Before her (unconfirmed) retirement and hiatus, it was a popular sentiment to state that Rihanna's music was forgettable and that her annual releases were a way for her to remain relevant; that in the event of not releasing Rihanna would be soon forgotten, and quickly replaced if she were to take a break. Yet nine years since her last album, her music is still highly consumed on multiple major platforms:

 

Apple

 

 

 

Spotify:

 

 

 

 

Even her non-singles are gaining in popularity with an album track released 17 years ago getting close to 1M daily Spotify streams?

 

 

 

So what went right with the panty selling (former) chanteuse and her once discredited discography?

 

 

She captures the essence of an artist without trying or thinking too hard at all, unlike certain others. 

She has released many bops, fun pop songs that are not pretentious and that's what most people enjoy

11 minutes ago, lonnie said:

Before her (unconfirmed) retirement and hiatus

lmao! what went wrong with you stanning someone who hasn't released music in 10 years?

She has a diverse discography which let her reach a wider audience 

The reason is Rihanna has a gorgeous voice that set her apart. 

 

No matter how much stans want to clown her, she literally has the most classics among pop girls.

Millions of people wanted to hear HER sing, regardless of what stans consider what a good voice is or not.

 

You don't get a hit after hit EVERY year with EVERY album, if your voice was that awful, do you? 

11 minutes ago, Erreur2 La Nature said:

She has released many bops, fun pop songs that are not pretentious and that's what most people enjoy

Well her ballads like Stay and Love On The Brain (which are getting 1M daily streams) are also getting lots of recurrent attention 

 

7 minutes ago, Prodigal Self said:

lmao! what went wrong with you stanning someone who hasn't released music in 10 years?

I too am on stanning hiatus until she releases lol

3 minutes ago, Rush said:

She has a diverse discography which let her reach a wider audience 

This means nothing though. Most pop girls have explored many different genres, sounds, etc. and didn't get to collect this many diverse hits.

 

Not everyone would have smashed with Four Five Seconds while also smashing with a ballad like Stay. Her power truly is insane. 

She exited at a peak 

1. She's never disappeared from the public eye since Anti dropped: always at attendance at fashion shows, beauty conventions, {{music events}}, philanthropic and political endeavours, articles .... so she's still in the public's consciousness.
2. R9 gets teased constantly, it reminds people of her musical past and to look forward to her [potential] musical future. 
3. 50+ Universal Hit Singles & 8 Albums - diverse sounds, topics of discussion, creative music video output, promo campaigns to look back on - spread out over 10 years. Her work ethic from 2005-2016 was unmatched bar a few, and hasn't gone unnoticed cos all she's done is put that now into being a mother, businesswoman and ambassador for her country.

Everything, clearly. 

Her voice is easily recognizable.

I feel like, if Rihanna's voice wasn't so distinctive, the public would've forgotten a lot of her songs. But you listen a Rihanna, you immediately know it's her.

she has the IT factor. What a shame she's not passionate enough for music

Nobody really replaced her, which is weird

Anti.

Making good songs. A lot of these artists' discographies are boring asf. Also don't come in here saying how it was easy for her because others wrote her songs because tons of these artists get help and yet their albums suck. Making a good song/ album is an art not everyone can do that. 

Damn did Breakin Dishes go viral or something? Deserved the resurrection 

Rih released excellent pop music

everything

- good and versatille music

- cool/IT factor

- her vocals, even though she's not a whitney, her vocals tone is so enjoyable and unique

- no one has replaced her

- she never truly disappeared from the public eye

Its been hilarious to witness her shatter every excuse they had against her success, or any drags they previously had for her, without her lifting a finger

 

But to answer, She has a timeless catalogue STACKED with classics!

just saw a tiktok with her hits throughout the years…

i fear she might be the pop star of the century 

Edited November 28, 20241 yr by thirdward

I thought you were asking in general about her rise to superstardom. It's her attitude(coolness) and her unique voice.

she's seriously got it all: beauty, talent, charisma OUT THE WAZOO, the kind of smile that stops you in your tracks, a unique voice, and seriously an ear for hits that transcends the zeitgeist. her hits are timeless, more than 75% of her discography in general id timeless! she served albums that played like greatest hits compilations (GGGB, Loud, TTT) and albums that TOLD STORIES (Rated R, Unapologetic, Anti). her artistry is something unique that frankly is irreplaceable. you can imagine other artists embracing those tropical synths that make Te Amo and What's My Name? sound so lush, but her consistency and her charisma makes her a wholly unique pop phenomenon. she always knew how to project the right amount of cool without ever seeming vapid in any way 

Rihanna is like the downtown part of a big city: she always makes herself known and she IS a cultural hub in and of herself 

Nobody has been able to replace her. Ariana seemed to have been trying at some point, but she lacked something that Rihanna has.