The hype around this year’s hotly anticipated MET Gala, following a two year sojourn, was unequivocally and undeniably whirling around the mere presence of Rihanna. Confirmed to be hosting the MET afterparty, social media was ablaze with speculation. What will she wear? Who will she wear? What new runway trend will she conjure up? When will she arrive? Will she arrive?
As expected, she stole the show.
Except this time, it was for the audacity of not showing up. The most tweeted celebrity during the epic (and frankly, disappointing) three hour red carpet, and in true Gatsby-esque fashion, her lack of presence was the driving force behind the entire event. The perpetuating notion of “what if?” on everyone’s lips is enough to stir a collective anticipatory anxiety. The MET is intrinsically linked to Rihanna, and she to it. Whether she’s there or not, her presence looms over the event, because very few who study her prowess can hit her mark. The attendees know, no matter how hard they try, she’ll always be one thousand steps ahead. The smartest in the room know not to give into folly, to attempt to upstage her, because her enigmatic energy flows through the very fabric of the MET. Rihanna’s presence literally transcends time and space itself.
Then, when all hope had faded into bitter disappointment and the crowds had begun to disperse… there she is. We had waited, through bated breath and feigning positivity, and at the eleventh hour, she had reeled us back in. Adorned in couture, all black Balenciaga and dripping in diamonds, the red carpet was all hers, focussed no longer on the background characters, the main event was finally here. Rihanna is never late, we had arrived too early.
Of course, not one to adhere to predefined standards of glamour, Rihanna finished her look off, not with a a crown, or a halo, but with the most unassuming accessory of all, a beanie. She is not concerned about what the highest echelons of the fashion world, nor the busybody’s on twitter have to say about her style choices, because everybody else is simply playing catch up. She’s in on a secret, that deep down, the rest of us know but don’t want to accept.
Taking the annual theme of the MET Gala (this year, Americana) and flipping it on it’s head is Rihanna’s speciality. Her all black Balenciaga ensemble is wholly symbolic, representing how she, a Bajan immigrant, is viewed in America. Offset by the diamonds sprawled across her face and neck, symbolising the beauty and diversity of black culture, and the global black diaspora. They rise above the surface level, unveiling a deep, conscious power, that being black, that being an immigrant, that being other, is not what America defines you as, the real power, is in yourself. From a distance, the garment is all consuming, enveloping her body, but when you look closer, the diamonds are the true centre piece.
Rihanna understands the MET Gala is not the Oscar’s. Nobody wants to see a tuxedo or a ball gown because that completely overlooks the tone of the event. Looking presentable is the biggest sin one could commit. Nobody remembers the très jolie looks because they fade into every other best dressed list that we see twelve months of the year. The MET Gala, at it’s essence, is about extravagance, absurdity, relinquishing the mundane and feeding the repressed inner-child in all of us. Give it a few years and various versions of “remember when Rihanna wore a beanie to the MET Gala” will be circulating Twitter every six months, racking up hundreds of thousands of likes and retweets ad infinitum.
Rihanna simply does not play into the hands of pop culture or whatever ephemeral trend has emerged as the flavour of the week. No, that is far too pedestrian. Too played out. Too expected. Constantly twisting and moulding the idea of how to approach music, fashion, beauty, celebrity, Rihanna is never content with the tried and tested ways, with tradition, with acceptability. Everything she touches is clay for her to mould, reshape, destroy, and make anew. Her annual Savage X Fenty shows are extravaganzas, coupling fashion with music, performance, art, and most importantly, inclusivity. They reject the predefined notion of fashion shows and instead, Rihanna has created something entirely in it’s own lane, not restricted by space, or comfortable with taking a slightly left-field, but still very familiar approach to runway shows. No, it’s simply her’s, and perpetually evolving every year into something bigger and bolder. It’s no surprise other designers don’t attempt to follow suit.
Rihanna’s expertise for the unexpected is rooted in something far more familiar; Rihanna, the world conquering pop star. Remember her? Well, she never left. Just like her phantasmic presence over the MET Gala, Rihanna never truly leaves the music industry. She hovers above it, surveying it’s present, and predicting it’s future. Writers and producers clamour for a chance to maybe, perhaps, be in with a chance to work with her. There is an undeniable ripple effect within the industry, as her sound, her aesthetic choices, her vocal style – are immediately emulated, but never acquire that special something. They meet the same fate as any MET Gala guest, as they fail to match her rank and predict her next move. Even now, you can be assured that some of your favourite tracks of this year are simply scraps disregarded from Rihanna’s catalogue. Songs that craved that insatiable spark so intertwined with her music, her demeanour, her style, a spark that is impossible to duplicate. There’s a reason she consistently ranks as among the most streamed female artists, despite her lack of new releases.
It’s not like she’s willingly shied away from the idea of recording an album. She’s been teasing and poking and prodding her legions of fans (otherwise known as as “the Navy”) with the promise of a release for years. Some are convinced it simply doesn’t exist, that business has replaced her passion for art. Others, that she records and disowns songs year after year, never satisfied with what she produces. Then, there are those convinced, that much like her MET Gala appearance, she’s biding her time with intense precision, to make the world her stage, with no distractions.
Whether she’s posting videos of herself in the studio, with muted audio of course, or posting memes of her listening to the album but refusing to release it, she’s tuned into what people want, to what people expect, and that’s exactly why she refuses to comply. It’s not that she’s not ready to release new music, the reality is we’re not ready for her new music. She’ll tell us when, but right now? No, we’re not allowed to have it. For now, we’ll be teased with the idea of album that we’re not even sure exists. Or perhaps it does. We’ll just have to wait and see. Whatever she has in store for us, some will love, some will hate, some will be awestruck, others disappointed and confused. But the wait? It will be oh so worth it.
In MET Gala’s of years to come Rihanna’s aura will permeate the red carpet. Perhaps we’ll see Cardi B donning a baseball cap. Ariana Grande sporting a bucket hat. Kim K in low-rise baggy jeans. Whenever the mythical R9 finally comes into fruition, the current trends on radio will suddenly switch. When she’s ready, exhausted by the once novel now metamorphisised into the banal and humdrum she will make her return, and say “no, I’m bored, we’re doing this now”. Yet, none of us can know when this will happen. She could be fashionably late, or keep us waiting for over half a decade. It’s ludicrous to be rational in this situation, because her unpredictability is what draws all of us in, and then keeps us on this exhilarating, sometimes frustrating ride. Just when we think we’ve lost her, that she’s turned her back on us, she arises, jolting us back into her orbit. It’s in those moments we’re reminded of why we’re feverishly awaiting her next move, all the more astounded by her fleeting, hallucinatory nature.
Still, we’re all left with one burning question;
Where’s the album, Riri!?
