As Fenty X Savage beauty queen Rihanna gets ready to headline the Apple Music Sponsored Super Bowl LVII 2023, she picked up 7 new RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) certifications on the 7th anniversary of her 8th studio album Anti (2016).
The dancehall single Work which features Canadian rapper Drake, the lead single from Anti released on January 27th has reached the milestone of 9x Platinum(9,000,000).
The track is one of most successful dancehall infused songs of all time(Justin Bieber’s “Sorry”, One Dance By Drake and Wizkid and Unforgettable by French Montana are certified Diamond) and contains an interpolation of Alexander O‘Neal‘s 1985 hit “If You Were Here Tonight“.
The song has three writers/producers – Rupert Thomas, Matthew Samuels & Jahron Brathwaite, who are all Jamaica–Canadians and Rihanna performs the sultry lyrics about working for money, material gains, and fragile relationships a distinct mix of Jamaican Patois and Bajan Creole.
It is Rihanna third song to be certified 9x platinum by the RIAA having reached the milestone with Stay and We Found Love previously.
Work reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 title and it stayed at the summit spot nine consecutive weeks while being certified Platinum or higher in thirteen nations globally.
The dancehall backdrop music video has surpassed 1.3 billion views on YouTube.
Two music videos for the song debuted on February 22nd , 2016 with Director X helming one plus Tim Erem taking oversight on the other.
Work marked the first time two nonstop successive chart topping U.S hits achieved Dancehall designation. The first dancehall song to top the Billboard Hot 100 since she released “Rude Boy” (2010) and “Work” was succeeded three weeks later by another dancehall song, Drake’s “One Dance” featuring Wizkid.
The other Rihanna songs to be certified on Saturday (January 28, 2022) from Anti’s original and Deluxe version were “Kiss It Better” — 3x Platinum, “Desperado” — 2x Platinum, “Higher” — Platinum and “Same Ol’ Mistakes” — Platinum “Needed Me” — 8x Platinum, and “Love on the Brain” — 6x Platinum.
With these new accomplishments the Oscar Nominated singer extends her record as the highest-certified female singles artist in history (161.5 MILLION units as a lead).
Chris Martin of Coldplay, who headlined Super Bowl 50 in 2015 gave the RocNation singer the thumbs up for her upcoming Super Bowl halftime performance by saying, “[Rihanna’s] the best singer in the world with some of the best songs ever, and she’s one of the most beautiful humans that’s ever existed.”
Coldplay, who previously headlined the #SuperBowl Halftime Show, was asked what advice they would give to Rihanna who’s set to perform next month:
“I think she’ll be just fine!”pic.twitter.com/lyB3QCr4IU
— Buzzing Pop (@BuzzingPop) January 28, 2023
