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Rihanna Concerts in South Africa
International RnB superstar confirmed to play live in Johannesburg and Cape Town
It’s official, Rihanna, the 25-year-old Barbados beauty breaking music record after record and dethroning diva after diva, is confirmed to play two concerts in South Africa in October 2013: RiRi, as she’s affectionately known, will take to the stage in Johannesburg at the FnB Stadium on Sunday, 13 October 2013 and in Cape Town at the Cape Town Stadium on Wednesday, 16 October 2013 as part of her Diamonds World Tour.
Having performed on Mzansi shores once before, in 2006, as a fresh-faced industry newbie riding on the coattails of Jay-Z’s Rock tha Block Tour, Rihanna now returns as not only her own solo act, but as one of the globe’s most accomplished female entertainers.
Since producer Evan Rogers – he was on an island vacation - discovered her as a teen with big dreams back in 2004, Rihanna’s released seven studio albums in her eight-year career, sold over 150 million records worldwide, been the youngest artist in the 52-year history of the Billboard Hot 100 Chart to achieve 10 number-one singles, been the first woman in the UK to have five number-one singles in five consecutive years, won seven Grammy Awards and collaborated with some of the globe’s most prolific artists (think Jay-Z, Eminem, Coldplay, Sean Paul and more).
On paper, she’s, musically, left Lady Gaga in the dust, usurped Beyoncé’s hold on the last decade and is vying for benchmarks set by the queens of the industry’s golden circle of greatness: Madonna, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson and Whitney Houston.
Off paper, she’s comfortably commanding one of the largest pop culture juggernauts on the globe: according to Forbes, between May 2011 and May 2012 she earned 53 million US dollars, making her one of the most powerful celebrities in the world. She’s launched her own fragrance; signed endorsement deals with Nike, Gucci, CoverGirl, Nivea and Clinique; tops the YouTube arena (she’s the female artist with the most views – over 2.9 billion); and nearly reigns over the Twitterverse (she has over 29 million followers, making her the fifth most followed person in the world).
Needless to say, even if you’re not a fan of RiRi’s early day rugga anthems (remember ‘Pon de Replay’) or her more recent uptempo dance-pop tracks (‘Umbrella’, ‘Who’s That Chick’, ‘We Found Love’, among many others), the fact remains, the woman who’s been pegged by Rolling Stone as “Hollywood’s most complicated sex symbol” deserves respect.
Speaking of which, due regard is one element that Rihanna’s, recently, found can be especially hard won, no matter how exceptional your level of success. In 2012, the media sphere exploded with news that the RnB superstar was reuniting with ex-boyfriend and musician Chris Brown, the man who brutally beat and choked her in 2009. The decision incited pointed criticism and led to accusations that the female vocalist was a bad role model, as she publically accepted her domestic abuser.
Despite widespread disapproval, though, Rihanna, who refuses to be pinned as the victim, and Brown are still together, and the vocalist is still blazing forward. She released her seventh album, “Unapologetic” in November 2012; the album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 100.
For those who’ve still stuck by the songstress, the two South African concerts are likely to be spectacles of note, complete with cloudbursts of lasers, a flourish of costume changes and a seemingly endless array of sing-a-long lyrics.
Tickets for the Rihanna Concerts in South Africa
Tickets for Rihanna’s Johannesburg concert go on sale on Thursday, 11 April 2013 at 9am, and tickets for the Cape Town concert go on sale on Friday, 12 April 2013 at 9am via Computicket.com, Computicket physical outlets and the Computicket call centre (+27 (0) 861 915 800).
Tickets for the Joburg leg of the tour range in price from R330 to R930, tickets for the Mother City leg of the tour range in price from R275 to R820.
The 18 No.1 Rihanna singles: offical video + video with lyrics next to it!
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