Rihanna continues to mount her comeback following he assault in February at the hands of ex-boyfriend Chris Brown. She made her return to live performance in London last night (Nov. 16). It was her first full concert since she the attack.
The singer debuted tracks from her forthcoming album Rated R, including “Wait Your Turn” and “Hard,” and was joined on stage by rapper Jay-Z for “Run This Town” and ‘Umbrella.” Rihanna is one of Jay-Z’s protégées.
The 45-minute show at the 02 Academy Brixton was attended by music industry guests and competition winners, but also broadcast live across the internet on the Nokia website.
“She may have been away for nine months, but she has certainly not lost anything when it comes to her voice. She sounded incredible, hit every note and completely owned the stage,” one concert-goer said.
“She also had two backing dancers dressed in hijabs. She pulled off some very sexy moves; she even grabbed a mannequin’s crotch at one point!”
Dressed in a provocative leotard and sporting a shock of dyed blonde hair, Rihanna was backed by a live band, showcasing a new, more rock orientated sound for her new album.
The 21-year-old pop star recently revealed she sought solace in the recording studio following the vicious assault by Chris, which left her battered and bruised.
Brown pleaded guilty to the assault and was sentenced to six months of community service, 12 months of domestic violence counselling and five years probation.
“When I was given time off in March it was a little crazy. Being at home was driving me mad,” she said. “I couldn’t go anywhere. It was, like, ‘Look at the poor victim!’ So I called my label and said, ‘I’m ready.’ ”
For his part, Brown believes “women are gonna be around” when he is ready to start dating again.
“I love women. But I would say definitely I’ve just been chilling. I haven’t really been trying to get into a relationship or trying to date anybody. I’ve just kind of been working on me,” he said.
Chris has to stay at least 100 yards away from singer Rihanna for the next five years, following his violent attack on her as they were driving away from a pre-Grammy Awards party.
The 20-year-old insists he is “definitely remorseful” for the violent attack and hopes the public believe him.
Footage from Rihanna’s show can be seen at Nokia.com