Unapologetic
Unapologetic is the seventh studio album by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on 19 November 2012 by Def Jam Recordings and SRP Records. It was recorded between June and November 2012, during promotion of her sixth studio album, Talk That Talk (2011). As executive producer, Rihanna enlisted previous collaborators The-Dream, David Guetta, Chase & Status, and Stargate to work alongside new collaborators such as Parker Ighile, Mike Will Made It, and Labrinth. Unapologetic is primarily a pop, synth-pop, and R&B album that incorporates elements of hip hop, EDM, dubstep, rock and reggae in its production, merging the sound of her previous albums Talk That Talk (2011), Loud (2010) and Rated R (2009).
This article is about the Rihanna album. For a definition of the term "unapologetic", see the Wiktionary entry unapologetic.Unapologetic
19 November 2012
June–November 2012
55:06
- Def Jam
- Roc Nation
- SRP
- Benny Blanco
- Brian Kennedy
- Carlos McKinney
- Chase & Status
- David Guetta
- Elof Loelv
- Flippa123
- Future
- Giorgio Tuinfort
- Justin Parker
- Labrinth
- Luney Tunez
- Mex Menny
- Mike Will Made It
- Mikey Mike
- Mikky Ekko
- Naughty Boy
- Nicky Romero
- No I.D.
- Oak
- Parker Ighile
- Andrew "Pop" Wansel
- Stargate
- Terius "The-Dream" Nash
Unapologetic received generally mixed reviews from critics, with some reviewers describing its music as interesting, while others criticized its weak lyrical content and rushed nature. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 2014 ceremony, while "Stay" was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 238,000 copies, becoming Rihanna's first number one album on the chart and best-selling debut week of her career. The album also became the singer's third, fourth, and fifth consecutive number one album in the United Kingdom, Norway, and Switzerland, respectively. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), it was the ninth global best-selling album of 2012 with sales of 2.3 million copies.[5] As of December 2014, Unapologetic has sold over four million copies worldwide.
The album produced six singles including the international hits "Diamonds" and "Stay". The former peaked at number one on both the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100 where it became Rihanna's twelfth number one song, tying her with Madonna and the Supremes for fourth most number one songs in the history of the chart. Prior to its release, Rihanna promoted the album with the 777 Tour which consisted of a seven-date promotional tour in which she performed seven concerts each in a different city in North America and Europe in seven days. To further promote the album, Rihanna embarked on her fourth worldwide concert tour, entitled the Diamonds World Tour.
Background[edit]
In November 2011, Rihanna released her sixth studio album Talk That Talk. The album was rooted in pop, dance and R&B but also incorporated a variety of other musical genres such as hip hop, electro house, dancehall, and dubstep, a genre which was prominent on her fourth studio album Rated R (2009).[6] Talk That Talk received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics upon its release.[7] It was a commercial success and reached the top ten in over twenty national charts, including number one on the UK Albums Chart[8] and number three on the US Billboard 200.[9] The album produced six singles including the worldwide hits "We Found Love" and "Where Have You Been". "We Found Love" topped the charts in over 25 countries and sold over 9 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. In March 2012, Rihanna revealed that although she had not yet begun recording, she started "working on the new sound" for her seventh studio album.[10]
Commercial performance[edit]
In the United States, Unapologetic debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold 238,000 copies in its first week. It was Rihanna's first number-one album in the US and the best-selling debut week of her career.[120] In the same week, the album's lead single "Diamonds" remained atop the Billboard Hot 100 for a second consecutive week. Consequently, Rihanna became the second artist of 2012 to top both the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 simultaneously.[121] The following week, the album fell to number six and sold 72,000 copies.[122] On the issue dated 11 March 2013 (its fourteenth week on the chart), the album re-entered the Billboard 200 top five at number five, selling 28,000 that week.[123] On 30 May, in its 27th consecutive week on the Billboard 200, Unapologetic passed the one million sales mark, selling at a faster rate than her previous album, Talk That Talk. With the feat, the album became her sixth album to sell at least one million copies.[124] On 3 July 2013, Billboard mid-year sales reported that Unapologetic is the 16th best-selling album of 2013 thus far, selling 494,000 copies from 1 January to 30 June 2013.[125] As of June 2015, Unapologetic has sold 1.2 million copies in the US.[126] In February 2018 the album was certified 3× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of over 3 million album-equivalent units in the US.[127]
In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, with sales of more than 99,000 copies in its first week. With the debut, it became Rihanna's fourth album to reach the top spot in the UK and also her third consecutive chart topper, tying Madonna, Eva Cassidy and Norah Jones for the female artists with most consecutive UK number one albums.[128] By May 2013, the album had sold 635,000 copies in the UK.[129] It also reached number one in Switzerland and Norway.[130] In Denmark, the album was certified gold by the IFPI Denmark, denoting shipments of 10,000 copies.[131] According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), the album had sold over 2.3 million copies worldwide by February 2013, making it the eight best selling album of 2012.[132] In France, Unapologetic has sold 240,000 copies as of May 2013.[129] As of March 2015, Unapologetic has sold over four million copies worldwide.[133]
Unapologetic was ranked as the tenth most popular album of 2013 on the Billboard 200.[134]
Credits adapted from Rihanna's official website.[135]
Sample credits