Rihanna takes minimalist music videos to a new level with her latest release for her song “Stay.” The video captures the spirit of what she says is a “very emotional” and “very personal” song.
Rihanna spends the entire song nude in a bathtub, without makeup. She looks lost in thought as her the song plays to a piano accompaniment.
The 24-year-old singer closes the song with a single tear as she sinks to her chin in the tub of water. She premiered the song at the 55th Grammy Awards lat night.
She cuddled with Chris Brown during the show, marking their first real public appearance since they reconciled last year.
The song is the second single off her latest album Unapologetic, released Nov. 19. The album features guest vocals from Brown, Eminem, Future and Mikky Ekko. The set debuted at No. 1 on the charts, her first, although critical response has been mixed.
Rihanna explained the video during a red carpet interview with Ryan Seacrest. “The video was really, really simple. I pretty much stayed put in a bathtub and we shot it really tight, really close,” she said.
“There’s Mikky Ekko in the video, as well… this is the first time I’ve ever collaborated with him, so I’m excited about that, because he’s actually the one who wrote the song.”
“I kind of just fell in love with it so much, and in love with the tone of his voice, so we wanted to keep him a part of it. So you’ll see him in the video,” she said.
“It’s a very emotional song and it’s personal,” she added.
Check it out below, along with her Grammy performance, and follow TheImproper on Twitter for all the latest Rihanna updates.