That Rihanna Brand just won’t let up.
The 24 year old superstar may struggle to sell her music on mass, however her latest fragrance ‘Rebelle’ is flying off shelves in the UK. In record numbers.
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Launched in February, the scent has become with fastest-selling in the UK this year, having already notched up sales of 2 million. End of year estimates put the perfume, the singer’s second (following last year’s ‘Reb’l Fleur’), in contention to double the number to 4 million.
Speaking at its launch, the ‘We Found Love’ singer said of the line: “My new fragrance is about taking control but still being a lady. There’s a feminine, romantic element to the fragrance – but there’s also a defiant quality in it. I love its duality.”
A third scent, christened ‘Nude’, arrives in November.
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Say what we will about Ms. Fenty, the power in name, face, and likeness is undeniable. In many ways, she’s re-writing the success narrative for newer acts competing in a music industry ravaged by the recession. With sales at their lowest (and the realisation that not every artist can still sell albums at the rate of a Beyonce or GaGa), labels are creating Rihanna’s (by way of 360 deals) to generate revenue from other arena’s such as endorsements. And clearly, as shown with Ri, it’s working. For the label, that is.
After all, recession or no recession, there’s a reason folk will splash $9.99 on Beyonce album, yet (for the most part) only $0.99 for a Rihanna single. A point notable for many a reason, including the fact that Ms. Knowles also racks up endorsements and isn’t on a 360 deal. You do the math.
Put simply, it’s the classic play-off between quality vs quantity.
Still, it’d be criminal to play down the efforts of the team behind the Bajan star; who’ve moulded her into quite the formidable and lucrative brand. Now, if only she’d stop singing like she’s swinging on a ceiling fan could her album sales catch up. Baby steps.
Randomness: Look out for new fragrances from Nicki Minaj and Lady GaGa before the year’s end.