Ironically, taking her so so vocals into account, Rihanna‘s global success is and always has been routed from her music.
Sure, though her ‘wild and stylishly reckless’ gimmick may keep her more loyal fans tuned in, it’s her ever infectious brand of premium Pop that leaves the world coming back for more time and again.
Unfortunately for her, the same can’t be said for her endeavors outside of the singles chart, forcing many to question how lucrative her brand actually is, when compared to those held by her closest rival, Beyonce.
Not sure what we mean?
Her reality show ‘Styled To Rock’ has been axed, following record breaking ratings lows and a production billed ‘nightmarish’.
The Daily Mail’s exclusive story below…
“It was meant to be her big TV break, but Rihanna’s television debut has been axed following poor ratings – amid claims that the production was a ‘nightmare’.
The singer, 24, was the star and executive producer on Sky Living Show Styled To Rock, where wannabe designers battled it out to make a festival outfit for their idol.
However, she only made three appearances on the programme – including the final, where she picked up the winning outfit.
But despite the fact that Rihanna called on friends including Cheryl Cole, Kanye West and Katy Perry to guest star, Styled to Rock has been scrapped after ratings fell to below 79,000.
However, the show – presented by fashion designer Henry Holland and Nicola Roberts of Girls Aloud – has been sold to the US Style Network without Rihanna on board.
A TV source told MailOnline: ‘Scheduling all these popstars with our filming schedule was a nightmare”.
‘Rihanna’s diary was manic, and to be honest, after it struggled for viewers it was always going to be difficult to get her to agree to do another series.
During filming, Rihanna sparked concern for her health when she scrapped a 10-week trip to the UK for work – forcing a planned appearance on the programme to be rescheduled.
But she angrily dismissed claims that her health was affected by constant partying and said she was visiting her family.
However, just weeks later she tweeted pictures of herself hooked up to an IV.
Last November she cancelled a concert in Sweden when she was taken to hospital and put on a drip. Doctors put her weakness down to a bad case of flu.
The Umbrella star’s then enraged Saturday Night Live bosses by missing a rehearsal due to illness and tiredness.
Meanwhile, the star has caused outrage by launching her Diamonds Executive Platinum Box – to be sold at $250 – which will be out on December 11 in time for Christmas.
Rihanna superfans will score a T-shirt, seven lithographs, a two gigabyte flash drive, a mosaic poster, a notebook, seven laptop stickers, and a Viewmaster that tracks Rihanna’s various style transformations – as well as the CD.
However, fans tweeted their fury, saying she had a ‘nerve’, as another said ‘I think I’ll pass.’
A Sky Living spokeswoman said: ‘It is far too early to make a decision if the show would return for a second series.
‘After every big launch, we undertake extensive research with our customers, and will make a decision when we evaluate the results.’”.
To Joe Public, the idea that a show backed by and starring Rihanna could fail so miserably may be a little difficult to swallow, considering her status as a ‘global megastar’.
However, as ‘Battleship’s Box Office bombing and her lack of a US #1 album proves, Riri’s brand is built on very uncertain ground- likely to crumble when it isn’t upheld by catchy dance cuts, a new haircut….and Chris Brown induced sob stories.
What stings the most about this mess, is that she has been ultimately been fired from it, considering the ‘Style Network’ plans to launch it sans her support, thus making any future plans to branch out into television successfully a little unlikely.
Moral of the story?
Substance will always beat smoke’n’mirrors.