An artist like Rihanna could not do without one of the great successes of his career in his Super Bowl performances. Even though he is already 16 years old, Umbrella it continues to be a key theme in her career and has become a pop classic. This is one of the great hits contained in his album Good girl turned badand signified the entry of the artist from Barbados into the list of stars with music capitals.
Despite the fact that the singer already had two albums on the market and hits like S.O.S.It was with this album released in 2007 that his career took off in a spectacular way. His viewing figures have increased exponentially and had a huge impact around the world. And on this trip Umbrella was of fundamental importance.
The song came like a breath of fresh air, laden with metaphors referring to rain as the adversities of life, and with the umbrella as an example of the protection that love offers. To this we must add the music video, one of the most recognizable of the time, with a very clear influence of Sing in the rain.
For this third album, Rihanna needed a particularly powerful song. This is where the three composers who sign it come in. Christopher ‘Tricky’ Stewart, Terius ‘The Dream Nash and music producer Kuk Harrell. The first of them already had a name created in the industry since the mid-90s, and his talent was showcased in a previous hit that turned out to be a complete success: me against the music of Britney Spears con Madonna.
The song was created in a very short time thanks to the collaboration of these three composers. The next step for them was to offer it to an artist because, truth be told, Rihanna wasn’t the first choice. What they wanted was a top notch female voice to make Umbrella an international hit. The first singer to be offered this song was Britney Spears.with the idea that the princess of pop would include it on her fifth album, Blackoutin 2007.
Britney’s record company at the time ruled it out completely, stating that they already had enough material to put into what would be their new album. The composers then planned a middle name, this time more related to soul and hi-hop: Mary J. Blige. She also declined, acknowledging that it was not a style of music she was comfortable with and because she had a busy schedule.
They continued their search for their ideal artist, and the song found its way into the hands of an executive at Def Jam Records. He showed it to Rihanna and she expressed her desire to record it as soon as possible.. The songwriters were initially a bit reluctant about her being the star of this potential hit, but eventually the pressure from the artist’s circle won out. Jay Zmentor of the singer and husband of Beyoncewas one of the architects, and he’s the one who appears rapping at the start of the song.