On Sunday, Nov. 16, Rihanna will have a back-to-back “Live in Taguig” concert with Chris Brown at the Global City Bonifacio Open Field, presented by Globe and MTV Philippines with The Philippine STAR among the sponsors. Last week, Mo Twister and Mojo Jojo did a phone interview with Rihanna on their Magic 89.9 radio program and, as Mo did with his earlier interview with Chris Brown, gladly shared the stuff with Funfare readers. Here are excerpts (slightly edited):
Mo Twister: Good morning! Where are you calling from, Rihanna?
Rihanna: I’m calling from New Zealand. I’m actually at the airport so if it gets a little noisy, I apologize.
MT: No worry, love. Thanks for being on the show. First and foremost, congratulations on a great career. Disturbia, which we just played a while ago, is still doing strong here in Manila just like all your other songs.
R: Thank you.
Born Robyn Rihanna Fenty in Saint Michael, Barbados, on Feb. 20, 1988, Rihanna was to music born. She finished primary grades at the Charles F. Broome Memorial School and high school at the Combermere School where she formed a musical trio with two classmates. She was named Miss Combermere Beauty in 2004. At 15, in 2003, she got her big break when her friend introduced her to record producer Evan Rogers when he and his wife were in Barbados for a vacation. Rogers and his partner Carl Sturken asked Rihanna to do demo tapes in the US. Among those who got a copy was Jay-Z who promptly put Rihanna under contract with Def Jam Recordings.
Rihanna broke into the music scene in 2005 with her debut album Music of the Sun. A year later, she released A Girl Like Me, followed last year by Good Girl Gone Bad. To date, Rihanna has sold more than 11 million albums worldwide and has scored five Billboard Hot 100 No. 1’s with SOS, Umbrella, Take a Bow, Disturbia and Live Your Life.
Among her musical influences are Brandy, Madonna, Alicia Keys, Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Bob Marley and, she stressed, “My Caribbean background.”
On Sunday, Nov. 16, Rihanna will have a back-to-back “Live in Taguig” concert with Chris Brown at the Global City Bonifacio Open Field, presented by Globe and MTV Philippines with The Philippine STAR among the sponsors. Last week, Mo Twister and Mojo Jojo did a phone interview with Rihanna on their Magic 89.9 radio program and, as Mo did with his earlier interview with Chris Brown, gladly shared the stuff with Funfare readers. Here are excerpts (slightly edited):
Mo Twister: Good morning! Where are you calling from, Rihanna?
Rihanna: I’m calling from New Zealand. I’m actually at the airport so if it gets a little noisy, I apologize.
MT: No worry, love. Thanks for being on the show. First and foremost, congratulations on a great career. Disturbia, which we just played a while ago, is still doing strong here in Manila just like all your other songs.
R: Thank you.
MT: Did I hear right that Disturbia is your favorite among your songs?
R: That’s one of my favorites among the songs that I have recorded.
MT: Why that song?
R: Hmmmm. It was just fun. The recording process was fun but also I really, really love this song. It was exciting to actually record it.
Mojo Jojo: By the way, the music video was stupendous. You were scary on it.
R (Laughs): Thank you.
MT: You know, we’ll get to see that live in Manila on Nov. 16 during your and Chris’ concert. We want to thank you for agreeing to come to the Philippines.
R: I am so excited, definitely!
MT: Does it ever surprise you how successful you’ve gotten…how fast and dominant you’ve become in the music industry?
R: Actually, everytime I hear my song on the radio or have to do an interview or show in crazy places all over the world, in places I’ve never been to, it makes me very, very excited because I just want to do music but to reach all these places in the world like the Philippines. To actually go to these places and do a show…I’m very excited about that. I am so grateful that I have fans there and they are so supportive. I want everyone to come to the show because it’s going to be so much fun and you don’t want to miss it.
MT: Is there anything you miss about the non-celebrity life that you’ve left behind?
R: Absolutely! I miss being with my family. I miss just being able to go to the supermarket and park without being chased. I miss my private life. I miss a lot of things. I miss Barbados.
MT: Barbados. That’s where you came from.
R: But when I think about it, if I was still there, I would just still be dreaming about all this. I’ve been having a great career so far so I have a lot to be grateful for.
MT: How do you weed out the people who are now just dying to be your friend?
R (Laughs): I just let them be. I kinda know who my real friends are. I’m really good at reading people. I have a good instinct, but I don’t let things like that bother me. I just let them happen. If they want to hang out then, “Let’s hang out!” I like hanging out, but there is always something that will show (their true colors).”
MT: Well, Mojo here is a huge fan of yours and I know he’s dying to hang out with you. Mojo, why don’t you say “Hi!” to Rihanna? This is your girl!
MJ: Hi, Rhianna I am one of your biggest fans here in the Philippines and you know what, this Mo guy is sounding so sweet on the phone but he was dissing my opportunity to dance at your concert with an umbrella!
R: All right!!!
MT: Actually, he’s going to the concert with an umbrella, open it in the stands and wave it around. I told him that would be rude to the other people. Do you ever see that at your concerts? When you’re performing Umbrella, does half of the crowd start opening umbrellas?
R (Laughs): Yup! All the time! The fire marshalls usually have a fit and make those umbrellas go away. But everyone brings an umbrella and knocks people on the back. It’s actually kinda dangerous and I don’t like that.
MJ: I’ve been looking for the Rihanna designer umbrella that you have but it’s not available in the Philippines so I’m kind of upset.
R: We have a bunch of those. We’ll bring some for you. And a couple for radio winners, too, for future competitions.
MT: Is it true that that song was supposed to be for Britney Spears or somebody else?
R: I know that that song was shot to several artists including, I heard, Akon, Mary J. Blige and, I think, Britney. But when I heard the song, I knew it was such a magical record. Anyone could have done it and made it a hit because the song is such a strong record, and I fell in love with it. I wanted to record it so badly. I said, “Give the song to me! Give the song to me!” And they said, “Okay, you like it? Hold up, Mary J Blige is listening to it.” I thought for sure I was never going to get it against Mary J. Blige but it all worked out and I got it and a couple years later, I’m still very, very thankful for that.
MT: We interviewed Chris Brown a few days ago. He wouldn’t give any information about what’s going to happen at your concert. He said that he wanted to keep it a surprise.
R: Okay, it’s going to be a massive amount of people because I know everyone in Manila is coming. It’s going to be an explosive performance. Both performances! Just let me say that much.
MJ: You are a fashion icon. What are you wearing?
R: That, I can give away. Leather and studs.
MT: Your album Good Girl Gone Bad is still doing very well. Are you a bad girl? Are you a good girl gone bad?
R: Well, every good girl has a bad girl inside her, so I’m a little bit of both. I can be a good girl but I’m a bad girl most of the time. (Laughs)
(Note: For tickets to the Rihanna/Chris Brown “Live in Taguig” concert, call Ticketworld at 891-9999.)
– Philstar.com
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