Rihanna's return to performing live took place at an unexpected venue this weekend.
The Grammy-winning singer, 36, performed in Jamnagar, India, on Friday as part of the pre-wedding festivities for Anant Ambani, son of the richest man in Asia, Mukesh Ambani.
The three-day celebration was held four months ahead of Ambani's upcoming July wedding, and the almost 1,200-person guest list included Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Ivanka Trump, according to The Associated Press. It's unknown what Rihanna was paid for her performance, but according to Forbes, Mukesh Ambani has an estimated net worth of $117 billion.
Videos posted on social media provided glimpses at Rihanna's show, which included renditions of her hits "Umbrella" and "Stay." It was Rihanna's first full concert since 2016. She performed during the Super Bowl halftime show and the Academy Awards in 2023.
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Speaking to fans in India, Rihanna said the show was "the best," according to a clip shared on TikTok. "I haven't done a real show in eight years," she noted.
But videos of Rihanna's show sparked mixed reactions on social media, with some fans suggesting she phoned in the performance. "Pls she don’t even remember what performing is like," one user wrote on X, formerly Twitter, adding, "She forgot she was a singer."
Another user posted, "Rent was due. She didn’t care."
In 2018, Beyoncé similarly performed a private concert as part of pre-wedding celebrations for Isha Ambani, Mukesh Ambani's daughter.
Rihanna has not released a new studio album since 2016's "Anti." Since then, she has welcomed two children with A$AP Rocky, having revealed her second pregnancy at the 2023 Super Bowl. In a video shared on social media last month, A$AP Rocky teased that Rihanna is "working" on releasing new music.
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Rihanna told "Good Morning America" in 2023 that it was a "challenge" to perform at the Super Bowl after being off the road for years. In December, she teased in an Entertainment Tonight interview that she would go back on tour when she releases new music.
"It's only fair that my fans get what they've been waiting on, which is new music," she said. "After that, let's just blow everything up."
Contributing: Saman Shafiq
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