Video Source – Rihanna-Fenty.de

“It’s my mini-movie,” Rihanna said about her forthcoming album. “It’s really honest, at times vulnerable, but it came from really, really deep in here [points to heart]. I just feel like I had to call it Rated R, ’cause it’s my movie.”

MTV News previewed the album on Tuesday (November 10) and Rihanna’s description is certainly accurate.

After the intro, Rated R kick starts with “Wait Your Turn” and the Young Jeezy-assisted “Hard.” The material matches the artwork that’s been released for the project so far, with Rihanna posturing as the bad chick.

In what will probably be referred to by fans as the “Chris Brown song,” Rihanna reveals a softer side of herself on the ballad “Stupid In Love.”

“I still love you, but I can’t do this/ I may be dumb but I’m not stupid,” she sings on the Ne-Yo-penned record.

“Stupid In Love” recounts a story of distrust over lies, raging emotions, and lamenting a lost love.

“The dunce cap is off/ You don’t realize what you lost ’til I’m gone/ I was the one,” Rihanna croons.

The pulsating “Russian Roulette” follows, but it’s the next series of selections — “Rock Star,” “Firebomb,” and “Rude Boy” — that fit the Rihanna archetype of big, bombastic tracks that flaunt her sex appeal.

“Rock Star” features former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash. With its mix of drum kicks and guitar licks, Rihanna revels in her rebellion. “I got my middle finger up/ I don’t really give a fuck.”

“G4L” is another posture record (the acronym is short for “gangster for life”), while “Te Amo” is the Barbados singer’s paean to her international audience.

The album once again turns somber, with the Will.i.am-assisted “Photographs,” where Rihanna laments over a lost relationship.

“It shoulda been me and you/ now all I got is these photographs,” she sings.

“The Last Song” is just that, after the Justin Timberlake-helmed “Cold Case Love.”

“Love” begins with a sparse melody and gradually builds through each verse before it crescendos with a full production flourish.

Rihanna recently performed material from the album for the first time during a surprise appearance on Jay-Z’s tour in Los Angeles this past weekend. The “Umbrella” star spoke to MTV News about the appearance and said she was both nervous and excited to get back to music. She said Rated R, set for a November 23 release, will be the beginning of a “new era.”

“There are a lot of butterflies, a lot of excitement,” Rihanna said about her return to music. “I’m anxious. Like, I can’t wait. But you’re always nervous, because you’re about to go do something big. It’s a new thing, a new era. But I’m not scared. I’m just really excited. I just can’t wait to start.”

MTV

Pictures coming soon!

Every once in a while, a pop star comes along who is so visually magnetic, her music so utterly everywhere, that the world can’t take its eyes off her. There’s no question who that superstar is right now: Her name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty. At 21, Rihanna’s résumé could turn even a music industry veteran a major shade of green: Since Jay-Z signed her to Def Jam in 2005, she has scored four number-one hits and has sold more than 12 million albums, a number soon to grow with her just-released album (untitled as of press time). Add to that Rihanna’s self-invented style—a mash-up of Paris couture and street punk, and possibly the best-known haircut on the planet—and you have a full-on fan frenzy. With all that attention comes a sky-high platform for doing good, and Rihanna’s used it wisely: In 2006 she quietly started the Believe Foundation, a fund that provides educational and medical supplies to needy children, and she has personally helped two leukemia sufferers find the bone marrow matches they needed to live. Of course, it’s impossible to talk about Rihanna without also discussing the February night the singer was brutally assaulted by her then-boyfriend, pop star Chris Brown. Rihanna has remained mostly silent about that awful experience. But now, with Brown out of her life, she’s opening up as a way to speak on behalf of victims of domestic violence. Listen in on this honest comeback interview.

Glamour: Let’s first talk about life before you made it: You are one of the few pop stars in recent years to come from the islands.

Rihanna: I would have never dreamed that my career would be this successful. I grew up in an average home in Barbados, and we didn’t live in the best neighborhood. But I was never aware that we were poor; my mom never made us feel that way. She loved me unconditionally. She made us feel anything was possible and instilled in me such confidence.

Glamour: Did you sing a lot as a kid?

Rihanna: Always—in the shower, to pillows and stuffed animals, my cousins. But I knew I wanted my music to be heard worldwide. That was my dream. I was able to make demos whenever I had vacation time, but my mom always said, “You are not stopping school until you get signed.” And even when I got signed, she still made me go to school.

Glamour: You auditioned for Jay-Z at Def Jam. What was that like?

Rihanna: I was nervous as hell. The night before, I couldn’t sleep. I was trying on a million different outfits and makeup. I remember seeing Jay-Z and starting to shake. I thought he would be in a suit, sitting behind a desk with a cigar. But he was totally chill, wearing sneakers and a T-shirt. Then I went into audition mode. I knew it was all or nothing. Right away, the Def Jam people said, “You can’t leave the building.” They closed the door, and the lawyers stayed until 1:00 or 2:00 A.M. to do the deal.

Glamour: That literally is the definition of overnight success!

Rihanna: In a matter of weeks, the first single [“Pon de Replay”] went to radio. Then we shot a video, and the song just took off. I was in the Top 10 with huge artists who I looked up to. Jay-Z kept telling me, “This never happens, so don’t get used to it.” I saw how special that moment was.

Glamour: What’s the most valuable piece of advice Jay-Z’s ever given you?

Rihanna: In the beginning of my career, he said, “You must be a good person, because good things are happening for you, but you have to stay humble.” One thing that intrigued me about him was that he was such a huge artist and really down-to-earth. I felt like if he was saying this, it must work.

Glamour: Let’s talk about this past year—you’ve obviously been through some difficult things. How did the people around you help you cope?

Rihanna: My friends and family have been extremely supportive, and everyone has been there for me. But at some point you are there alone. It’s a lonely place to be—no one can understand. That’s when you get close to God.

Glamour: Are you referring to the [Chris Brown] incident?

Rihanna: I am talking about starting with the night [before] the Grammys and then on. That was not the only thing that occurred this year. The picture leaking…it was one thing after another.

Glamour: You’re talking about the photo [reportedly of Rihanna’s injured face taken by police after Brown assaulted her] that was allegedly leaked by cops. You handled that so well; you kept silent in the press.

Rihanna: It was humiliating; that is not a photo you would show to anybody. I felt completely taken advantage of. I felt like people were making it into a fun topic on the Internet, and it’s my life. I was disappointed, especially when I found out the photo was [supposedly leaked by] two women.

Glamour: How has this event changed you as a person, as a woman?

Rihanna: I’m stronger, wiser and more aware. You don’t realize how much your decisions affect people you don’t even know, like fans.

Glamour: Do you think you’ve gotten your strength from your mom?

Rihanna: Definitely. My mom gave us the tools to survive…. My parents separated when I was eight or nine. I helped her raise my [youngest] brother, because my mom was working all the time. He’s my favorite.

Glamour: Do you feel that this experience has laid the groundwork for coping with anything so public again?

Rihanna: It has taught me so much. I felt like I went to sleep as Rihanna and woke up as Britney Spears. That was the level of media chaos that happened the next day. It was like, What, there are helicopters circling my house? There are 100 people in my cul-de-sac? What do you mean, I can’t go back home?

Glamour: If you could offer a message to the millions of young women who look up to you, what would you tell someone who found herself in a similar situation?

Rihanna: Domestic violence is a big secret. No kid goes around and lets people know their parents fight. Teenage girls can’t tell their parents that their boyfriend beat them up. You don’t dare let your neighbor know that you fight. It’s one of the things we [women] will hide, because it’s embarrassing. My story was broadcast all over the world for people to see, and they have followed every step of my recovery. The positive thing that has come out of my situation is that people can learn from that. I want to give as much insight as I can to young women, because I feel like I represent a voice that really isn’t heard. Now I can help speak for those women.

Glamour: I think that’s a great message. What about your new album? What’s it like?

Rihanna: I was involved in a lot of the writing. I put everything I’ve wanted to say for the past eight months into my music. The songs are really personal. It’s rock ‘n’ roll, but it’s really hip-hop: If Lil’ Wayne and Kings of Leon like my album, then I’ll feel good. I would not change anything about it. Even if people don’t love it, I made exactly the piece of art that I wanted to make. It’s super fearless—which is exactly how I feel right now. I am in a really good place.

Glamour: Justin Timberlake said it sounds a little more grown-up—do you agree with that comment?

Rihanna: I agree. I have grown up a lot since my last album. It [represents] exactly where I am at right now.

Glamour: Jay-Z once said that your challenge as an artist was going to be to make people relate to you as a human being. What do you think he meant by that?

Rihanna: Before, there was an innocence to me. It was a perfect image. So the minute I did something imperfect, it was a big deal. I think that’s what he was referring to: People forget that after we get to our hotel rooms at night, we take a shower, we watch TV, eat room service and do normal things. Behind it all, we are still human beings.

Glamour: Now let’s talk about your success in the world of fashion: You have become a fashion icon practically overnight. What does it mean to you as a performer, as a creative person, as a way to celebrate who you are?

Rihanna: Fashion for me is another way I get to express myself creatively. It is one of the fun things I get to do: to play dress-up, and create outfits and looks that aren’t typical. I am an artist, so I like creating things. Shoes are my favorite thing.

Glamour: OK, so how many pairs do you own?

Rihanna: Too damn many! [Laughs.]

Glamour: Your look has evolved from the beginning of your career.

Rihanna: In the first two years of my career, there were a lot of restraints on what I could do. I couldn’t wear certain colors of lipstick, like bright pink, dark pink or red; [my lips] had to be natural. Eventually, I stopped communicating with certain people at the label, and did exactly what I wanted to do. And that was to cut my hair, dye it black, change my clothes, change my sound. Really to just express myself.

Glamour: Let’s talk about that famous hair of yours. Your cut now is even called “The Rihanna” in salons!

Rihanna: Yeah, we cut it into a bob for the [Good Girl Gone Bad album] cover shoot, but then I went even shorter for the NRJ Music Awards [in January 2008]. My hairdresser just said, “I don’t feel like doing your hair anymore—I want to cut it.” I was like, Finally!

Glamour: On to your charity work: What in your own life inspired you to start the Believe Foundation?

Rihanna: I have always loved kids. They are little adults with so much personality, and it is fun to work with that. Whether that means donating school supplies or medication, or [using my celebrity] to get them a bone marrow transplant, I want to help.

Glamour: You actually helped a young girl and a mother of two, both of whom were suffering from leukemia, find bone marrow matches for transplants. How did that happen?

Rihanna: My manager sent me a video this little girl did for her best friend. It shows them playing, and then Isabelle says to the camera, “This is my friend Jasmina, and here’s how you can help her: Swab your mouth for DNA, and put it into an envelope.” They were both adopted and have the best bond—they are inseparable. The video made you fall in love with both of them. I was like, I have to help her. So I did a bunch of events to raise awareness. Just when we thought we were not going to find a donor, we found one. The other woman, Lisa, is a mother of two who was diagnosed with leukemia and was going to die if she didn’t get a bone marrow transplant. I knew she could not leave her two kids; that’s all that was going through my head. So we said a lot of prayers, sent out press releases and did events in order to get the word out. Her transplant was successful. She was in a lot of pain, but she was so strong and determined.

Glamour: Wow, that’s amazing. So here you are, only 21, and you have already accomplished so much. Where do you see yourself in five years?

Rihanna: So much has happened in the past five years, I can’t speak for the next five. What I want is to continue to grow. Because I am never satisfied; I always want more. I always want to get better. I always want to climb another step.

Glamour: Is it too early for you to think, I want to be in love, I want to have a family? Is that too far down the road?

Rihanna: I hope I find love in the next 10 years—that will be pretty annoying if I am 31 and still have never been in love! But yeah, I’d like to be in a great place in both my personal life and my career. I still want to be doing what I love. Whatever that is in 10 years, I don’t know.

Glamour: Well, congratulations on being a Woman of the Year!

Rihanna: It is an honor. The women who are being honored are all such great inspirations to me. I look up to them.

“I said to myself, ‘I’m never gonna date someone like my dad,’ ” Rihanna told Sawyer. “Never.”

The singer said her father was severely abusive to her mother in the past and hit her “numerous” times. She said she would unsuccessfully try to break up their fights, attempting to distract the pair by breaking glasses and dishes in the kitchen. The singer said her father even broke her mother’s nose.

Rihanna painted the picture of her and Brown’s early days together as filled with happiness. She said the “Forever” singer was her best friend but cautioned that falling in love with your best friend can be “scary.”

“The more in love we became, the more dangerous we became for each other, equally as dangerous,” she said, describing their relationship as an obsession.

She said on the night Brown assaulted her, she was happy and alcohol did not play a part in influencing his or her behavior.

Rihanna confirmed that a text message from a girl Brown had a previous relationship with was at the root of their argument that night. She said Brown lied about the message and that she would not let him off the hook. “He had his back against the wall,” she said.

The pair left a pre-Grammy party and soon found themselves arguing in a residential district in Brown’s rented Lamborghini.

“It escalated into him being violent toward me, and it was ugly,” she said, clearing her throat.

Rihanna confirmed to Sawyer information previously detailed in the police report. She said Brown punched her and bit her repeatedly. She said she was also choked, but not to the point of near unconsciousness, although she said she did have trouble breathing.

“All I kept thinking was, ‘When is it going to stop?’ ” she told Sawyer of the escalating violence.

She admitted Brown threatened to kill her, as well, but she told Sawyer he “was saying it to scare me.”

“At that point, I just didn’t know what could happen,” she continued. “He was clearly blacked out. There was no person when I looked at him. It was almost as if he had nothing to lose. He had so much to lose. But it was almost as if he had nothing to lose. It wasn’t the same person that says I loved you. It definitely wasn’t those eyes.”

“It was ugly,” she said. “I fended him off with my feet…but it was not like, it was not like a fight with each other. I just…I really just wanted it to stop,” she said.

Finally, Rihanna said, her screams prompted a to call the police.

“I was bleeding, I was swollen in the face,” she said. “So there was no way of me getting home, except for, my next option was to get out of the car and walk. Start walking in a gown, in a bloody face. So I really don’t know what my plan was.”

Rihanna briefly reunited with Brown in Miami approximately a month following the assault. She said she wanted to protect Brown, as fans were turning against him. But Rihanna was conflicted even as she attempted to reassure Brown.

“Everything about him annoyed me,” she said.

He asked her if Rihanna hated him, she recalled. She said she didn’t, but she actually resented him. According to her, this was the point where she realized she had to end their relationship.

Developmental psychologist Dr. Michelle Callahan told MTV News it’s important for victims to get to the point where they must recognize it’s time to leave.

“It’s important for young women to know this is not a sign of love,” she urged. “Violence, controlling behavior and abusive behavior is not love.”

Rihanna’s decision to return to Brown confused many once evidence of the assault became public.

“Even if Chris never hit me again, who is to say that their boyfriend won’t?” Rihanna said during the interview, calling her decision to reconcile with Brown “selfish.” “Who’s to say that they won’t kill these girls? These are young girls, and I just didn’t realize how much of an impact I had on these girls’ lives until that happened. It was a wake-up call.”

Sawyer asked Rihanna about the leaked image of her, battered and bruised, that appeared online after her assault. The singer said she doesn’t like seeing the image because of the bad memories it conjures.

“I get angry all over again every time I see it,” she said. “The whole thing plays out in my head, so I don’t like to see it.”

Brown has repeatedly emphasized that he still loves Rihanna and released a song after the incident called “Changed Man,” in which he apologized to his ex.

Rihanna, however, claims to have never heard the record. She said she still has feelings for Brown and wants him to be successful, but she seems to be struggling to comprehend her emotions, calling it an annoyance to still feel connected to him. She told Sawyer she was unsure if she could ever reunite with him.

“I can’t answer that question right now, ’cause you never know what the future holds,” she explained. “He was my best friend, the person I loved. We spent two years of our lives together.

“I don’t have a desire at all to be with him,” she added. “I don’t see how we could get back together. But I’m not God, so I can’t predict the future.”

She went on to add that there’s nothing she wants to hear from Brown at the moment.

Brown issued a statement to MTV News prior to Rihanna’s interview wishing her the best.

“I do appreciate her support and wish her the best,” he said. “I am extremely sorry for what I did, and I accept accountability for my actions.”

Rihanna, likewise, wished Brown the best and hoped he could work through his personal issues.

“I want him to accept this as a man would,” she said. “Accept the responsibility and find a way to not feel sorry for himself.”

Both artists seem poised to move past the dark moment in their lives.

“I’m glad it happed to me,” Rihanna said. ” ‘Cause now I can help young girls. [I would tell them] ‘Don’t react off of love.’ F love. Come out of the situation and look at it third-person and for what it really is. And then make your decision. ‘Cause love is so blind. It’s so blind.”

MTV

“He had no soul in his eyes,” Rihanna said of Brown’s state of mind during the attack. “He was clearly blacked out. There was no person when I looked at him.”

Rihanna says the deeper the two “best friends” fell in love, the more dangerous they became for each other “equally.”

“It was a bit of an obsession.”

She says the night before the Grammys when the two were driving back to her house after attending Clive Davis‘ party turned “ugly” because she saw a text message from another woman on his phone and she “caught him in a lie.”

“I couldn’t take that he kept lying to me and he couldn’t take that I wouldn’t drop it. His back was up against the wall. The truth is right here in a text message. It escalated into him being violent towards me.”

As hard as it appeared for Rihanna to think back to the night, that she says “was not part of my plan,” she admits she still loves Chris. “I don’t hate him at all. I actually love and care about him, and I’m concerned about him doing well. I want him to do well, have a great career, have a great life, and grow up.”

Watch the whole interview tonight on 20/20 at 10 pm EST.

Interview thanks to Gaz from InsideNokiaMusic & WeArePopSlags:

“Amidst the whirling dervish of celebrity lifestyle I cast my nerves aside as I roll into the Roosevelt Hotel off Hollywood Boulevard for an interview with the formidable Pop force and surprisingly tall Rihanna… this is what she had to say.”

Gaz: Your first 2 abums had more of a Caribbean vibe to them and Good Girl Gone Bad was more pop – Any new style changes on Rated R?

Rihanna: Rated R in comparison to my previous albums is different, it’s very honest, the sound is darker, I didn’t want to make the same album that I did last time. Everyone expected me to make a similar album but I grew up a lot in the past two years. It’s different making an album at 21 because you speak about different things.

Gaz: I’ve been reading that some of the songs on Rated R have a rock influence – Is there anyone in Rock music that may have inspired this?

Rihanna: The new album is inspired by a lot of different songs like Hip Hop, there’s a lot of Bass and there’s a lot of Rock, I listen to a lot of Prodigy and Chase & Status, we actually worked with them on a lot of the production and they helped develop the new sound and we have collaborations on there, people like Slash, who is the ultimate Rock Star and the song happens to be called Rock Star 101.

Gaz: Are there any other exciting collaborations you can mention?

Rihanna: Yes, we worked with Young Jeezy on a song called Hard and we also worked with Will.i.am on one of my favourites on the record called Photographs, it’s a really really cool song.

Gaz: The launch party with Nokia on the 16th November in London is expected to be the world’s largest live streaming launch party, millions of fans from Finland to Italy, New york to Rome and Helsinki to Dubai can see you perform tracks from your new album – How does this feel?

Rihanna: It’s a live stream world wide which means everyone can watch it at the same time all over the world, live, all at once, which is exciting, it makes me nervous… because it’s not just the 6000 people in the venue but it’s millions of people across the world watching it all at once… it’s exciting though, it’s a big thing that everyone can see it, there’s no better way to launch an album.

Gaz: It’s being held in London as mentioned before – Is this city special to you in any way?

Rihanna: London is one of my favourite cities to go to in the world, it’s where I get most of my creative energy. We made a lot of the album in London actually, we took two big trips up there and spent some time each trip just figuring out the album. The first trip is when we really figured out what we wanted to do sound wise and lyrically, the second time we came back with some hits so I hold a very special place in my heart for London and this album, so it was only right that we had the launch party for the album there.

Gaz: Which city boasts the best audience in the world and why?

Rihanna: Is this a trick question? (laughs) I love performing anywhere, just for fans anywhere and that’s the good thing about this launch party, I’m not only doing it in one city, the entire world gets to see it at the same time so all my fans don’t have to feel left out, they can see it too and be a part of it.

Gaz: Do you interact with your fans a lot and are you looking forward to getting closer to them?

Rihanna: I spend a lot of time paying attention to my fans, what they like and how they grow with me. I pay attention to their comments on a lot of things, whether it be negative or positive. I want to keep them close with me and I want them to grow with me and the only way they’ll do that naturally is if the growth for me is natural.

Gaz: Your fashion sense is admired around the world – Have you found any new designers or trends you will be showcasing in your videos and live performances?

Rihanna: In the past few months I’ve done a lot of research in the fashion world because I wanted to work with a bunch of new designers that are kinda underground, people that aren’t the obvious and I found this guy Alexander Voltaire, his stuff is just so amazing, the colours are really beautiful and feminine but the structure is really strong, which I love.

Gaz: How would you describe your own fashion style?

Rihanna: My style is very edgy, very daring, I like to take risks, I hate to do the obvious. Style is all about creativity so I like to put things together in my own way.

Gaz: Have you got a special message for your fans?

Rihanna: I just want to thank you guys for all your support, sticking and waiting with me this entire time, but the wait is ova and just tune into nokia.com/rihanna to watch me perform live on the 16th, I can’t wait to see you guys there!

Source – RihannaDaily