Rihanna Wouldn’t Let HBO’s ‘Girls’ Use Her Song ‘Talk That Talk’


Rihanna apparently doesn’t want any of her music near the HBO series Girls.

Although the acclaimed comedy is known for its use of music during certain sequences, producers don’t always get the songs they want to use. During a recent interview with Radio.com, music supervisor Manish Raval said Rihanna denied their request to use one of her songs during season two episode of Girls.

One scene during the second season of the HBO series would have used Rihanna’s song “Talk That Talk,” a sequence that ended up featuring Icona Pop’s “I Love It.” While Rihanna’s refusal ultimately worked out for the best, this wasn’t how everyone had originally envisioned the scene. Raval still isn’t sure why they couldn’t use the tune.

“The scene that she denied it for was the Icona Pop scene. They didn’t give a reason, we didn’t ask for a reason. So I can’t speculate as to why, but you know, it’s a happy accident. She said no and we happened to find the Icona Pop song,” he explained.

Icona Pop definitely benefited from the Rihanna’s refusal to let Girls use the track. While Icona Pop certainly had a loyal following beforehand, the song’s appearance on the HBO series introduced the band to a wider audience. Raval said there’s a certain amount of pride that comes with introducing a group to the world.

“Not in like an egotistical way, but I think we get the privilege of getting to turn Lena on to a bunch of great music that hasn’t really hit the mainstream yet. It’s just an affirmation, not that, ‘Oh we’re so great,’ but it just feels good to know that the stuff that we think is exciting ends up being exciting for the audience too,” he said.

The music supervisor added, “We featured Azealia Banks, Solange, Angel Haze, all before their singles even came out. And I know that for sure because when we contacted them to clear a song, none of their paperwork for licenses had been addressed yet. It was that early on. We’re just really excited about discovering new stuff. It’s always a great opportunity to give an artist a break when you can.”

In the spirit of fairness, Rihanna hasn’t addressed why her song “Talk that Talk” wasn’t allowed to appear in the HBO series Girls. This might be a case where the singer had nothing to do with the decision. The benefit of the doubt is given for the time being.

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