Days ago, fans of Pop belle Rihanna received an open handed slap to the face when it emerged that the singer’s latest album ‘Talk That Talk‘ is to debut with less than stellar first week sales.
Yes, quite unfortunately, this means that for the sixth consecutive time she will fail to nab a #1 album on the Billboard 200 ,even with the success of the project’s lead single ‘We Found Love‘.
Now That Grape Juice is answering the question Island Def Jam will be sure to be asking this week.
Why is it so difficult for Rihanna to nab a #1 album?
Contrary to popular belief , the problem with Rihanna’s ‘music’ is not her lack of discernible talent or that she shows no sign of wanting to further her skill as a performer, but rather the fact that when it comes down to it- she just isn’t that convincing.
Not even to her own fans.
For unlike Lady GaGa, Beyonce and dare we say Britney Spears– Fenty has failed to build up the good faith an artist like her needs to convince people to buy whatever she is selling, regardless of what it looks or sounds like.
The kind of good faith that only comes when your fans truly believe in your cause.
The good faith that helps Adele move 200,000 copies of ‘21‘ each week and Drake‘s ‘Take Care’ debut with sales of almost 700,000 units.
More interested in churning out hits than molding her into a performer worthy of the artificially induced ‘Icon’ status she enjoys , her team have failed to convince anyone -other than her core fan base- that a Rihanna album is truly worth buying.
Because, while the big budget videos, ever changing aesthetics and laizzez faire personality will always do the trick as far as singles are concerned, her LP’s are much much like a drunken one night stand.
Cheap, sexy but embarrassingly forgettable .
By no means are we saying that quality material will ensure commercial success (see Ashanti‘s ‘The Declaration‘ and Brandy‘s ‘Human‘).
However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that Rihanna’s inability to convince the world that she has an authentic creative agenda is the reason so many will buy her $1 singles but not the $10 albums those singles come from.
So sad.
Billed as an international megastar but can’t even score a #1 album in her domestic market.