Loud (Rihanna album)

Untitled

Loud is the fifth studio album by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, first released on November 12, 2010 by Def Jam Recordings. The album was an altogether complete musical change from her previous release, Rated R (2009), which featured a prominently foreboding and angry tone with dark themes, with elements of hip hop, rock, and dubstep music genres. Loud focused more on up-tempo and pop related genres, ranging from dance-pop to Electro-R&B, and marks her return to her Dancehall roots, which was prominent on her earlier releases Music of the Sun (2005) and A Girl like Me (2006), whilst also incorporating other genres, such as rock in "California King Bed" and Reggae in the Carribean inspired "Man Down".

Recording sessions for the album took place during February to August 2010, predominantly during Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth Tour and filming for her first feature film Battleship (2012). Rihanna executively produced the album and worked with several record producers, including StarGate, The Runners, Polow da Don, Tricky Stewart, and Alex da Kid, among others. The album also included several featured vocalists, such as Drake, Nicki Minaj and Eminem, who is featured on the sequel to "Love the Way You Lie", "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)", where Rihanna serves as the lead vocalist. Britney Spears was also featured on the remix of "S&M" when it was officially released as a single, although she is not featured on the album version.

Upon its release, Loud received positive reviews from most music critics, who complimented its upbeat material and Rihanna's performance. The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first week sales of 207,000 copies, giving Rihanna her highest first week sales to date. The album debuted at number one on the Canadian and Swiss Albums Chart. In the United Kingdom, the album reached the top of the UK Albums Chart and became the fourth best-selling album of 2010, though only being released at the end of November that year.

The album produced six singles, including the international hits "Only Girl (In the World)", "What's My Name?", and "S&M". All three singles reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, with "S&M" becoming her tenth number one song on the chart, making Rihanna the youngest recording artist ever to have accumulated ten number one songs in the shortest amount of time, surpassing Mariah Carey's record. In the United Kingdom "Only Girl (In the World)" and "What's My Name?" both peaked at number one, whilst "S&M" peaked at number three. "Raining Men" and "Man Down" were solicited as US radio singles. "California King Bed", the sixth and final single from the album, reached the top ten of thirteen charts worldwide including in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. The lead single "Only Girl (In the World)" won Rihanna the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording in February 2011. In support of the album, Rihanna embarked on her third worldwide concert tour, the Loud Tour, with Rihanna performing ten shows at London's O₂ Arena.

Background and recording

The vice president of Def Jam Records, Bu Thiam, compared the album with Michael Jackson's bestseller Thriller.

On February 8, 2009, Rihanna's scheduled performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards was cancelled. Reports later surfaced regarding an alleged altercation with then-boyfriend, singer Chris Brown, who was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats. On March 5, 2009, Brown was charged with assault and making criminal threats. Due to a leaked photograph from the Los Angeles Police Department obtained by TMZ.com, which revealed Rihanna had sustained visible injuries, an organization known as STOParazzi has proposed a law called "Rihanna's Law," which, if enacted, would "deter employees of law enforcement agencies from releasing photos or information that exploits crime victims." Gil Kaufman of VH1 reported "the nonstop coverage of the Rihanna/Brown case has brought up a number of issues regarding the privacy of alleged victims of domestic violence, including the decision by almost all major news outlets to divulge the identity of the victim—which is not typically done in domestic-violence cases" and the controversial distribution of the leaked photograph. Rihanna was subpoenaed to testify during a preliminary hearing in L.A. on June 22, 2009. "The DA told me Rihanna will be subpoenaed. I will accept on her behalf," Rihanna's attorney, Donald Etra told Us Weekly. On June 22, 2009, Brown pled guilty to the felony assault. In exchange for his plea Brown received five years probation and was ordered to stay fifty yards away from Rihanna, unless at public events, which then will be reduced to ten yards.

In an interview for MTV, Ne-Yo, who served as one of the producers on Rated R (2009), said that he would not write songs for Rihanna that were about Brown, but that it is normal for Rihanna to have a new, more edgy and angrier style. The album was commercially success and spawned five singles, including the international chart topper "Rude Boy". Nearly half a year after releasing Rated R, it was revealed that Rihanna was planning to release her fifth studio album. Rihanna said that her new material will be "more energetic" and different from her previous effort. StarGate's Erik Hermansen, spoke of how the concept came about, stating "Rihanna came to us before we started recording "Only Girl (In the World)" and said ‘I feel great about myself. I want to go back to having fun, I want to make happy and up-tempo records'." Sean Garrett compared the sound of the new tracks with her previous hit singles "Umbrella" and "Rude Boy". In an interview for MTV the vice president of Def Jam Records compared the upcoming Rihanna album with Michael Jackson's bestseller Thriller saying, "Rihanna is coming along incredibly. I’m trying to push her to where every song will be a hit from one to 12. I’m talking about NO album fillers. Our bar for this album is Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’."

Recording sessions for the album began in February 2010, and continued over a period of six months, partially during her Last Girl on Earth Tour, as well as filming during her debut feature film Battleship (2012), and concluded in August 2010. Rihanna and L.A. Reid assembled a group of songwriters and record producers at several recording studios in Los Angeles for two weeks to write songs specifically for her and finished with around 200 tracks, eleven of which made it to the album. "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" was one of the tracks originally written for her but the song didn't make the final cut and was subsequently sent to Usher. The sessions took place in various studios, Burst HQ in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Cahuenga Pass Studio, Larrabee Sound Studios, The Village, Westlake Recording Studios, and East West Studios in Los Angeles, California, Effigy Studios, Electric Lady Recording Studios, Platinum Sound Recording Studios, and Roc the Mic Studios in New York City, New York, Glenwood Studios in Burbank, California, No Excuses Recording Studios in Santa Monica, California, The Hit Factory and We the Best Studios in Miami, Florida, Studio at the Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada, and The Bunker Studios in Paris, France. Singer-songwriters and producers Taio Cruz, Alex da Kid, Sean Garrett, Ne-Yo, Rico Love, Timbaland, Shontelle, David Guetta, and Drake helped contribute to the album. In September 2010, during a webchat with her fansite Rihannadaily.com, Rihanna spoke about how she had completed the album:

I'm done recording the whole album," Rihanna revealed during the chat, which took place on the official fansite Rihanna Daily. "I made sure not to let you down with my music! You guys are always defending me, so now you've got some great songs to justify it. I didn't want to go backward and remake [2007's] Good Girl Gone Bad. I wanted the next step in the evolution of Rihanna, and it's perfect for us.

In addition to confirming the albums completion during the webchat, Rihanna announced that the album would be called Loud, saying "get Loud everybody, get crazy, get excited, because I'm pumped. I'm just gonna be me, because that's what you guys love the most, and that's what makes me feel best. Just being normal, normal for me is Loud! Sassy, fun, flirty, energetic." While Rihanna was on set for Battleship, she explained in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, "Loud is, the word, the name of the album definitely reflects the attitude of it, it’s really sassy and flirty and it grabs your attention and that’s why I enjoy it. It takes you through a really really interesting ride. So colorful the album.”

Composition

Influence and sound

Musically, Loud is an album that incoporates up-tempo and pop related genres, ranging from dance-pop to Electro-R&B, and marks Rihanna's return to her dancehall roots, which was prominent on her earlier releases Music of the Sun (2005) and A Girl like Me (2006). In an interview with MTV regarding the upcoming album Rihanna stated that "she wanted songs with West Indian vibe that just she can do it and not a generic pop record that Kesha or Lady Gaga or Katy Perry could just do and it works. Rihanna during the promotion of Loud said said that much of the music was born out of frustration, she explained "When you go to a club and have to listen to bad music you revert to the liquor, because you want to have a good time. I hate having to skip a track. I wanted to make an album you can just play."

Songs and lyrics

The opening track on the album, "S&M", is an up-tempo Eurodance song produced by Norwegian production duo StarGate and Sandy Vee. The song samples Depeche Mode's 1984 song "Master and Servant" and contains lyrical thoughts of sadomasochism. Andy Kellman of Allmusic praised "S&M" as one of the better dance-pop songs from Loud, for efficiently balancing "Rihanna’s playful and sinister sides", though he noticed that it was not as good as her previous single "Rude Boy" (2010). However, James Skinner of BBC Music criticized the use of "sadomasochistic" lyrics which he said were not synonymous with the "flirtatious" appeal that Rihanna was trying to create. The second track from the album "What's My Name?" was also produced by StarGate, and features guest vocals from Canadian rapper Drake. "What's My Name?" is mid-tempo, electro-R&B song, and sees Rihanna's return to the "Island-pop" of her early career with a backing track consisting of "heavy reggae". Megan Vick of Billboard said "As much as 'What's My Name' is a joint effort, Rihanna owns the song by delivering a more polished version of her pop persona." "Cheers (Drink to That)" was produced by the hip-hop production duo The Runners. Mark Savage from BBC Music described the song as a funky, loping guitar groove for to a night out on the town, which Rihanna dedicated to "all the semi-alcoholics in the world". The song also contains interpolations Avril Lavigne's "I'm with You". "Only Girl (In the World)", the lead single, is the fifth track on the album and was the third song on the album produced by StarGate. "Only Girl (In the World)" is an up-tempo dance-pop song that incorporates elements of eurodance in its production. Brad Wete, a reviewer for The Music Mix at Entertainment Weekly, described Rihanna's vocals as "seductive" and reminiscent of a "stronger, sexier version" of her 2007 single, "Don't Stop the Music".

"California King Bed", the sixth track on the album is a highlight on the album, together with the next track "Man Down", when it comes to their genres. "California King Bed" is a rock ballad, while "Man Down" contains a heavy reggae composition. Ryan Dombell from Pitchfork Media said about California King Bed that is a "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"-type power ballad genetically engineered to soundtrack a bi-coastal Kate Hudson rom-com. Jon Pareless of New York Times commented that in "Man Down", Rihanna plays up her West Indian accent in the electro-reggae rhythm song about shooting a man in Central Station. "California King Bed" is produced by The Runners, who also -produced "Cheers (Drink to That)", while "Man Down" was produced by record producer Shama Joseph. "Raining Men" features -vocal from Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj. Rihanna described "Raining Men" as "a really fun song. Nothing like the original. It's quite uptempo but kind of quirky and funny." However, Allmusic described the R&B-Dancehall song as a low-point on the album, adding that it sounds "unfinished". The ninth track on the album is "Complicated", which is produced by Tricky Stewart and Ester Dean. Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly said "Even while telling a recalcitrant man how hard he is to love, she [Rihanna] sounds almost buoyant, her newly expanded vocals eager to scale the song’s high-altitude house beat". The last track on the album is the sequel to the worldwide hit by Eminem and Rihanna, "Love the Way You Lie". "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)", which was produced by Alex da Kid, features Rihanna as the protagonist and lead vocalist, viewing aspects of a relationship from a female perspective, unlike the original, which featured Eminem as lead vocalist and was from a male perspective.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Entertainment Weekly	(A-)
The Independent
Los Angeles Times
The New York Times	(favorable)
Pitchfork Media	(7.6/10)
Rolling Stone
Slant Magazine
Spin	(8/10)
USA Today

Loud received positive reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 given to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 67, based on 22 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Jon Pareles of The New York Times perceived a "hermetic, cool calculation" on the album, writing that it "works the pop gizmos as neatly as any album this year, maintaining the Rihanna brand". New York Daily News writer Jim Farber gave the album four out of five stars, noting that it "seems effortless and free". Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt commented that it shows Rihanna "undefeated by her worst circumstances — and finding redemption in exactly the kind of pop nirvana that made her famous in the first place". James Reed of The Boston Globe called the album "an unabashed return to where Rihanna belongs: the dance floor" and stated "As if liberating herself from the depths, she’s a force on these 11 songs". Stacey Anderson of Spin commended Rihanna's "full, healthy claim to her sexuality" and wrote that the album "offers a confident female ethos on par with the best of Beyoncé or Shakira".

BBC Online's James Skinner called the album "brilliantly sassy and exuberant at times" and praised Rihanna's vocals for "elevating it from a hit-and-miss collection into something oddly arresting". Genevieve Koski of The A.V. Club gave Loud a B- rating and commended Rihanna for elevating its "generic" sound, writing that she "does sound invigorated, delivering charismatic vocal performances of material that doesn’t always warrant them". Los Angeles Times writer August Brown called it "strobe-thumping". Emily Mackay of NME gave it a seven out of 10 rating and found that "'Loud'’s experiments feel more organic, its tone better paced" than Rated R. Chicago Sun-Times writer Thomas Conner commented that "the celebratory atmosphere of Rihanna's sassy new jams are seasoned with some of the darker flavors from 'Rated R'". USA Today's Steve Jones stated "The edgy music, which leans heavily toward dance and island sounds, fits well with her less than blissful romantic romps". Pitchfork Media's Ryan Dombal complimented the album's "effervescent pop" and stated: "Her laissez-faire attitude toward hit-making on Loud can result in too-safe moves or semi-experiments that come off surprisingly great".

However, Andy Kellman of Allmusic found its material to be "slapdash" and "uneven", calling Loud "more an unfocused assortment of poor-to-solid songs than a unified set". Boston Phoenix writer Daniel Brockman gave the album two out of a possible four stars and commented that "just because it's louder [stylistically] doesn't mean there's more to hear". The Washington Post's Chris Richards commented that Rihanna's performance lacks depth and called the album "largely forgettable". Andy Gill of The Independent noted that "the more interesting tracks are those with less salacious demands on her vulnerability". Despite noting some flaws in its production, Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani commended "the subtle West Indian flavor with which Rihanna and company have smartly imbued" on most of the album and stated "Rihanna has always had trouble fitting into one genre  ...  and for better or worse, Rihanna continues to stylistically branch out on Loud". Hugh Montgomery of The Observer commented that "Sonically, it's fairly unremarkable  ...  but its strident buoyancy is difficult to resist". Rolling Stone writer Melissa Maerz called Rihanna "serene" and concluded "Maybe the good girl gone bad is getting better?".

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 207,000 copies in the United States, giving Rihanna her highest first-week sales in the US. It also debuted at number one on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. In its second week, the album dropped to number six on the Billboard 200 and sold 141,000 copies. In its third week, the album sold 77,000 copies staying in the top 10. In its fourth week, the album sold an additional 71,000 copies, coming in at number nine on the Billboard 200. In its fifth week, the album slipped to number eleven with sales of 84,000 copies. The album sold an additional 111,000 copies in its sixth week coming in at number ten on the Billboard 200. By its thirteenth week, the album had climbed back to its original peak at number three and sold 62,000 copies. However, in its fourteenth week, the album dipped to number ten on the Billboard 200 with 45,000 copies sold. In its fifteenth week, Loud jumped from number ten to number eight after selling an additional 33,000 copies in the US. As of July 13, 2011, the album has sold 1,360,800 copies in the United States. On January 25, 2011, Loud was certified Platinum in the United States. By July 3, 2011, Loud was the 11th best-selling album of 2011 in the United States, with 598,000 copies sold between January 1st and July 3rd of 2011.

Loud was a commercial success internationally, reaching the top-ten on charts in several countries. In Canada, it debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 27,000 copies in its first week. Loud went on to sell more than 80,000 units in Canada, thus achieving platinum status by the first week of December 2010. As of January 5, 2011, Loud has sold more than 130,000 copies in Canada. In France, the album debuted at number three with first week sales of 17,304 copies. By its sixth week on the French Charts, Loud achieved platinum status by reaching the 100,000 copies mark. In its second week on the Australian Albums Chart, the album was certified Platinum for sales of over 70,000 copies. In Italy, the album became Rihanna's highest peaking chart position at number eleven. It became her third consecutive number one album in Switzerland. Loud debuted at number two on the German Albums Chart. The album debuted at number two in the United Kingdom, with first week sales of 91,000 units. In its seventh week on the chart, Loud climbed to top of the UK album chart, giving Rihanna her second number-one album in the country. After only seven weeks of sales in UK, the album became the fourth best-selling album in that country for 2010. The album has sold 1,428,393 copies in the United Kingdom as of June 26, 2011. As of July 8, 2011, the album was certified five-times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), marking shipments of 1.5 million copies to retailers. As a result of Loud's performance in the UK, Rihanna has now sold a total of 10 million records in the United Kingdom.

Singles

"Only Girl (In the World)" was released as the album's lead single on September 10, 2010. The song was sent to US mainstream and rhythmic radio on September 21, 2010. It received positive reviews from music critics, especially for it's chorus and thunderous dance beats. The song peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, as well as in the UK, Canada, Australia, Austria, Belgium (Wallonia), the Republic of Ireland, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, and Slovakia, becoming one of her best charting songs to date. "Only Girl" became Rihanna's fourth single to ascend to number one in 2010, making her the first female, and first artist overall since Usher in 2004, to hit the top that many times in a single calendar year. The accompanying music video was directed by long time collaborator Anthony Mandler and premiered online on October 13, 2010. The majority of the video features Rihanna prancing around hillsides wearing a mohair sweater and shorter skirt, a bustier and mini floral skirt, and lastly, a white bra and "boy shorts." Other scenes in the video include Rihanna surrounded by multi-colored balloons, riding on a swing that hangs from the sky, lying in a bed of flowers and then dancing in front of a tree covered with blinking lights that adds to the surreal imagery. At the 53rd Grammy Awards, held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on February 13, 2011, the song won the award for Best Dance Recording. It was the first time Rihanna had won an award in this category, despite being nominated in 2008 with "Don't Stop the Music" and 2009 with "Disturbia".

"What's My Name?" which features guest vocals by Canadian recording artist Drake was released as album's second single. The song was sent to US mainstream and rhythmic radio on September 21, 2010. and released for digital download on October 29, 2010 in certain European markets and in the US on Novemeber 1, 2010. Music critics praised the song as some of Rihanna's best vocal work to date. They also praised its romantic nature of the song, as well as its sexual tones. However, there was some negative criticism towards Drake's lyrics which included a sexual innuendo about the square root of 69. The song peaked number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, giving Rihanna her eighth number-one on the chart, whilst "Only Girl (In the World)" became her ninth number-one hit, which peaked atop the charts two weeks after "What's My Name?", making it the first time in the history of the chart that an albums lead single peaked at number one after the second single. It also reached number one in the United Kingdom and became Rihanna's fifth number one single on the chart, and Drake's first. As a result, Rihanna became the first female artist in UK chart history to have a number one single in five consecutive years. She is only the second artist to achieve this feat behind the late Elvis Presley, who achieved number one singles from 1959–63. The music video was directed by Philip Andelman in New York City premiered on November 12, 2010 via Rihanna's VEVO channel on YouTube. The video features Rihanna and Drake in some romantic scenes in an apartment and a convenience store, as well as showing Rihanna walking through the streets of the city

The collaboration with Nicki Minaj, "Raining Men", was solicited to urban radio on December 7, 2010 as an urban radio single and third overall single in the US. It was also re-sent to urban radio on January 25, 2011. The song peaked at number forty-eight on the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The song received mixed reviews from critics who praised the chemistry between Rihanna and Minaj but criticised the song for failing to create anything new or original. "S&M", the album's fourth US single and third international single, was sent to US mainstream radio on January 25, 2011. Reception of "S&M" has been mixed, with some reviewers criticizing the overt use of sexual lyrics, while others noting it as a stand-out track from Loud. Some critics noted that "S&M" was one song from Loud that was reminiscent of the darker themes present in Rihanna's previous album, Rated R (2009). S&M" was commissioned with a number of remixes from notable DJs, including a remix which features guest vocals by American recording artist Britney Spears, which was re-released digitally on April 11, 2011. "S&M" charted successfully peaking within the top ten in twenty-four countries, including number one in Australia, Canada, and on the US Hot 100, number two in New Zealand and number three on the UK Singles Chart. The music video for "S&M" was co-directed by Rihanna and Melina Matsoukas, who had previously directed the music video's for Rihanna's singles from her previous album Rated R, "Hard", "Rude Boy" and "Rockstar 101", and was shot in Los Angeles during the weekend of January 15, 2011. The video presents Rihanna's opinions of the media, by punishing the ones who have written negatively about her or personally hurt her, while portraying sadomasochist related scenes and sexual fetishes. It was banned in several countries, whilst also being restricted to nighttime only TV rotation, due to the explicit content of the video. The video was also flagged for inappropriate content by users on YouTube, restricting viewership to registered users over the age of 18. The music video faced another controversy when allegations of plagiarism surfaced, which resulted in Rihanna being sued, involving the video's striking similarity to past Vogue Italia photo-shoots ranging from 1995–2002 by David LaChapelle, with RadarOnline reporting "In a side-by-side comparison between LaChapelle's previous work and screen captures of the Matsoukas directed music video, the similarities are indisputable – with nearly identical sets, scenarios, and styling."

"California King Bed" was released as the fourth international single on May 13, 2011, and as the sixth US single, and was sent to US Hot/Modern adult contemporary radio on May 16, 2011. Critics praised Rihanna's vocal performance, Some commented that the song is a powerful ballad, with drawing comparisons to Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing". The song peaked at number four in Australia as well as in New Zealand, number eight on UK Singles Chart and fourty-seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 The accompanying music video was directed by Anthony Mandler and was completely shot on a stage-set in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California in March 2011. The scene is set in an open-air bedroom by the beach of an ocean. It features Rihanna and her partner lying on opposite ends of a custom made "California king bed", measuring 18 feet in length.

"Man Down" was released as the fifth international single in certain European countries in July 2011. The song was released to US rhythmic and urban radios on May 3, 2011. At the beginning of March 2011, Rihanna asked fans to help her select her next single. Via Twitter, fans were asked to choose from "Cheers (Drink to That)," "Man Down," "California King Bed" or "Fading". The most popular choice would have its video filmed at the end of March 2011. On March 12, 2011 it was confirmed that fans had selected "California King Bed" as the next single from the album. However internationally, "California King Bed" served as the fourth international single and sixth US single, as it was announced. The music video was shot in Jamaica in April 2011, and was directed by Anthony Mandler. "Man Down" received positive reviews from critics, with critics calling it a comeback of Rihanna's Caribbean-tinged rhythm. Before its official release, the song debuted on the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number eighty-four in the week of April 9, 2011 and reached a peak of number ten. It has so far reached a peak of fifty-nine on the US Billboard Hot 100. "Man Down" was released to digital outlets in Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Switzerland on July 11, 2011 as the fifth international single from Loud.

Rihanna confirmed "Cheers (Drink to That)" as the next single from the album via her Twitter page on July 24, 2011.

Other Notable Songs

Upon the release of Loud, the non-single track "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)", which features guest vocals from American rapper Eminem, debuted and peaked at number ninteen on the Canadian Hot 100. The song is sequel to the worldwide hit "Love the Way You Lie", and features Rihanna as the main vocalist. It received positive reviews from most music critics, especially for Rihanna's commanding vocals. The song was performed live for the first time as part of a medley with "What's My Name?" and "Only Girl (In the World)" at the American Music Awards of 2010 on November 21, 2010.

Release and promotion

The album was first released on November 12, 2010, in four separate editions. The standard edition; the deluxe edition, which is packaged in a digipak (exclusively for US and Australia), and features a 30 minute DVD presenting a making of the album; the couture edition featuring the deluxe edition of Loud, as well as a deluxe cover art lithograph, a box set with enhanced clear couture cover and a full-size photo book. The same edition was available as the Ultra Couture Edition featuring a copy of the Deluxe Edition of Loud signed by Rihanna herself, and the MP3 download of Loud on street date, as well as all the features of the couture edition. The edition sold out and is no longer available. An explicit version of the album is exclusively available digitally and bears a Parental Advisory label. The Japanese edition of the album was released with two extra mixes of "Only Girl (In the World)". The piano version of "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" was not made available to purchase individually, and could only be bought along with the iTunes edition of the album. However, the version which features Eminem was available to buy individually.

Live performances

Rihanna performing "Only Girl (In the World)", the lead single from the album on her Loud Tour

Rihanna embarked Loud's promotion with live performances of it's singles through Europe and North America. "Only Girl (In the World)", the lead single from the album for first time was performed in North America on Saturday Night Live on October 30, 2010, where Rihanna also debuted her second single "What's My Name?" as well as featuring in a skit performance on the show. The following day in the United Kingdom, Rihanna sang the song on series seven of The X Factor. The performance featured Rihanna at a masquerade ball, which involved the dancers engage in an on-stage cake fight. Elsewhere in Europe, Rihanna performed the song at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2010 in Madrid, Spain, on November 7, 2010, where she was surrounded by flowers on a set which resembled that of a fairytale, in addition to performing on The X Factor in Italy on November 9, 2010, which featured Rihanna wearing a red pig-tail wig and a flowered bikini, as well as performing on Le Grand Journal in France on November 10, 2010. On November 11, 2010, Rihanna appeared on a pre-recorded taping of The Graham Norton Show in the United Kindgom, where the singer gave an interview and sung "Only Girl (In the World)". On November 15, prior to the album's release in the United States, Rihanna reprised her performance of "What's My Name?" for MTV's The Seven, Live from Times Square, New York. Just a day later, she performed the single again, this time on The Late Show with David Letterman. On November 17, 2010, she was interview for and performed the song as part of her set list for her appearance on Good Morning America. Rihanna performed a medley of the song together with "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" and "What's My Name?" at the American Music Awards of 2010 on November 21, 2010, where she won the award for Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist. Rihanna opened the performance singing an acappella version of "Love The Way You Lie Part II". She sat on a stylized tree hovering above a field of sable-colored blades of grass. Once she had finished the first frame of the song, she intentionally fell off of the tree and plummeted to the ground. She re-emerged from the fog revealing a changed costume now consisting of a black-and-white bra top and shorts and sang "What's My Name?". Rihanna then ended the performance after transitioning into "Only Girl (In the World)", which featured drummers and a background of fire for the finale.

On December 11, 2010, Rihanna was invited back to series seven of The X Factor, to perform "Unfaithful" with finalist Matt Cardle and a solo performance of "What's My Name?". The finale was watched by fifteen million viewers, but attracted complaints, in the thousands, about Rihanna's choice of outfit and sexual performance. Rihanna performed the song with Drake for the first time at the 53rd Grammy Awards on February 13, 2011. Rihanna also gave a performance at the 2011 BRIT Awards on February 15, 2011, where she performed "S&M " for the first time, as a medley with the previous singles, "Only Girl (In the World)" and "What's My Name?". The singer was supposed to perform the full version of "S&M", for promoting the song's release as a single, however she was informed to "tone down" her performance by the show's bosses, thus performing only one verse and chorus in between "Only Girl (In The World)" and "What's My Name?". This was due to the BRIT Awards corporation trying to avoid receiving similar complaints about Rihanna on the final of the seventh season ofThe X Factor on December 11, 2010. Rihanna was a special guest at the NBA All Star Game on February 20, 2011, where she performed a medley of "Umbrella" / "Only Girl (In the World)" / "Rude Boy" / "What's My Name" (with Drake) and "All of the Lights" (with Kanye West).

Rihanna performed "California King Bed" for first time in a country style, along with Sugarland front woman Jennifer Nettles, during the ACM Awards held by Academy of Country Music on April 3, 2011. She was also a special guest star on the tenth season of US series American Idol, on April 14, 2011, where she performed the song for a second time. Rihanna promoted the song with few performances in European cities such as Milan, Paris and Hamburg where she was appearing for her campaign with the Nivea skincare. Rihanna opened the Billboard Music Awards, performing the remix of "S&M" with Britney Spears on May 22, 2011, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Both of them wore chain hand cuffs and ended the performance with a dance routine involving pole dance as well as having a pillow fight. The performance attracted complaints due to the overtly sexual nature, on the publicly-owned broadcast airwaves, which further fueled controversy when the pair engaged in a cheek-kiss at the end of the performance. Rihanna also performed on NBC's Today show, on May 27, 2011 as apart of the "Summer Concert Series". She gave a performance of "S&M", "Only Girl (In the World)", "What's My Name?" and "California King Bed", and also gave an interview about the album as well as her performance at the Billboard Music Awards Spears.

Tour

Main article: Loud Tour

Rihanna performing "S&M" on the Loud Tour, a performance similar to the one from the 2011 Billboard Music Awards.

To further promote the album, Rihanna embarked on her fourth concert tour, the Loud Tour. Rihanna announced on February 9, 2011 that she will be embarking on a worldwide tour and so far includes total of 101 show dates, 32 in North America, 1 in Middle America, 4 in South America and 64 in Europe. Due to strong ticket sales in the United Kingdom, some additional shows were added to the tour. She will be performing ten shows at London's O₂ Arena. While on American Idol, Rihanna was interviewed by Ryan Seacrest where she talked about the design of the stage stating: "We've just designed the stage and we have a section that we are building... where the fans can actually be in the show and in the stage and be closer than they've ever been. It's real VIP." The North American leg of the tour kicked on June 4, 2011 in Baltimore, United States. Originally, J. Cole and Cee Lo Green were planned to open all the North American dates, however Green left the tour citing schedule conflicts for his reasoning. B.o.B and DJ Dummy were presented on a select dates of the North American leg of the tour. Rappers Drake, Kanye West and Jay-Z made a guest appearances on some dates from the leg to perform their collaborations "What's My Name?", "Run This Town" and "Umbrella" respectively. On July 8, 2011 in Dallas, Texas a fire broke out after Rihanna performed "California King Bed". For safety reasons, the audience was evacuated and the concert was forced to end early. Rihanna will perform one show in Barbados and four in Brasil, before she embarks the European part of the tour, which is set to start on September 29, 2011 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The tour has gained critical acclaim from music critics citing it as "Rihanna's best tour yet". Jane Stevenson of the Toronto Sun commented that " the two-hour, larger-than-life show lived up to the billing. And then some." Jon Brean of the Minneapolis Star Tribune remarked, "The Barbadian singer is more visually and vocally dynamic than she has ever been before." The tour ranked 31st in Pollstar's "Top 100 North American Tours (Mid-Year)", earning over 10 million dollars from the first 18 shows.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"S&M"	Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Sandy Wilhelm, Ester Dean	StarGate, Sandy Vee	4:04
2.	"What's My Name?" (featuring Drake)	Hermansen, Eriksen, Tracy Hale, Dean, Aubrey Graham	StarGate	4:23
3.	"Cheers (Drink to That)"	Andrew Harr, Jermaine Jackson, Stacey Barthe, Laura Pergolizzi, Corey Gibson, Chris Ivery, Lauren Christy, Graham Edwards, Avril Lavigne, Scott Spock	The Runners	4:22
4.	"Fading"	Jamal Jones, Dean	Polow da Don	3:20
5.	"Only Girl (In the World)"	Crystal Johnson, Eriksen, Hermansen, Wilhelm	StarGate, Sandy Vee	3:55
6.	"California King Bed"	Harr, Jackson, Priscilla Renea, Alex Delicata	The Runners	4:12
7.	"Man Down"	Shama Joseph, Timothy Thomas, Theron Thomas, Shontelle Layne	Shama "Sham" Joseph	4:27
8.	"Raining Men" (featuring Nicki Minaj)	Melvin Hough II, Rivelino Wouter, Timothy Thomas, Theron Thomas, Onika Maraj	Mel & Mus	3:45
9.	"Complicated"	Christopher Stewart, Dean	Tricky Stewart, Ester Dean	4:18
10.	"Skin"	Kenneth Coby, Ursula Yancy	Soundz	5:04
11.	"Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" (featuring Eminem)	Alexander Grant, Holly Hafferman, Marshall Mathers	Alex da Kid	4:56

Japan bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Only Girl (In the World)" (The Bimbo Jones Radio)	3:53
13.	"Only Girl (In the World)" (CCW Radio Mix)	3:44

iTunes bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Love the Way You Lie" (Piano version)	4:09
13.	"Only Girl (In the World)" (Music video)	4:15
14.	"Only Girl (In the World)" (Mixin Marc & Tony Svejda Mix Show Edit) (Pre-order only)	6:25

Deluxe edition bonus DVD

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Making of Loud: Chapter 1"	0:48
2.	"The Making of Loud: Chapter 2 – Raining Men Recording Session"	1:32
3.	"The Making of Loud: Chapter 3 – Man Down Recording Sesson"	1:40
4.	"The Making of Loud: Chapter 4"	0:30
5.	"The Making of Loud: Chapter 5 – Live in NYC – Madison Square Garden"	7:00
6.	"The Making of Loud: Chapter 6 – Reb'l Fleur Photo Shoot"	3:30
7.	"The Making of Loud: Chapter 7 – Loud Album Art Photo Shoot"	1:52
8.	"The Making of Loud: Chapter 8 – Day One"	3:39
9.	"The Making of Loud: Chapter 9 – Day Two"	2:48
10.	"The Making of Loud: Chapter 10 – Credits (Includes making of Only Girl (In the World) video)"	3:05

Notes

• "Cheers (Drink to That)" interpolates "I'm with You" performed by Avril Lavigne and written by Lavigne, Scott Spock, Graham Edwards and Lauren Christy.

Release formats

Loud (Couture edition) [CD+DVD]

• Deluxe cover art lithograph
• Enhanced clear couture cover
• Deluxe edition of Loud [CD+DVD]
• "Making of Loud" video DVD
• 20 page full size photobook

Loud (Deluxe edition) [CD + DVD]

• 11 track Loud album
• Bonus DVD with the "Making of Loud" video
• Packaged as a digipack instead of standard jewel case

iTunes version

• 11 track Loud album
• "Love the Way You Lie" (Piano version) (Bonus track)
• "Only Girl (In the World)" (Music video) (Bonus track)
• "Only Girl (In the World) (Mixin' Marc & Tony Svejda Mix Show Edit)" (Pre-order only) (Bonus track)
• Digital Booklet

Personnel

Credits for Loud adapted from Allmusic.

Musicians

• Stacy Barthe – background vocals
• Nuno Duarte Gil Mendes Bettencourt – guitar
• Alex Delicata – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• Eminem – vocals
• Eric England – bass

• Tor Erik Hermansen – instrumentation
• Cristyle Johnson – background vocals
• Priscilla Renea – background vocals
• Rihanna – art direction, creative director, design, executive producer, vocals
• Theron Thomas – background vocals

Production

• Camilla Akrans – photography
• Veronika Bozeman – additional production, vocal producer
• Leesa D. Brunson – A&R
• Noel Cadastre – assistant vocal engineer
• Bobby Campbell – assistant vocal engineer, mixing assistant
• Ariel Chobaz – vocal recording
• Cary Clark – engineer
• Corey Shoemaker – engineer
• Carol Corless – package production
• Karin Darnell – make-up
• Ester Dean – producer, background vocals
• Mikkel S. Eriksen – engineer, instrumentation
• Jesus Garnica – mixing assistant
• Chris Gehringer – mastering
• Josh Gudwin – vocal recording
• Mariel Haenn – stylist
• Alex Haldi – art direction, design
• Inaam Haq – assistant vocal engineer
• Kuk Harrell – vocal producer, vocal recording
• Koby Hass Assistant – vocal engineer
• Jaycen Joshua – mixing
• Brandon Joner – assistant vocal engineer
• Terese Joseph – A&R
• JP Robinson – art direction, design
• Rob Katz – assistant vocal engineer
• Alex da Kid – engineer, producer
• Karen Kwak – A&R
• Damien Lewis – assistant engineer, engineer
• Dane Liska – assistant vocal engineer
• Erik Madrid – mixing assistant
• Deborah Mannis-Gardner – sample clearance

• Scott Marcus – A&R
• Manny Marroquin – mixing
• Dana Nielsen – engineer
• Ben O'Neill – assistant engineer
• Ciarra Pardo – art direction, creative director, design
• Christian Plata – mixing assistant
• Polow da Don – producer
• Antonio "L.A." Reid – executive producer
• Antonio Resendiz – assistant vocal engineer
• Makeba Riddick – vocal producer
• Evan Rogers – executive producer
• Chad "C Note" Roper – engineer
• The Runners – producer
• Brad Shea – assistant vocal engineer
• Noah Shebib – vocal recording
• StarGate – producer
• Ursula Stephen – hair stylist
• Jay Stevenson – engineer
• Christopher "Tricky" Stewart – producer
• Mike Strange – vocal recording
• Carl Sturken – executive producer
• Phil Tan – mixing
• Bu Thiam – A&R
• Brian "B-Luv" Thomas – engineer
• Marcos Tovar – mixing, vocal recording
• Sandy Vee – engineer, instrumentation, mixing, producer
• Jeff "Supa Jeff" Villanueva – engineer
• Miles Walker – engineer
• Kyle White Assistant – vocal engineer
• Andrew Wuepper – engineer
• Robert Zangardi – stylist

Charts

Chart positions

Chart (2010/2011)	Peak position
Australian Albums Chart	2
Austrian Albums Chart	3
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)	3
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)	2
Canadian Albums Chart	1
Croatian International Album Chart	1
Czech Republic Albums Chart	12
Dutch Albums Chart	6
Danish Albums Chart	2
European Top 100 Albums	1
Finnish Albums Chart	7
French Albums Chart	3
German Albums Chart	2
Greek Albums Chart	8
Hungarian Albums Chart	13
Irish Albums Chart	1
Italian Albums Chart	11
Japanese Albums Chart	1
Mexican Albums Chart	17
New Zealand Albums Chart	4
Norwegian Albums Chart	1
Polish Albums Chart	4
Portuguese Albums Chart	11
Russian Albums Chart	3
Scottish Albums Chart	1
Spanish Albums Chart	6
Swedish Albums Chart	15
Swiss Albums Chart	1
UK Albums Chart	1
UK R&B Albums Chart	1
US Billboard 200	3
US R&B/Hip Hop Albums	1

Year-end charts

Chart (2010)	Position
Swiss Albums Chart	21
Irish Album Chart	5
UK Albums Chart	4
Dutch Albums Chart	83
German Albums Chart	39
Russian Albums Chart	51

Certifications

Country	Certification
Australia	2× Platinum
Austria	Gold
Belgium	Platinum
Brazil	Gold
Canada	2× Platinum
Denmark	Platinum
Europe	2× Platinum
France	Platinum
GCC	Gold
Germany	Platinum
Hungary	Gold
Italy	Gold
Ireland	5× Platinum
Japan	Gold
New Zealand	Platinum
Poland	Platinum
Russia	Gold
Spain	Gold
Sweden	Gold
Switzerland	Platinum
United Kingdom	5× Platinum
United States	Platinum

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions

Title	Year	Peak chart positions										Certifications
		AUS	CAN	FIN	FRA	GER	IRL	NZL	SWI	UK	US
"Only Girl (In the World)"	2010	1	1	2	2	2	1	1	2	1	1	AUS: 5× Platinum GER: Platinum NZL: Platinum SWI: 2× Platinum UK: Platinum US: 2× Platinum
"What's My Name?" (featuring Drake)		18	5	—	16	12	3	3	13	1	1	AUS: Platinum NZL: Platinum SWI: Gold UK: Platinum US: 2× Platinum
"Raining Men" (featuring Nicki Minaj)		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	142	111	—
"S&M"	2011	1	1	4	3	2	3	2	2	3	1	AUS: 4× Platinum NZL: Platinum SWI: Platinum UK: Silver
"California King Bed"		4	20	—	33	9	11	4	13	8	47	AUS: Platinum NZL: Gold
"Man Down"		—	63	—	3	—	—	—	22	54	59	—
"—" denotes a title that did not chart, or was not released in that territory.

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Edition	Label
Australia	November 12, 2010	CD	Standard	Universal Music
Germany			Standard, deluxe
Ireland		Digital download
Netherlands		CD	Standard
France	November 15, 2010		Standard, deluxe
New Zealand
Portugal
Philippines				Def Jam Recordings
United Kingdom			Standard	Mercury Records
Mexico	November 16, 2010			Universal Music
United States		CD, digital download	Standard, deluxe	Def Jam Recordings
United States		CD, DVD	Deluxe (Couture edition)
Sweden	November 17, 2010	Digital download	Standard	Universal Music
Poland	November 19, 2010	CD
Brazil	November 30, 2010
China	December 14, 2010		Standard, deluxe
India
Japan	January 19, 2011

External links

• Loud at Metacritic
• Rihanna: The Billboard Cover Story at Billboard