored by and featuring Victoria's Secret, a brand of lingerie. From 1995 to 2018, Victoria's Secret used the show to market its goods in high-profile settings. Models under ...

on 7 November 2012, which aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

on 4 December 2012. She performed "Diamonds" and a solo version of "Stay" on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'' on 10 November 2012. On 25 November 2012, Rihanna performed "Diamonds" on ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...

'' in the United Kingdom. On 8 December, she performed the song on '' Wetten, dass..?'' in Germany. On 9 December 2012, Rihanna performed "Stay" in a medley with her 2011 single "

" on the final of series nine of British ''The X Factor''. She also performed "Diamonds" on ''La Chanson de l'année'' (''"The song of the Year"'') in France, on 10 December 2012, which was broadcast on 29 December 2012. During the

55th Annual Grammy Awards The 55th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 10, 2013, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ...

on 10 February 2013, Rihanna performed " Could You Be Loved" alongside

Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is known for his three-octave tenor vocal range, live performances, R ...

, Sting, Damian Marley and

Ziggy Marley David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley (born 17 October 1968) is a Jamaican reggae musician. He is the son of Bob Marley and Rita Marley. He led the family band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers until 2002, with whom he released eight studio albums. After ...

as a tribute to

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

. Rihanna performed for a second time at the award ceremony, where she performed her album's second single "Stay" along with

. To further promote the album, Rihanna embarked on her fifth concert tour, the Diamonds World Tour in March 2013. North American, African and European dates were announced with

ASAP Rocky Rakim Athelaston Mayers (born October 3, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Rocky ( ; stylized as A$AP Rocky), is an American rapper. Born and raised in Harlem, he embarked on his musical career as a member of the hip hop music, hip hop coll ...

serving as the support act for North America, while

performed for the Moroccan date of the tour as well as some selected European dates including London and Paris. In September 2013, she also performed on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

's '' Alan Carr: Chatty Man'' to promote "

Critical reception

''Unapologetic'' received mixed to positive reviews from

. At

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album holds an

average In colloquial, ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by ...

score of 61, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 25 reviews. Alexis Petridis of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' found it "far more interesting" sonically than ''Talk That Talk'' and stated, "there's stuff here that's worth hearing, if you could untangle the music from the artist's personal life." ''

Fact A fact is a truth, true data, datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance. Standard reference works are often used to Fact-checking, check facts. Science, Scientific facts are verified by repeatable careful observation or measurement by ...

'' magazine's Alex Macpherson felt that it has some of Rihanna's most compelling songs since '' Rated R'' (2009) and that, "even when ''Unapologetic'' fails, it often does so in interesting ways" musically.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

's Andy Kellman opined that "the only way to enjoy a significant portion of it is by taking it as pure entertainment" and called it "another timely refresh of contemporary pop music". Dan Martin of ''

'' commented that, "at its best, ''Unapologetic'' trades in daring avant pop", and dubbed Rihanna the "most compelling of pop phenomena". Jon Dolan of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' asserted that "''Unapologetic''s stark, shadowy R&B is confrontationally honest and sung within an inch of its life".

of ''

'' felt that it "makes the most of ihanna'stalent" and stated, "even on the most vulnerable songs, she maintains her cool, never once verging on the maudlin". Smokey Fontaine of ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...

'' called it "kinetic and musically varied", and wrote that it "blasts the sounds of global, post- mod youth culture through every track". In a mixed review, Genevieve Koski of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

'' criticized Rihanna for "extend ngthe album's defiant tone to her romantic life" and called it "a fiery pop album that's unfortunately coated in the icky residue of unearned defiance that has marked Brown's recent output." Randall Roberts of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' felt that its commercial "lyrical turns poison" the album, "even while musically, Rihanna has evolved into one of the more forward-thinking pop divas." Simon Price of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' panned Rihanna's singing as " flatter than

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

" and its material "dull as dishwater", observing "the usual half-hearted, sexual single-entendres". Greg Kot of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' wrote, "in the context of an album dominated by ballads and at least superficially introspective lyrics", the dubstep songs "feel like respites". ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

''s Eric Henderson commented that the album sounds "cobbled together" and quipped, "If only the music were compelling enough to back up the supreme bad faith" of the lyrics. ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

''s Jessica Hopper dismissed its music as "synth-pop slog" and said that the songs "make for dull labor, not worth our time and not befitting Rihanna's talent". In his consumer guide for

MSN Music ''MSN Music'' was a part of MSN's web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. The website also served as a digital music store from 2004 to 2008. History ...

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

facetiously called her "so much more provocative as an android than as a human being". He cited "Phresh Out the Runway", "Diamonds", and "Numb" as highlights, and gave the album a three-star honorable mention, which indicates "an enjoyable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well treasure".

Accolades

''Unapologetic'' received the award for Top R&B Album at the Billboard Music Awards of 2013. At the 2013 American Music Awards it was nominated for Favorite Soul/R&B Album, however, it lost to '' The 20/20 Experience'' by

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...

. At the

56th Annual Grammy Awards The 56th Annual Grammy Awards presentation was held on January 26, 2014, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT and was hosted for the third time by LL Cool J. The show was moved to January to avoid co ...

, held on 26 January 2014, ''Unapologetic'' won the

for Best Urban Contemporary Album.

Usage in Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show performance

At the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show held in Glendale, Arizona on February 12, 2023, the setlist included four songs from the album, with Rihanna performing "Pour It Up" and "Diamonds" live; and with elements of "Phresh Out The Runway" and "Numb" being included in other songs. Following the performance, the album rose from No. 197 on the Billboard 200 to No. 18.

Commercial performance

In the United States, ''Unapologetic'' debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 and sold 238,000 copies in its first week. It was Rihanna's first number-one album in the US and the best-selling debut week of her career. In the same week, the album's lead single "

" remained atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for a second consecutive week. Consequently, Rihanna became the second artist of 2012 to top both the ''Billboard'' 200 and Hot 100 simultaneously. The following week, the album fell to number six and sold 72,000 copies. On the issue dated 11 March 2013 (its fourteenth week on the chart), the album re-entered the ''Billboard'' 200 top five at number five, selling 28,000 that week. On 30 May, in its 27th consecutive week on the ''Billboard'' 200, ''Unapologetic'' passed the one million sales mark, selling at a faster rate than her previous album, ''Talk That Talk''. With the feat, the album became her sixth album to sell at least one million copies. On 3 July 2013, ''Billboard'' mid-year sales reported that ''Unapologetic'' is the 16th best-selling album of 2013 thus far, selling 494,000 copies from 1 January to 30 June 2013. As of June 2015, ''Unapologetic'' has sold 1.2 million copies in the US. In February 2018 the album was certified 3× Platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA), denoting shipments of over 3 million album-equivalent units in the US. In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number one on the

, with sales of more than 99,000 copies in its first week. With the debut, it became Rihanna's fourth album to reach the top spot in the UK and also her third consecutive chart topper, tying

Eva Cassidy Eva Marie Cassidy (February 2, 1963 – November 2, 1996) was an American singer and musician known for her interpretations of jazz, Folk music, folk, and blues music, sung with a powerful, emotive soprano voice. In 1992, she released her f ...

and

Norah Jones Norah Jones ( ; born Geethali Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She has won several awards for her music and, , has sold more than 53 million records worldwide. '' Billboard'' named her the top jazz artist of ...

for the female artists with most consecutive UK number one albums. By May 2013, the album had sold 635,000 copies in the UK. It also reached number one in Switzerland and Norway. In Denmark, the album was

certified Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...

gold by the

IFPI Denmark IFPI Denmark is the Danish branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwi ...

, denoting shipments of 10,000 copies. According to the

(IFPI), the album had sold over 2.3 million copies worldwide by February 2013, making it the eight best selling album of 2012. In France, ''Unapologetic'' has sold 240,000 copies as of May 2013. As of March 2015, ''Unapologetic'' has sold over four million copies worldwide. ''Unapologetic'' was ranked as the tenth most popular album of 2013 on the ''Billboard'' 200.

Track listing

Credits adapted from Unapologetic liner notes. Notes * The

River Island River Island (stylised as RiverIsland and abbreviated as RI) is a London-based, multi-channel fashion brand, founded in 1948 by Bernard Lewis (entrepreneur), Bernard Lewis. The retailer has a presence in over 125 of worldwide markets, in stores ...

exclusive edition features the bonus track "Diamonds" ( Congorock Remix) * The Diamonds executive platinum box includes five "Diamonds" remix tracks: Gregor Salto Downtempo Remix, The Bimbo Jones Downtempo, Dave Audé 100 Extended Mix, Steven Redant Festival Mix, and The Bimbo Jones Vocal Remix Sample credits * "Numb" incorporates lyrics from " Can't Tell Me Nothing" (2007) performed by

, written by Kanye West and Aldrin Davis. * "Jump" samples elements of "

" (1996) performed by

, written by Elgin "Ginuwine" Lumpkin, Stephen Garrett and Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley. * "Nobody's Business" incorporates lyrics from " The Way You Make Me Feel" (1987) written and performed by

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

Release formats

Standard version * Jewel case packaging * Standard 14 tracks Deluxe version * Jewel case packaging * Standard 14 tracks, 3 bonus tracks * Bonus DVD, including never-before-released footage, and First Look of Rihanna's Loud Tour recorded live at London's O2 Arena * 28-page photo and art booklet Diamonds deluxe edition box * 17 deluxe version tracks * Bonus DVD * T-shirt featuring a photo from the album's photoshoot * ''Diamonds''-inspired bracelet * 7 laptop stickers * 28-page photo and art booklet * Fan mosaic poster Diamonds executive platinum box * 17 deluxe version tracks * Bonus DVD * 28-page photo and art booklet * ''Unapologetic'' USB Flash Memory Drive * T-shirt featuring a photo from the album's photoshoot * 7 art print 12 x 15 lithographs, bound together with a handwritten ''R'' logo band * 3 device adhesives * 7 laptop stickers * 11 x 17 a personal note to the fans, handwritten by Rihanna * ''Diamonds'' – Remixes on vinyl * View-Master including a reel of 3D images * 40-page notebook with handwritten notes and lyrics * Fan mosaic poster

Personnel

Credits are adapted from

and album's liner notes. *

– lead vocals, creative director, executive producer * Dave Audé – remix, additional production, and mixdown (track 16) * Alejandro Barajas – music engineer (track 4) *

Benny Blanco Benjamin Joseph Levin (born March 8, 1988), known professionally as Benny Blanco (stylized in all lowercase), is an American record producer and songwriter. He is the recipient of the 2013 Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall ...

– producer (tracks 2, 16, 17), instrumentation and programming (tracks 2, 7) * Tanisha Broadwater – production coordination (track 3) *

– vocals (track 10) * Josh Campbell – engineer (track 1) * Nathan Cassells – co-producer, engineer, instrumentation, and programming (track 8) * Chase – producer, instrumentation, and programming (track 6) * Robert Cohen – assistant engineer (tracks 2, 3, 5, 8–12, 14) * Ronald "Flip" Colson – producer (track 3) * Sam Dew – background vocals (track 3) * Christian Dwiggins – mixdown (track 16) *

– vocals, producer, arrangements, and additional production/landscape (track 9) *

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

– rap (track 3) * Mikkel S. Eriksen – producer (tracks 2, 6, 7, 14–17), instrumentation and programming (tracks 2, 6, 7), engineer (tracks 2, 6, 16, 17) * Warren "Oak" Felder – producer (track 3) * Seth Firkins – music engineer and vocal engineer for Future (track 5) * Melissa T. Forde – photography *

– vocals, producer, instrumentation, and programming (track 5) * Mike Gaydusek – vocal engineer (track 9) * Kevin Cossom;– additional vocals, writer (track 6) *

Chris Gehringer Chris Gehringer (born May 27, 1962) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound in New Jersey. Gehringer is known for having mastered recordings by popular artists such as AJR, Dua Lipa, Drake, Ed Sheeran, Gwen Stefani, Harry Styles, ...

– mastering * Kemal Golden – remix and additional production (track 16) *

– producer, instrumentation, and programming (tracks 1, 7) * Kuk Harrell – vocal engineer (tracks 1–9, 11–17), vocal producer (tracks 1–3, 5–17) * Tor Erik Hermansen – producer (tracks 2, 6, 7, 14–17), instrumentation and programming (tracks 2, 6, 7) * Tom Hough – assistant engineer (track 1) * Mario Hugo – illustrations * Parker Ighile – producer, music engineer, instrumentation, and programming (track 8) * J-Bo – co-producer, instrumentation, and programming (track 4) * Jayson Joshua – mixing (track 11) * Brian Kennedy – producer, instrumentation, and programming (track 12) * Kimmie Keyes – make-up * Rob Kinelski – additional engineering (track 13) *

– producer (track 14) * Elof Loelv – producer and additional production/landscape (track 9) * Andrew "Muffman" Luftman – assistant engineer (tracks 2, 16, 17) * Deborah Mannis-Gardner – sample clearance * Blake Mares – assistant engineer (tracks 2, 3, 8–14) *

Manny Marroquin Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is a Guatemalan-American record mixing engineer. He has been credited on albums for high-profile pop, R&B, hip hop and rock acts. He has worked with artists including Rihanna, Kanye West, Katy Perry ...

– mixing (tracks 3–5, 10, 13) * Carlos "Los" McKinney – producer (tracks 10, 11) * Donnie Meadows – production coordination (track 3) * MJ – additional drum programming (track 1) * Mylah Morales – make-up * Michael Muller – photography * Terius "The-Dream" Nash – producer (tracks 1, 10, 11), instrumentation & programming (track 1) *

– producer (track 13) * Liam Nolan – assistant engineer (tracks 3, 13) * Paul Norris – engineer (track 7), assistant engineer (tracks 8, 12, 13) * Mel Ottenberg – stylist * Ciarra Pardo – art direction, creative director * Justin Parker – producer, arrangements, and piano (track 9) * Joel Peters – assistant engineer (track 1) * James Poyser – keyboards (track 13) * Will Quinnell – mastering assistant * Ben Rhodes – assistant engineer (track 1) * Daniela Rivera – additional assistant engineer (tracks 2, 6–8, 16, 17) * Evan Rogers – executive producer *

Nicky Romero Nick Rotteveel (; born 6 January 1989), professionally known as Nicky Romero or Monocule, is a Dutch DJ, record producer and remixer from Amerongen, Utrecht Province. He has worked with, and received support from DJs, such as Tiësto, Fedde l ...

– producer, mixing, instrumentation, and programming (track 7) * Gregor Salto – remix and additional production (track 17) * Donnie Scantz – music engineer (track 13) * Bart Schoudel – music engineer (tracks 10, 11), additional engineering (track 1) *

Status Status (Latin plural: ''statūs''), is a state, condition, or situation, and may refer to: * Status (law) ** Legal status, in law ** Political status, in international law ** Small entity status, in patent law ** Status conference ** Status c ...

– producer, instrumentation, and programming (track 6) * Ursula Stephens – hairstylist * Xavier Stephenson – additional engineering (track 3), assistant engineer (track 7) *

Carl Sturken Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers are New York–based songwriters and record producers. They have produced hits for Ruben Studdard, Wild Orchid, Christina Aguilera and Evelyn Champagne King and helped build the career of Rihanna. In addition to ...

– executive producer *

Phil Tan Phil Tan is a Malaysian-American audio engineer and mixer. He is a three time Grammy Award recipient, having received 14 nominations for the award. Early life and education Tan was born in Malaysia. He attended Full Sail University in Florida in ...

– mixing (tracks 2, 6, 8, 9, 14–17), vocal mixing (track 7) * Tzvestin Todorov – remix and additional production (track 17) * Marcos Tovar – vocal engineer (tracks 1–9, 11–17), additional engineering (tracks 8, 13), music engineer (track 12) * Giorgio Tuinfort – producer, instrumentation, and programming (tracks 1, 7) * Anna Ugarte – assistant engineer (track 13) * Miles Walker – engineer (tracks 2, 6, 16, 17) * Andrew "Pop" Wansel – producer (track 3) * Mike Will – producer, instrumentation, programming, and additional vocals (track 4) * Steve Wyreman – guitar and bass (track 13) * Aamir Yaqub – assistant engineer (tracks 3, 6), engineer (track 7)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

References

External links

Background

Recording and production

Composition

Music and lyrics

Songs and lyrical content

Singles

Release and promotion

Critical reception

Accolades

Usage in Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show performance

Commercial performance

Track listing

Release formats

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

See also

References

External links