You've no doubt been jamming to Rihanna's mega hit, Pon De Replay this summer - it seems like you can't escape it on the radio. Rihanna drops by Kidzworld to chat with Sindy and give her the lowdown on everything Rihanna. Find out what this Barbadian hottie has in store for her fans with her much anticipated album, which drops later this summer.
Sindy: Thanks so much for taking the time out and droppin' by to chat with us today. I love your song, Pon De Replay. It's definitely one of my faves this summer. Totally hot.
Rihanna: Thanks Sindy. *giggles* No problem.
Sindy: How did you come up with the title of the album, Music of the Sun, and what can your fans expect to hear when they buy the album?
Rihanna: The word sun represents my culture where I'm from, the Caribbean. It represents me. So the album consists of music of the sun.
Sindy: For peeps out there who don't know what Pon De Replay means. Can you let them know?
Rihanna: It's just language that we speak in Barbados. It's broken English. Pon is on, De means the, so it's just basically telling the DJ to put my song on the replay.
Sindy: That makes sense. On the album, what are your fave tracks?
Rihanna: I have so many, I can't choose one. I can tell you a bit about the album and I can also list a few songs, but I don't have a favorite. Besides Pon De Replay, there's a remake of No, No, No with Spice Cartel on it. There's a song produced by the Trackmasters called If It's Loving and it's a fun song. Then there's one called Let Me produced by Stargate which is another upbeat song like Pon De Replay. It's so cute. Then there are two ballads. One is called Now I Know, which is strings and keys, really stripped down. The other is called Last Time, which is acoustic guitar. The ballads are so beautiful.
Sindy: I know you wrote a few of the songs on the album. Which songs did you write?
Rihanna: I co-wrote on a lot of the album. There's another song I forgot to mention called Music of the Sun and we had the title of the album before writing that song.
Sindy: Most new artists are never given an opportunity to write their own material on their first album. How do you think you managed to get an opportunity to co-write?
Rihanna: Luckily I met two producers who discovered me in the first place and signed me to their production company, Syndicated Rhythm Productions. They work with a lot of pop artists like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard. They are great guys and I really enjoyed working with them. They are excellent song writers so they really helped me develop my writing skills.
Sindy: Now that you're doing a lot of promotion for the album, do you get to spend a lot of time in your home in Barbados. If not, what part of the Caribbean Islands do you miss the most?
Rihanna: I miss so much. I miss home. I miss The Boatyard - that's my favorite club. I miss my friends. I miss my two younger brothers. I miss the BEACH and the food.
Sindy: You have a great name, were you named after someone?
Rihanna: I don't think I was named after anyone. I'm not sure what it means. I remember a guy telling me that he looked it up and it meant Beautiful One. It has another meaning but I can't remember it right now.
Sindy: During your audition for Jay-Z in New York for Def Jam Records, what songs did you perform for him?
Rihanna: I performed The Last Time, Pon De Replay and Whitney Houston's version of For The Love of You.
Sindy: Cool. That's great you were able to give him a range of songs, from up tempo songs to ballads. You mention that some of your musical influences are Beyonce, Alicia Keys and Mariah Carey. What are your fave tracks from each artist?
Rihanna: Beyonce... Oooh... Oh my gosh. I can give you two from Beyonce - definitely Dangerously In Love and Be With You. For Alicia Keys, it has to be If I Aint' Got You and for Mariah Carey, totally Vision of Love.
Sindy: Who would you love to collaborate with, past or present?
Rihanna: Kanye West. Love Kanye.
Sindy: What CDs and music do you listen to that would shock your fans?
Rihanna: It depends. But I listen to Fefe Dobson, love her. I also listen to Common.
- For more with Rihanna, Click Here.
