Besides her record-breaking Super Bowl halftime performance in 2023, it’s been over five years since fans have seen pop princess Rihanna perform live on stage. And we’re not even going to talk about the last time she dropped new music – although I guess she has been raising children and running a fashion and beauty empire.
But RiRi came out of retirement last weekend for a performance at an exclusive pre wedding celebration for Anant Ambani, the youngest son of billionaire bigwig Mukesh Ambani. The elder Ambani is the chairman and managing director of the multinational conglomerate Reliance Industries. And with a net worth of more than $117 billion, he is considered the richest person in Asia, according to Forbes.
And your girl got a pretty hefty paycheck for the performance. Rihanna was reportedly paid over $6 million for the gig, according to Page Six. India Today reported that amount was somewhere between $8 - 9 million. But regardless of the actual amount, dropping that kind of coin ain’t nothing but a thing for the 66-year-old billionaire, who paid Beyonce $6 million in 2018 to perform a private concert for his daughter’s wedding.
Although Anant’s wedding to Radhika Merchant is set for July in Mumbai, the couple held a massive, three-day, star-studded celebration from March 1 - 3. Mark Zuckerberg, Ivanka Trump and Bill Gates were among the A-listers who made the trek to India for the event.
Without a doubt, Rihanna looked stunning on stage, performing some of her biggest hits, including “Work,” “We Found Love” and “Diamonds” during her set. But some on social media criticized the “B*tch Better Have My Money” singer for a lackluster stage performance, especially considering the amount of money she received for her appearance.
“Pissed because she was paid millions for this performance and she is giving such “damn here you go” energy. she looks so beautiful but it’s not giving rehearsed for very long or really that invested in giving a professional well thought out performance,” wrote @TheDejaKing on X.
“Ri is the laziest performer ever! Even Taylor swift brings more energy,”@DeesseRudigan chimed in.
But some gave her a little more grace, believing RiRi’s low energy has more to do with the fact that she could be expecting another baby with partner A$AP Rocky. The couple already share two children, RZA and Riot Rose.
“She looks pretty pregnant right here lol... she doing what she can,” wrote @Avaiae_TheGod on X.
“Is she pregnant?” wrote @lhwa on TikTok
“Baby #3 for sure, her voice is in a deeper register and she’s being extremely careful on that floor drop,” wrote @Shaunæ on TikTok.
I guess we’ll find out soon enough.