Rihanna today released the new single from her next album, “Diamonds,” a mid-tempo piece that’s a slight departure from some of her recent work.
Of course, because the song is about the two lovers, the speculation immediately ramped up that the Bajan beauty is talking about her ex, Chris Brown. Particularly with lines like these:
“Find light in the beautiful sea/ I chose to be happy/ You and I, you and I/ We’re like diamonds in the sky,” and the chorus: “So shine bright tonight, you and I/ We’re beautiful like diamonds in the sky/ Eye to eye, so alive/ We’re beautiful like diamonds in the sky.”
In a recent interview about the track with UK DJ Elvis Duran, Rihanna said, “It gives me such a great feeling when I listen to it… The lyrics are very hopeful and positive, but it’s about love, and the gears are a little different from what people would expect. I’m excited to surprise them sonically.”
Some critics are saying the single shows a new maturity in the 24-year-old—at least musically, since “mature” is probably not the word to describe some of her recent antics on Twitter and in real life.
“Working with an accomplished songwriter like Sia, and in the capable hands of producers Stargate and Benny Blanco, ‘Diamonds’ instead delivers its thrills gradually, unspooling on somber synth chords and a simple backbeat, eventually building to a sumptuous chorus,” said MTV. “There’s a certain level of complexity to it, and Rihanna’s voice, un-lacquered and free of studio swath, sounds warm, personable and above all sincere. She believes what she’s singing here, which is a big step given the context of her words.”
