MUSIC CH▲SER: Rihanna’s “Where Have You Been”
- “Where Have You Been” cover art
Rihanna sheds her tough girl persona in her newest music video for her single “Where Have You Been.” The video starts with the pop star emerging from a swamp, dressed in body prosthetics. With a more tribal/jungle vibe, the video chronicles Rihanna’s journey as she searches in the wilderness for her lover, posing the question, “Where have you been all my life? Some where in the crowd?” As the video progresses, Rihanna finds herself in a swamp, a desert, a jungle, and then back in the swamp again at the end of the video.
This new release is one of Rihanna’s only music videos that is composed completely of choreography, proving that she can be more than just a face behind numerous #1 pop singles. Her Beyoncé-esque dance moves fill in the missing story line, as the video does leaves a bit to the imagination when it comes to plot.
- A scene from “Where Have You Been”
As tweeted by the songstress, “…we breakin dat VEVO record the SECOND #WHYBvideo drops on Monday mornin! Show da **** OUT! #WHYBvideo24hrRECORD”. Rihanna hopes to break the VEVO record for the most views in one day, a feat recently accomplished by Nicki Minaj with her music video for “Stupid H**” that was viewed 4.8 million times in the first day of its release. To build anticipation, short behind the scenes clips were posted on YouTube in the past weeks leading up to the premiere of “Where Have You Been”.
- A scene from “Where Have You Been”
Biased or not, I am a huge fan of this video and admire Rihanna’s fearlessness when it comes to changing up her style. She is always aware of what is popular and continues to be very strategic with the release of each of her music videos. Overall, the upbeat choreography, tribal costumes, and ominous set create a vibe that is new for Rihanna, while still feeling very current. As of twenty four hours after its release, “Where Have You Been” has almost 1.8 million views on VEVO.
Me and Rihanna
WATCH: “Where Have You Been”
WATCH: Behind The Scenes of the Music Video
Shortlink:
