“Pepsi Halftime Superbowl Show-The Bad Island Gal Ri Ri is coming”

I was in Italy I was about 18 when this happened on summer vacation learning beginner’s Italian one of my best friends and I we walk into an Internet Café in Florence. This was Summer around July of 2005 so my friend she’s online instant messaging talking to her boyfriend and family. I am on my computer checking e-mails  from my family, talking to friends, family, and everything. 

Thank goodness fast forward now we have Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Back then it was e-mail and AIM or instant messager to connect with your people...but anyway that's beside the point.  I see this beautiful Caribbean tall woman come on a screen dancing, singing, and she looks young. Turns out she was she's about 17 years old.

We look up and MTV Europe is playing a video. I look at the screen I see this woman up on a television screen singing “Pon de Replay” and her name is Rihanna, Robyn Rihanna Fenty was on the screen. I love these moments in my life because when you see someone on screen you know this is going to be a moment. I have had a lot of those magical moments when you see a musician and you know this person is going to be a star. 100 percent I am not kidding you my intuition was on point. 

If you come along with me on this musical journey when you fast forward and jump into your time machine now 18 years later this multi-platinum and multi-hyphenated artist has grown immensely as a musician, recording artist, entrepreneur, and entertainer. I see the evolution of this artist because you’re amazed, you respect, and are inspired by who they have become. The music industry has changed since 2005 when she first made her first music debut to the world with her first album “Music of the Sun”. Social media evolved, technology, promotion evolved not just with hands on physical promotion but the digital age  blossomed and grew where music can be seen visually, audio, downloaded, and streamed. In her 20 plus career she has been able to connect with her fans on all platforms.

One of my favorite moments I remember early in my career during my internship at Universal Music Group. I was sitting down at the administrative assistant, Jasmine’s desk. It was early winter I am going to say February 2007 I am sitting at the desk working something for my boss and the staff. I heard this drum intro I heard Jay-Z rapping.  and this girl singing “You have my heart….and we’ll never be worlds apart” and it was the introduction to her song, “Umbrella”. There was a special moment happening when I feel chills, goosebumps, the hair standing on my neck, and then I know boom…this is it. This is another big moment and this is going to change her career. Umbrella was on the charts for 33 weeks and was number 1 for 7 weeks on the Billboard Music charts. She has had 14 number 1 hits, 32 top 10 hit songs, 63 songs featured on the Billboard Music charts. Do you remember these hits, “Rude Boy”, “Disturbia”, “Work”, “Take A Bow”, “Only Girl in the World”, “Live your life” featuring T.I., “Stay” ft. Mikky Ekko, “We Found Love” featuring Calvin Harris, “S&M” ft. Britney Spears.

 

Now with 9 albums under her belt, she has added actress appearing in films like “Battleship”, “Home”, “Ocean’s 8”, and many more films to come. Also with a 2019 Billboard Icon music award, countless

   

MTV awards, and more. In her 20-year plus career she has also added mogul with her beauty brand, Fenty Beauty to the list, her lingerie line, Savage Fenty, and this past spring in May just added mother as a title to her personal life with her boyfriend fellow musician, ASAP Rocky. How does this woman do it all is the first question I would ask her and next are you excited and ready to be on one of the world’s biggest stages and platforms? I would also say it has been a 6-year hiatus with her own music. Rihanna did take the time collaborate with other recording artists and musicians during that period but she focused on her adding her businesswoman hat to her world at the same time. She collaborated during that time with Bryson Tiller, DJ Khaled, Eminem, and has also many collaborations with her label mates from Roc Nation, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Wale, Sir Paul McCartney, and Calvin Harris. The hits continue to come over and over. Rihanna just teamed up with the Wakanda Forever soundtrack and was featured on “Lift Me Up” was released to the public in November of 2022. The Rihanna Navy has been asking and begging “Bad Gal RiRi” for a new album since her number one hit album, “Anti” in 2016. I believe her next album is 100 percent coming and will be on the way especially after she prepares for this show coming in 2023. Get ready to go back down memory lane, to celebrate, to party, this beautiful, amazingly talented millennium icon of the 21st century. The woman has had so many countless hits, collaborations, remixes, and continues evolving her brand and titles. Give it up for RiRi. I know many of you are excited just as I am too. Congratulations! Get ready to party 2.12.2023 with the millions of fans at the Superbowl or on your big screen television in February. 

For more information...visit www.apple.com and Apple Music, For more information on tour dates, new music, please visit www.rihannanow.com  and for more information on the Super Bowl game, teams, the show, and more visit  www.nfl.com  and visit www.rocnation.com 

 

   

  

 

 

 

Review of "I wanna dance with somebody" (2022) and a Celebration of an icon

 

Do you remember the first time you heard this song? I was only a year old or less when the song came out. Whitney Houston was in her early twenties with a new album and hit song on her hands. Houston was nicknamed as “the voice” of an angel. Ordained and touched by God, the genes of her mother and father, and divine energy. Whitney had the kind of voice, looks, and charisma specifically made for a star. I never had a chance to see Whitney live I wanted to so badly, but I was a huge fan listening to her music from her films, CDs, and tape cassettes my parents brought home. I still listen to Whitney to this day and have her songs on YouTube and Pandora when I need a boost to get me going. Whitney Elizabeth Houston aka “Nippy” her childhood nickname was a woman of many talents’ executive producer, songwriter, singer, actor I am sure many of you have seen “The Bodyguard” “Cinderella”, “Waiting to Exhale”, “The Preacher’s Wife”, “Sparkle”, and more. “I wanna dance with somebody” I feel like is another chapter of Whitney’s life where you get to see the whole musical journey behind the scenes. This comes from the director of “Bohemian Rhapsody” the story of Queen, British rock and roll legends and Freddy Mercury’s journey. I loved how they showed the journey to the song, what situation led up to writing massive number one hits. 

This movie is going to take us down memory lane, I was a fan I discovered Whitney the early 1990s I am going to say 1990 so I was three going on 4 years old. Her video “I am your baby tonight” I think was one of the first videos I am like who is this lady? Fell in love with her voice and her style. Whitney admired the pop culture greats like Audrey Hepburn, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, and Barbara Streisand. Women who could be versatile. You saw that in her videos. She was not just dancing, acting, or singing. You can see this elegant and glamorous style on camera, magazines, in person. She can be the casual diva in a sweat suit and jeans, but she always had this regal presence on stage and this powerhouse charisma. I believe the actor playing Whitney is stepping into huge shoes and this is a transformational role. 

The same way how when Angela Bassett played Tina Turner, Jennifer Hudson playing Aretha Franklin, Jamie Foxx playing Ray, or Sissy Spacek playing Loretta Lynn. Whitney’s story will continue to be told and shared for decades to come with new renditions, more information, memories, stories, music, and more in the future. I believe Naomi did amazing with a respectful, classy, and detailed account of her life. There were embellishments, there were details added about her life or turned around a bit. Which is something we cannot forget as writers, screenwriters, producers. Always fact check the details where a couple first met, what year they met, how old they were, who introduced them too. Those details matter too. I saw the film Christmas Eve and I thought it was amazing they captivated her essence. 

Ackie really captured her essence and did an excellent job with her accent, her diction, Whitney’s inflections were incredible. The movie gives us insight and more detailed with how they molded Whitney, how they wanted a bubblegum pop image for her during the 1980s, 1990s. There is a lot of people often do not see the intricacies in the music industry that take to develop an artist. You see a new artist at their rawest form when they first come out and then you notice a year or two later, they just flourish and immerse into something else. It is an added layer of whip cream on a sundae, they become more polished, more detailed with their creative process, and what the want to share in radio, television, social media, and more. 

You get to see the transition of a raw young teenager who just had that talent. No frills, no lace, no extra additions, a voice, a microphone, natural born talent, although Whitney struggled with slight stage fright. Her training from being in the choir, performing as an artist is what took her to the next level. She can perform in front of hundreds, thousands, then even millions and beyond as a recording artist. Arista, Clive Davis, her parents, and team really contributed to molding her into the woman and the artist we saw on stage. Maturity took her to the next level of how she wanted to convey certain songs and records to her fans too. Initially you see Clive Davis and producers are searching for records. They were “shopped” to her and producers for both of their opinions. You do not get to see her really pitch in until later after her records topped the music charts. One part of the movie I really loved is when you see her pressing Clive Davis for more empowering records. 

She always wanted to give her fans her best. She thought about how we can connect with the fans at that time to make hits. How do they connect to, their hearts, their minds, and makes them still want to have a wonderful time. She loved big ballads, big symphonies, but she could also cross over into pop music and more too. The movie shows the development of a true international star who can crossover into any genre of music with a powerful instrument all by using her greatest gift, blessing, and talent, her voice. Whitney’s voice earned her the nickname “The voice” which led to so much success in music and entertainment industry. She is now a legend who will continue to go on to inspire manyup and coming singers, actors for years to come of all backgrounds in life. Go seeSet a date and watch, “I wanna dance with somebody” take your friends and family to see it. For more information visit…..website and stay tuned for Oscar and Golden Globe buzz coming to you soon.