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Rihanna And Her Many Accents

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 02:51 PST, Feb 12, 2016

Rihanna has been blowing the minds of fans with her fabulous music for a few years. Her new album, ANTI, has come on strong and is a shift from her usual style, not only the style of the music but also in the accent she uses when singing some of the songs, such as “Work.”

The Guardian reports that in some of the tracks on ANTI, Rihanna goes back to her native Barbados roots with her accent.

In the past, Rihanna has discussed how she has altered her accent for the purpose of interviews and meetings.

However, according to Lisa Jansen, an English professor at the University of Münster, Rihanna’s accent in the album isn’t pure Bajan.

“Although she uses some prominent Caribbean features in Work, they are not specifically or uniquely Bajan. Rihanna draws on various elements and eclectically builds her own linguistic repertoire. That Rihanna draws on Caribbean features in her lead single for the album is presumably an active decision. Whether she intends to actively highlight her ethnic background or uses Caribbean features as a stylistic device cannot be said for sure. But this song certainly reveals Rihanna’s multifaceted pop-culture persona.”

Whatever Rihanna has done with her style and accent on ANTI, it seems to have worked. According to Billboard, she is set to have ANTI climb the Billboard 200 chart to the No. 1 position by February 20. This is after an arrival on the chart of February 13. If ANTI makes it to No. 1, then it will be Rihanna’s second No. 1 album.

So just how good is Rihanna’s new album? Sally Brown of the Courier Mail offers a review and she is impressed.

“Holy cow, Rihanna. There was I thinking you were another chef of mainstream pop, and you’ve gone and served up a 13-course banquet.”

Brown also calls ANTI timeless.

“While Rihanna has always had a strong voice, the often cheesy production of her previous hits will really date them. With ANTI she’s made something unique and timeless.”

Rihanna has been working closely with Drake for her new album. He is featured in “Work,” and Global News reports that the two have been filming the video for the new song in a Caribbean eatery called The Real Jerk in Toronto’s east end. The pair started filming in early January.

People reports that Rihanna has shared snippets of the new video via Snapchat.

http://instagram.com/p/BBbYV5Jwy5l/

http://instagram.com/p/BBbRQUtwy-_/

It is also official that Rihanna will be performing at the Grammys on February 15.

http://instagram.com/p/BBaHL-wqtyI/

So what else has Rihanna been up to? She recently appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and had a lot of fun. Elle UK reports that she has a new bob and is totally single right now.

“I’m single right now. And it’s not that I’m like oh, pro single. I just think that I just have so much on my plate that I can’t even find the time to entertain a steady relationship or anything serious. Or even a text. Right now it’s just crazy.”

Rihanna also played the game “Never Have I Ever” with Ellen and George Clooney. It was a fun guest appearance, and apparently, Rihanna has even texted a nude selfie before!

Clearly, Rihanna is charting a course that will take her far on her music journey. With the new style of her current album, ANTI, it will be exciting for fans to watch where her music goes from here. Good luck at the Grammys, Rihanna!

[Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images]

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