Primarily adance-pop andR&B record,Loud differs from Rihanna's previous effort,Rated R (2009), which incorporates a prominently foreboding and angry tone and dark themes.Loud featuresup-tempo songs, and marks the return of the bright, optimistic sound prominent on her first two albumsMusic of the Sun (2005) andA Girl Like Me (2006). It also usesrock in "California King Bed" andreggae in theCaribbean-inspired "Man Down".
Loud received positive reviews from music critics, who complimented its upbeat material and Rihanna's vocal performances, while others stated that although the songs were solid, they were unfocused to each other. The album was a commercial success; it debuted at number three on the USBillboard 200 chart, with sales of 207,000 copies, the highest first-week sales of her career at the time. The album peaked at number one on theCanadian,Swiss and theUK album charts. According to theInternational Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI),Loud was the eighth global best-selling album of 2011.[1] Since its release, it has sold over 8 million copies worldwide.
The album produced seven singles, including the international hits "Only Girl (In the World)", "What's My Name?", and "S&M". All three singles reached number one on the USBillboard Hot 100 chart. "S&M" was Rihanna's tenth number one song in the US, making Rihanna the youngest recording artist to accumulate the plateau in the shortest time, surpassingMariah Carey. "Only Girl (In the World)" won theGrammy Award for Best Dance Recording in February 2011; additionally, the album was nominated for three more Grammy Awards, including forAlbum of the Year. To support the album, Rihanna embarked on her third worldwide concert tour, entitled theLoud Tour.
Following a domestic violence case between Rihanna and her boyfriend, the American entertainerChris Brown, media speculated as to whether any song on her fourth studio album would be about him.[2] The album was released in November 2009, under the titleRated R. Primarily apop andR&B album,[3][4] it also incorporates elements ofhip hop,rock, anddancehall.[5][6]Rated R was commercially successful and spawned six singles, including the international hit, "Rude Boy". Six months after releasing the record, Rihanna began planning a fifth studio album, promising that her new material would be "more energetic" than her previous works.[7]
Stargate's Tor Erik Hermansen, said "Rihanna came to us before we started recording 'Only Girl (In the World)' and said 'I feel great about myself. I want to go back to having fun, I want to make happy andup-tempo records'."[8]Sean Garrett compared the sound of the new tracks with her previous hit singles "Umbrella" and "Rude Boy".[9] In an interview forMTV UK, the vice president ofDef Jam Recordings compared the upcoming Rihanna album withMichael Jackson'sThriller saying, "Rihanna is coming along incredibly. I'm trying to push her to where every song will be a hit from one to 12. I'm talking about NO album fillers. Our bar for this album is Michael Jackson'sThriller."[9]
"I'm done recording the whole album. I made sure not to let you down with my music! You guys are always defending me, so now you've got some great songs to justify it. I didn't want to go backward and remake [2007's]Good Girl Gone Bad. I wanted the next step in the evolution of Rihanna, and it's perfect for us."
—Rihanna talking about the concept ofLoud for Rihannadaily.com[10]
Rihanna andAntonio "L.A." Reid assembled a group of songwriters and record producers at several recording studios inLos Angeles for two weeks to write songs for Rihanna; they wrote approximately 200 songs, eleven of which were included on the album.[11] Def Jam rented out nearly every recording studio in Los Angeles in order to create as many songs as possible.[12] Ray Daniels, the manager of musical duoRock City (brothers Theron and Timothy Thomas), was present during the sessions, and stated that a writing camp typically involves the label hiring ten recording studios for two weeks at the cost of $25,000 per day.[13] Daniels revealed that it is where songwriters have lyrics but no music, and where producers have music but no lyrics.[13]
Loud was recorded in various recording studios worldwide including theLarrabee Sound Studios,The Village andWestlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, Platinum Sound Recording Studios, and Roc the Mic Studios inNew York City and The Bunker Studios inParis.[24] In September 2010, during a webchat with her fansite Rihannadaily.com, Rihanna announced that the album would be calledLoud, saying "getLoud everybody, get crazy, get excited, because I'm pumped. I'm just gonna be me because that's what you guys love the most, and that's what makes me feel best. Just being normal, normal for me isLoud! Sassy, fun, flirty, energetic."[10] While Rihanna was filmingBattleship, she explained in an interview withEntertainment Tonight, "Loud is, the word, the name of the album definitely reflects the attitude of it, it's really sassy and flirty and it grabs your attention and that's why I enjoy it. It takes you through a really really interesting ride. So colorful the album."[25]
Loud is a departure from the personal, melodramatic themes ofRated R.[26] Stylistically, it is a return to theCaribbean-inspireddance-pop of Rihanna's earlier work.[27] Ryan Burleson ofConsequence of Sound described the album as "a dynamic R&B and dance-pop record".[28] In an interview withMTV, Rihanna said "I wanted songs that were all Rihanna songs, that nobody else could do. I didn't want the generic pop record thatKe$ha orLady Gaga orKaty Perry could just do and it'll work. I wanted a song, or songs, that were Rihanna songs, that only I could do, had that littleWest Indian vibe to it, had that certain tone, a certain sass and a certain energy."[29] During the promotion ofLoud, Rihanna said that much of the music was born out of frustration. She explained: "When you go to a club and have to listen to bad music you revert to the liquor, because you want to have a good time. I hate having to skip a track. I wanted to make an album you can just play."[30]
The opening track "S&M" is an up-tempoEurodance song[31] produced by Norwegian producers Stargate andSandy Vee. The song is reminiscent ofDepeche Mode's 1984 song "Master and Servant"[32] and contains lyrical thoughts ofsadomasochism.[32] Andy Kellman ofAllMusic regarded "S&M" as a dance-pop song which efficiently balanced "Rihanna's playful and sinister sides".[33] "What's My Name?" was also produced by Stargate and features guest vocals from Canadian rapper Drake. It is amid-tempo,electro-R&B song with a back track consisting of heavyreggae. The song also sees Rihanna's return to the "Island-pop" style of her early career".[34] "Cheers (Drink to That)" is apop rock song produced bythe Runners which interpolatesAvril Lavigne's 2002 single "I'm with You".[35] Mark Savage fromBBC News described the song as afunky, lopingguitargroove for a night out on the town.[36] "Only Girl (In the World)" was the third song from the album produced by Stargate. It is an up-tempo dance-pop song that incorporates elements of Eurodance in its production.[37][38][39] Brad Wete, a reviewer ofEntertainment Weekly, described Rihanna's vocals as "seductive" and reminiscent of a "stronger, sexier version" of her 2007 single, "Don't Stop the Music".[38]
"California King Bed" is a rockpower ballad; Ryan Dombell ofPitchfork compared it to theAerosmith song, "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing".[40] The Shama "SAK PASE" Joseph produced "Man Down" is a reggae song with an electro rhythm, in which Rihanna sings in aWest Indian accent.[41][42] "Raining Men" is a hip-hop song, which featuresrap vocals from rapperNicki Minaj. Rihanna described the song as a fun song that differs from the original, referring to the 1979 single bythe Weather Girls with similar title "It's Raining Men".[43] "Complicated" was produced byTricky Stewart andEster Dean. Leah Greenblatt fromEntertainment Weekly said "Even while telling a recalcitrant man how hard he is to love, she [Rihanna] sounds almost buoyant, her newly expanded vocals eager to scale the song's high-altitudehousebeat".[5] The final track is the sequel to Rihanna's duet withEminem, "Love the Way You Lie". "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)", which was produced byAlex da Kid, features Rihanna as the protagonist and lead vocalist, viewing aspects of a relationship from a female perspective, unlike the original, which featured Eminem as lead vocalist and was from a male perspective.[44]
"Only Girl (In the World)" was released as the album's lead single on September 10, 2010.[45] The song was sent to USmainstream andrhythmic radio on September 21, 2010.[46][47] It received positive reviews from music critics, who praised its chorus and thunderousdance beats.[48] The song reached number one on the USBillboard Hot 100 chart, in the UK, Canada, Australia, Austria, Belgium (Wallonia), Ireland, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Norway and Slovakia, becoming one of her best charting songs to date.[49] At the53rd Grammy Awards, held at theStaples Center in Los Angeles on February 13, 2011, "Only Girl (In the World)" won the award forBest Dance Recording.[50]
Canadian rapperDrake provided vocals on "What's My Name?".
"What's My Name?", which features guest vocals by Canadian recording artist Drake, was released as the album's second single; it was sent to US rhythmic radios on October 25, 2010.[51] Music critics praised the song as some of Rihanna's best vocal work to date, noting the romantic nature of the song and its sexual tones. The song peaked at number one on the USBillboard Hot 100 chart, giving Rihanna her eighth number-one on the chart,[52][53] while "Only Girl (In the World)" became her ninth number-one song two weeks after "What's My Name?".[54] It reached number one in the United Kingdom and became Rihanna's fifth UK number one single and Drake's first.[55]
"Raining Men", was sent to urban radio on December 7, 2010, as an urban radio single and third track fromLoud as a single in the US. The song featured rapper Nicki Minaj.[43] It peaked at number 48 on the USBillboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[56] "Raining Men" received mixed reviews from critics who praised the chemistry between Rihanna and Minaj but criticized the song for failing to create anything new or original.[33]
"S&M", the album's fourth US single and third international single, was solicited to US mainstream radio on January 23, 2011.[57] Reception of "S&M" was mixed; some reviewers criticized the overt use of sexual lyrics while others noted it as a stand-out track fromLoud.[58] A remix of the song which features guest vocals byBritney Spears, was digitally released on April 11, 2011.[59] "S&M" reached the top ten in twenty-four countries and peaked at number one in Australia, Canada and the United States.[60]
"Man Down" was released as the fifth international single in some European countries in July 2011.[61][62] It received positive reviews from critics, who called it a return to Rihanna's Caribbean-tinged rhythm. "Man Down" reached a peak of 59 on the USBillboard Hot 100 chart. In France, it peaked at number one for five consecutive weeks.[63]
"California King Bed" was released as the fourth international single on May 13, 2011,[64] and as the sixth US single. It was sent to USHot/Modern adult contemporary radio on May 16, 2011.[65] The song peaked at number four in Australia and New Zealand[66] and number eight on theUK Singles Chart.[67]
"Cheers (Drink to That)" was announced by Rihanna as the seventh single from the album on July 24, 2011.[68] The single was released to US mainstream and rhythmic radio on August 2, 2011.[69] The song peaked at number seven on the USBillboard Hot 100,[70] and number twelve on the USPop Songs chart.[70]
Loud was released on November 12, 2010, in four separate editions: a standard edition; a deluxe edition, packaged in adigipak exclusively for the US and Australia, that features a 30-minute documentaryMaking of Loud DVD (Directed by Brian and Brad Palmer); a Couture Edition containing the deluxe edition ofLoud with a deluxe cover art lithograph, a box set with enhanced clear couture cover and a full-size photo book.[71] An Ultra Couture Edition was also produced, containing a copy of the Deluxe Edition ofLoud signed by Rihanna, theMP3 download ofLoud onstreet date and all the features of the Couture Edition. The Ultra Couture Edition sold out and is no longer available neither on Amazon or her online store.[72] An explicit version ofLoud was also released and features aParental Advisory label due to some of the lyrical content.[73] The Japanese edition of the album was released with two additional remixes of "Only Girl (In the World)".[74] The piano version of "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" was only available with theiTunes edition of the album. However, the version which features Eminem was available for purchase.[75]
Rihanna performing "Only Girl (In the World)" on the Loud Tour
Rihanna embarked on a promotional tour across Europe and North America to promote the album's release. The singer performed "Only Girl (In the World)", the lead single, live for the first time in North America onSaturday Night Live on October 30, 2010, and debuted the second single, "What's My Name?", later on in the show.[76] The following day in the United Kingdom, Rihanna sang "Only Girl (In the World)" onseries seven ofThe X Factor.[77] Rihanna performed "Only Girl (In the World)" at the2010 MTV Europe Music Awards inMadrid, Spain, on November 7, 2010,[78] on theX Factor in Italy on November 9, 2010,[79] and onLe Grand Journal in France on November 10, 2010.[80] On November 11, 2010, Rihanna appeared on a pre-recorded edition ofThe Graham Norton Show in the United Kingdom, where she gave an interview and sang "Only Girl (In the World)".[81] On November 15, before the album's US release, Rihanna reprised her performance of "What's My Name?" forMTV'sThe Seven, live fromTimes Square, New York City.[82] The next day, Rihanna performed "What's My Name?" on theLate Show with David Letterman.[83] On November 17, 2010, Rihanna was interviewed and performed "Only Girl (In the World)" and "What's My Name?" onGood Morning America.[84] Rihanna performed a medley of "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)", "What's My Name?" and "Only Girl (In the World)" at theAmerican Music Awards of 2010 on November 21, 2010, where she won the award forFavorite Soul/R&B Female Artist.[85]
On December 11, 2010, Rihanna returned to series seven of the UK'sThe X Factor, to perform "Unfaithful" with finalistMatt Cardle, as well as a solo of "What's My Name?".[86] The finale was watched by fifteen million viewers. Rihanna performed the song with Drake for the first time at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards on February 13, 2011.[87] Rihanna also appeared at theBrit Awards 2011 on February 15, 2011, where she performed "S&M" for the first time, as a medley with "Only Girl (In the World)" and "What's My Name?".[88] Rihanna was requested to "tone down" her performance of "S&M" by the show's producers,[89] and she performed only one verse and chorus in-between "Only Girl (In The World)" and "What's My Name?". Rihanna was a special guest at theNBA All-Star Game on February 20, 2011, where she performed a medley of "Umbrella", "Only Girl (In the World)", "Rude Boy", "What's My Name?" (with Drake) and "All of the Lights" (withKanye West).[90]
Rihanna performed "California King Bed" in the style of acountry music song for the first time withSugarland front womanJennifer Nettles, during theACM Awards held by theAcademy of Country Music on April 3, 2011.[91] She was a guest on thetenth season of the US seriesAmerican Idol on April 14, 2011, where she performed "California King Bed".[92] Rihanna promoted "California King Bed" with performances inMilan, Paris andHamburg, because she was appointed ambassador forNivea skincare.[93] Rihanna opened theBillboard Music Awards on May 22, 2011, performing the remix of "S&M" with Britney Spears at theMGM Grand Garden Arena inLas Vegas.[94] The performance attracted complaints about the overt sexual nature of the broadcast on a publicly owned television channel.[95] Rihanna performed onNBC'sToday show on May 27, 2011, as part of a Summer Concert Series. She performed "S&M", "Only Girl (In the World)", "What's My Name?" and "California King Bed".[96]
Rihanna performing "What's My Name?" on the Loud Tour
To further promoteLoud, Rihanna embarked on her fourth concert tour, the Loud Tour, in June 2011, having announced it on February 9, 2011.[97] The tour comprised 101 show dates, 32 in North America, 1 in Central America, 4 in South America and 64 in Europe.[98][99] Tickets sold well in the United Kingdom and some additional shows were added. She performed ten shows atLondon'sO2 Arena.[100] Rihanna was interviewed byRyan Seacrest onAmerican Idol, and talked about the design of the stage, stating: "We've just designed the stage and we have a section that we are building ... where the fans can actually be in the show and in the stage and be closer than they've ever been. It's real VIP."[101] The North American leg of the tour began on June 4, 2011, inBaltimore, United States.[102] Originally,J. Cole andCeeLo Green were planned as supporting acts for the North American leg. However, Green left the tour, citing schedule conflicts.[103] Rappers Drake, Kanye West andJay-Z made guest appearances on some dates to perform their collaborations "What's My Name?", "Run This Town", "All of the Lights" and "Umbrella", respectively.[104] The tour was received positively by critics, with some calling it "Rihanna's best tour yet". Jane Stevenson of theToronto Sun commented that "the two-hour, larger-than-life show lived up to the billing."[105] Jon Brean of theMinneapolis "Star Tribune" remarked, "The Barbadian singer is more visually and vocally dynamic than she has ever been before."[106]
Loud received positive reviews frommusic critics. AtMetacritic, which assigns anormalized rating out of 100 given to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received anaverage score of 67, based on 22 reviews.[116]Jon Pareles ofThe New York Times perceived a "hermetic, cool calculation" on the album, writing that it "works the pop gizmos as neatly as any album this year, maintaining the Rihanna brand".[42]Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt commented thatLoud shows Rihanna "undefeated by her worst circumstances — and finding redemption in exactly the kind of popnirvana that made her famous in the first place".[117] James Reed ofThe Boston Globe called the album "an unabashed return to where Rihanna belongs: the dance floor" and stated: "As if liberating herself from the depths, she's a force on these 11 songs".[118] Stacey Anderson ofSpin commended Rihanna's "full, healthy claim to her sexuality" and wrote that the album "offers a confident female ethos on par with the best ofShakira orBeyoncé".[115]
Genevieve Koski ofThe A.V. Club commended Rihanna for elevating the album's generic sound, writing that she "does sound invigorated, delivering charismatic vocal performances of material that doesn’t always warrant them".[109] Emily Mackay ofNME felt that its "experiments feel more organic, its tone better paced" thanRated R.[112]Thomas Conner [de] of theChicago Sun-Times wrote that "the celebratory atmosphere of Rihanna's sassy new jams are seasoned with some of the darker flavors from'Rated R'".[27]Pitchfork's Ryan Dombal complimented the album's "effervescent pop" and stated: "Her laissez-faire attitude toward hit-making onLoud can result in too-safe moves or semi-experiments that come off surprisingly great".[113] Ed Power ofHot Press complimented its "unabashedly subtext-free" songs and found its hooks "way beyond addictive."[119]
In a mixed review, Andy Kellman of AllMusic found the album's material "slapdash" and "uneven", and called it "more an unfocused assortment of poor-to-solid songs than a unified set".[33] Andy Gill ofThe Independent felt that "the more interesting tracks are those with less salacious demands on her vulnerability".[110]Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani commended that "the subtle West Indian flavor with which Rihanna and company have smartly imbued" most of the album, although he noted some flaws in its production and wrote that "Rihanna has always had trouble fitting into one genre ... and for better or worse, Rihanna continues to stylistically branch out onLoud".[26] Hugh Montgomery ofThe Observer commented that "sonically, it's fairly unremarkable ... but its strident buoyancy is difficult to resist".[120]
Loud debuted at number three on the USBillboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 207,000 copies in the United States, giving Rihanna her highest first-week sales in the US at that time.[122] It also debuted at number one onBillboard'sR&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[123] In its second week, the album dropped to number six on theBillboard 200 and sold 141,000 copies.[124] By its thirteenth week, the album returned to its peak at number three and sold 62,000 copies.[125] However, in its fourteenth week, the album dipped to number ten on the Billboard 200 with 45,000 copies sold.[126] In its fifteenth week,Loud rose to number eight, selling an additional 33,000 copies in the US.[127] By July 3, 2011,Loud was the eleventh-best selling album of 2011 in the United States, selling 598,000 copies between January 1, 2011, and July 3, 2011.[128]Loud ranked asBillboard magazine's ninth-most successful album of 2011 on their year-end charts.[129] As of May 2024,Loud was certifiedquintuple platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA),[130] denoting shipments of five million album-equivalent units in the United States, including pure album sales of 1.8 million copies in the US as of June 2015.[131]
Loud was also a commercial success outside of the United States.[132] In Canada, it debuted at number one on theCanadian Albums Chart,[133] selling 27,000 copies in its first week.[134]Loud sold more than 80,000 units in Canada, achieving platinum status by the first week of December 2010.[135] By September 8, 2011,Loud had sold more than 240,000 copies in Canada.[136] In France, the album debuted at number three with first-week sales of 17,304 copies.[137] By its sixth week on the French charts,Loud achieved platinum status, reaching the 100,000 copies mark.[138] In France, the album has sold 355,000 copies as of April 2013.[139] In its second week on the Australian Albums Chart,Loud was certified platinum for shipments of over 70,000 copies.[140] In Italy, the album reached number eleven.[141] It became Rihanna's highest-charting album there until her sixth studio albumTalk That Talk (2011) surpassed the record, peaking at number ten.Unapologetic (2012) did even better, peaking at number seven.Loud was her third consecutive number-one album in Switzerland.[142]Loud debuted at number two on theGerman Albums Chart.[143]
The album debuted at number two in the United Kingdom, with first week sales of 91,000 units.[144] In its fifth week, the album sold 306,107 copies in the United Kingdom, giving the singer her first platinum-selling week in her career.[145] In its seventh week on the chart,Loud reached number one, giving Rihanna her second UK number-one album. After seven weeks of sales, the album became the fourth best-selling album of 2010 in the UK.[146]Loud was certified seven-times platinum by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI), marking shipments of 2.1 million copies to retailers.[147] It was the biggest selling R&B and hip hop album of 2011 in the UK.[148] As of August 2012,Loud is the fifth biggest selling digital album of all time.[149] As of March 2015,Loud is the 45th best-selling album of the millennium in the United Kingdom.[150] As of November 2011, the album has sold over 8 million copies worldwide.[151]
TheiTunes Store deluxe edition features the bonus track "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" (Piano version), the music video of "Only Girl (in the World)", and the pre-order only track "Only Girl (in the World)" (Mixin Marc & Tony Svejda Mix Show Edit).[citation needed]
The Japanese edition includes two "Only Girl (in the World)" bonus remix tracks The Bimbo Jones Radio, and CCW Radio Mix.[citation needed]
The couture edition includes the bonus DVD "Making of Loud".[152][153][154]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^abcGreenblatt, Leah (November 18, 2009)."Rated R (2009)".Entertainment Weekly. New York.Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. RetrievedNovember 21, 2009.
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^Greenblatt, Leah (November 10, 2010)."Review: Loud".Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner.Archived from the original on August 26, 2011. RetrievedJuly 20, 2011.
^Reed, James (November 15, 2010)."Review: Loud".The Boston Globe. The New York Times Company.Archived from the original on November 19, 2010. RetrievedJuly 20, 2011.
^Power, Ed (November 19, 2010)."Loud".Hot Press. Dublin.Archived from the original on December 20, 2012. RetrievedMarch 1, 2013.
^Williams, John (November 24, 2010)."Rihanna gets 'Loud' at No. 1".Jam! Music. Canoe. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. RetrievedJuly 20, 2011.
^"Loud – Deluxe Edition". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. November 16, 2010.Archived from the original on September 6, 2011. RetrievedAugust 5, 2011.
^"Loud [Clean] – Credits".Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. October 16, 2010.Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. RetrievedAugust 5, 2011. -Loud (booklet).Def Jam. 2010.
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