Rihanna and Dua Lipa Give Off Same Energy, but

[HisNameisChase]

While Rihanna's performance at the Superbowl was lukewarm and confusing, it has been excused by pregnancy, which is understandable.

However, even a non-pregnant Rihanna would not give much more energy:

Minimal energy, not hitting the dance moves, somewhat off-pitch vocals...

Yes, this is just one performance and she has greatly improved as a performer from what she used to be, but I think what saves Rihanna is her "swag" and that glosses over her imperfections.

However, Dua Lipa, an artist who always delivers great vocals but doesn't always have the "energy" has been greatly criticized for her performing skills.

Dua proved everyone wrong here and for a while people gave her credit, but I still see people criticize her and say she has no stage presence, is boring, etc.

My question: why do you think Rihanna gets a free pass? Do you think because she's stylish, has swag, and is all-around Rihanna, or has performing before so water downed in a world full of post-Beyoncè and Britney that people have drastically reduced expectations?

 

 

 

[Crazy4BRITNEY3.2]

I understand Rih has reached icon status now and deservingly so, but let’s be honest ***** has never been AMAZING on stage. She never managed to pull out some dance moves and has always been stiff as ****. Like i remember once she performed disturbia literally just standing in a gigantic *** cone or something, and people were like YAS GIRL YAS 🙄

[i sometimes sing live]

I think the reception has been a pretty universal "meh" even among the most toxically positive stan circles, so I wouldn't necessarily say she's gotten a pass.

[Groundbreaking]

Rihanna has reached her icon status & now we would be clowns to expect her to do more than she has ever done. Although I like her & some of her performances are good, I agree that she has never been some type of a dancer. IMHO she was usually just chilling suffering on the stage → made her money → used those money to create an empire in clothing & make-up world → did superbowl just like a goodbye and that's it.

Dua has improved, that is true. However, I feel like new girlies can't hold a candle to Britney & Beyoncé. Todays performances are nothing compared to B & B or MJ. Time has changed, deal with it.

Maybe, if we could stop comparing what were more open to what is, we would be more satistifed. 

[RadicalOptimism]

Race is a big reason why. Whoever says otherwise is lying 

[breathe_on_me_toxic]

4 hours ago, HisNameisChase said:

While Rihanna's performance at the Superbowl was lukewarm and confusing, it has been excused by pregnancy, which is understandable.

However, even a non-pregnant Rihanna would not give much more energy:

Minimal energy, not hitting the dance moves, somewhat off-pitch vocals...

Yes, this is just one performance and she has greatly improved as a performer from what she used to be, but I think what saves Rihanna is her "swag" and that glosses over her imperfections.

However, Dua Lipa, an artist who always delivers great vocals but doesn't always have the "energy" has been greatly criticized for her performing skills.

Dua proved everyone wrong here and for a while people gave her credit, but I still see people criticize her and say she has no stage presence, is boring, etc.

My question: why do you think Rihanna gets a free pass? Do you think because she's stylish, has swag, and is all-around Rihanna, or has performing before so water downed in a world full of post-Beyoncè and Britney that people have drastically reduced expectations?

 

 

 

 

3 hours ago, Crazy4BRITNEY3.0 said:

I understand Rih has reached icon status now and deservingly so, but let’s be honest ***** has never been AMAZING on stage. She never managed to pull out some dance moves and has always been stiff as ****. Like i remember once she performed disturbia literally just standing in a gigantic *** cone or something, and people were like YAS GIRL YAS 🙄

yeah. so true.

rihanna always felt too cool to dance properly and is prob a bit slugish and lazy. and dua lipa just isnt that good...

[myonlywish]

I think what we tend to forget it that neither artists ever had a dancing background. Perhaps Rihanna gets more recognition simply for being in the industry for almost twenty years, and slowly building up her empire. Even if you look at her music videos, she's not really dancing, but she makes it up through her visuals.

I don't quite understand why people think that Dua Lipa is not that good. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Dua Lipa ever had any intentions of dancing; it's just that she makes excellent Dance Music. Suddenly, this artist is thrown in to something they have to learn along the way, while we all go and critique their efforts.

Both artists have been making music for a while, and I believe that was their goal from the beginning. To compare Rihanna and Dua Lipa to Britney Spears and Beyoncé, well there's a huge difference: B&B have dancing backgrounds, which gives them strong stage presence. Yes, you can say that Rihanna and Dua Lipa have had time to practice, but they still both have a long way to get onto the level of Britney Spears and Beyoncé.

Final note: while I did find parts of the Superbowl performance to be, lackluster, I will admit that I overall enjoyed seeing Rihanna on the stage and sing all of her hits (even if that means we'll probably never have song sung from her first two albums).

[DignifiedLove]

Rihanna built her way to megastardom in a very short amount of time and had the advantage of being backed by the urban market while appealing to several demographics. Like you said, Rihanna oozes swag and she has been able to dive into many markets. EDM, Hip-Hop, Dancehall, Electropop, Urban Pop and Trap. Dua’s disadvantage could be that she’s from the UK and many pop girls from that region simply have a harder time breaking into America which happens to be the bread and butter of the industry aka the epicenter of media and entertainment consumption, particularly over the last 20 years. And while I enjoy some of Dua’s songs and find her charming, she simply lacks the “x-factor” or “swag” that someone like Rihanna has been able to monetize and build momentum from. Also, keep in mind that Rihanna and Dua are from two entirely different generations where celebrity culture is oversaturated unlike when Rihanna first debuted. 

Edited February 17, 2023 by Joshyworld

[The Pink Sheep]

The threads lately 

[Loosenupthosebuttons]

Rihanna gets away with all this bc she’s stunningly beautiful

 Dua Lipa is also stunningly beautiful, but she doesn’t have the natural IT Factor that Rihanna has. Rihanna has so much confidence and natural attitude to her that can’t be replicated. She is a MOOD. Dua didn’t give much energy on stage, but it was obvious it was bc she felt insecure on stage. 

[517113]

Jay, I thank you for this thread.

Look, I love me so Rih-rih...

however, Teairra Marí was supposed to be 'that girl' until Beyonce gave Rih the stamp of approval after the performance with her, Amerie, and Teairra. Folks say Bey's overrated, herself, so it is what it is. At least Dua gave herself an artist's glow-up...

Rihanna happens to a nice-looking woman and she's foreign so people appreciate some form of 'exotic' types of individuals...

plus the Chris Brown situation certainly brought eyes and ears to Rihanna even if it was initially sympathetic in nature. 

Dare I say it...

personal opinion: Rihanna got comfortable being wealthy...

she no longer needed to hustle, musically, so she didn't...

plain and simple. She showed up to the Superbowl for a check and a pregnancy announcement...

didn't even include the new black panther soundtrack song on her pre-recorded performance set. 

Edited February 17, 2023 by 517113

[Stefani]

I don't think they're much alike tbh. Dua was a ****ty performer at first, but has improved tremendously. She also actively writes her music and dances pretty well nowadays, and has stage presence. Rih on the other hand just doesn't care. She's always been mediocre but at least in the past she worked a little harder. These days she would rather sell beauty products than do anything music related, and even then she puts in minimal effort and basically the folks around her manage her every move.

[517113]

Just now, Stefani said:

I don't think they're much alike tbh. Dua was a ****ty performer at first, but has improved tremendously. She also actively writes her music and dances pretty well nowadays, and has stage presence. Rih on the other hand just doesn't care. She's always been mediocre but at least in the past she worked a little harder. These days she would rather sell beauty products than do anything music related, and even then she puts in minimal effort and basically the folks around her manage her every move.

Preach it, Stefani, preach it.

[Soysaucechicken08]

Don’t see the comparison, they don’t give the same energy imo.

rih has nvr been a big performer n she’s more about vibes and  and she’s been out for so long she’s dabbled in other genres but no one expects her to break out in a big choreography like Beyoncé or Britney or as hard as them atleast.

dua tries which is appreciated but she still hasn’t discovered her own lane. Dua didn’t become as big till future nostalgia which was her last album so she’s still discovering herself. She’s improved but she doesn’t have a commanding stage presence as of now . Rih barely does anything but we kno this n yet ppl still watch.

curious to see duas development though.

 

[517113]

9 hours ago, HisNameisChase said:

While Rihanna's performance at the Superbowl was lukewarm and confusing, it has been excused by pregnancy, which is understandable.

However, even a non-pregnant Rihanna would not give much more energy:

Minimal energy, not hitting the dance moves, somewhat off-pitch vocals...

Yes, this is just one performance and she has greatly improved as a performer from what she used to be, but I think what saves Rihanna is her "swag" and that glosses over her imperfections.

However, Dua Lipa, an artist who always delivers great vocals but doesn't always have the "energy" has been greatly criticized for her performing skills.

Dua proved everyone wrong here and for a while people gave her credit, but I still see people criticize her and say she has no stage presence, is boring, etc.

My question: why do you think Rihanna gets a free pass? Do you think because she's stylish, has swag, and is all-around Rihanna, or has performing before so water downed in a world full of post-Beyoncè and Britney that people have drastically reduced expectations?

 

 

 

Go in, Chase, go in...

I watched the videos you provided and quite frankly, Beyonce and Britney make these two individuals rank as amateurs in a junior high talent show...

Yes, Britney pushed boundaries as did Janet and Madonna...

but they had standards when it came to the final result of a performance. Back in the day Britney's voice barely escaped the studio simply to speak at interviews, but you knew you'd get something in return, performance-wise, for having to accept studio vocals. Nowadays, folks simply want someone on stage who looks like an Instagram model...

anything else is a bonus. However, I can't shade Rih and Dua too harshly as their mics were on and Britney is notorious for giving the fanbase cd vocals in a live performance. Every artist has their shortcomings. Plus, Dua would not have given a half-@ss Superbowl performance. If Rihanna was not pregnant or foreign, she could be held to higher standards. Heck, Shania Twain was more well-rounded in her Superbowl performances. Dolly Parton's geriatric self would have shown more of an invested interest. Britney's in her 40's and freshly out of a conservatorship, so she has an excuse to be out of sorts...Rihanna can't blame her lucrative financial gains on being a joke of an entertainer to a generation willing to applaud anything that walks on a stage. If Britney gave a sh!tty performance, no one would avoid criticizing her out of fear for being seen as racist or s**ist, she's fair game...

at least until recently. Rih gets a pass, particularly as a formerly battered woman with a certain skin pigment. Janet would have left you gagging, possibly topless or otherwise. Selena Gomez, and Megan Trainor are fairly vanilla in their artistry, but you expect it... 

Rih gives herself a bit too much credit. If she was a black woman from Brooklyn instead of some woman from Barbados, she would be required to be a more substantial artist. She's improved vocally over the years and her voice has character when compared to a generic pop artist. However, I see better performances out of Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift, these days. Lets be honest, if Britney had accepted and recorded 'Umbrella' Rihanna would be the black Addison Rae, today. It is always her choice to focus on finances. Every artist needs their bills paid, but Rih makes it too obvious. Unfortunately, Rihanna is no longer a current artist. Even she is a nostalgia act of the early mid 2000's and it is beginning to show. Katy Perry's Superbowl is looking better and better. Ciara would have ate that up. Rihanna made Cassie look like a true performer. Olivia Rodrigo might as well be the next Britney if these are the standards, we are willing to tolerate from our artists. Camila, Halsey, Ariana, Demi, Nick Jonas, even Aaron Carter or Jesse McCartney...

showmanship mattered to these artists. Have you seen a performance from Doja Cat? Heck even Ms. SNL herself-Ashlee Simpson can work a stage. Jlo and Gaga for the win. Avril Lavigne? Lizzo? Heck, Madison Beer, perhaps? Chloe Bailey? Jessica Simpson and Mandy Moore would have shown more charisma. Where was Normani? This made me appreciate Justin Timberlake. Mary J Blige puts her all into her performances, and she is not a young woman, anymore. Pregnancy is a beautiful thing. However, don't blame your unborn kid for your stiff wind and overall lack of physical coordination. If she was less pretty, she'd be flipping burgers and working retail.

Edited February 17, 2023 by 517113

[Aymama]

I think we tend to give beautiful people with good voices a lot of leeway when it comes to their stage presence. Nothing more than that. You throw an ugly face on Dua or Rihanna and there would be mobs trying to take them down, wondering why they have a spotlight. 

[517113]

Pink, Ashanti, Jojo, Diana Ross, Kylie Minogue, Tina Turner, Cyndi Lauper, Nelly Furtado, Alanis Morisette, Brandy, Cher, Toni Braxton, Annie Lennox and so forth would never half@ss a potentially historic performance because a skin-care line is their main source of income.

[MartinH]

I saw Dua Lipa live last year in Slovakia and she was AMAZING. She is real superstar....Rihanna has also great songs but she is super lazy on the stage. 

[fays1]

Some of the best performers ever are not even dancers, Celine Dion is one of my favorite performers ever, shes like a rock star on stage.

[Wendy Williams]

On 2/16/2023 at 8:29 PM, HisNameisChase said:

 

Dua proved everyone wrong here and for a while people gave her credit, but I still see people criticize her and say she has no stage presence, is boring, etc.

My question: why do you think Rihanna gets a free pass? Do you think because she's stylish, has swag, and is all-around Rihanna, or has performing before so water downed in a world full of post-Beyoncè and Britney that people have drastically reduced expectations?

 

 

 

Cuz it's truth, she is like product from the factory. She doesn't have the presence that Rihanna, Britney and others have. It's just that when she sings or moves, it's like it's not real and you can't believe her what she's singing about.