Rihanna 'Unfaithful' music analysis

Rihanna belongs to Def Jam, which is a subsidiary of Universal Records who usually target a more mainstream audience, ultimately attracting a mainstream audience for Rihanna’s music. Unfaithful" is a ballad written by Ne-Yo, Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen for R&B singer Rihanna's second album, A Girl like Me. It was produced by Stargate and released as the album's second single in mid-2006. This track would be played on TV channels such as Flava’ and ‘MTV’, which are popular mainstream music channels that predominantly play R&B music. This song is an R&B Ballad which makes it different to her other songs but this song has a popular narrative to it.

The video starts off very slowly paced, with only the instruments playing and a heartbeat tone whilst he camera pans up and down her body as Rihanna is getting ready, however the silence and lack of action captivates viewers and builds tension as we become aware that the upcoming events are somewhat sinister. Rihanna adheres to the R&B convention of wearing bling (especially the large hoop earrings) and jeans and sunglasses making her look casual yet still appealing.

This video adopts the conventional theme of a love triangle and a series of jump shots cutting between scenes of Rihanna with her lover is displayed, in effect giving viewers an insight as to their relationship. Also, the graffiti on the walls conforms to the urban nature behind R&B music.

There is also a relationship between the visuals and the lyrics; the artist is dressed in black in which reflects the depressing, eerie tone. A direct relationship to the lyrics is also cast in that throughout the song she mentions ‘murder’, and ultimately the theme of black running through the video reflects that of a funeral, which instantly sets an enigmatic ambience. Similarly, she says ‘I may as well take a gun and put it to his head, get it over with’, here is then a pause, and the silence in video engages viewers’ interests. However, she is still able to appeal to male audience as she is wearing a revealing dress and is conducting herself in quite a provocative manner.

Although, she may be seen as being on sexual display, and objectified for the male gaze it is done a more sophisticated way. Interestingly, in many other videos, across most genres, the presence of women is solely for the purpose of display, however, within this music video, she is part of the narrative function. Perhaps this video could adopt a post-feminist approach in that Rihanna asserts her right to dress in a certain way and be sexually attractive without being there wholly for display. When sitting by the piano she begins invading the pianists’ personal space, in effect enhancing the passion of the scene. In addition, a sense of confusion is highlighted throughout this video. Arguably, this video subverts the typical conventions of an R&B video, in that it does not have club scenes, additional rapping and excessive bling, ect, instead, there is limited trills, therefore placing more emphasis upon the concept of the video. However, the use of close-ups of the artist’s facial expression allows viewers to analyseRihanna’semotions which is quite unsettling.

This video does adhere to the wide variety of camera techniques, employing several long shots as she is walking towards the camera as well as wide shots establishing the setting in the theatre, ultimately initiating a dramatic and theatrical effect.

The piano is also not a typical code and so in many ways this video crafts a more edgy and mysterious atmosphere in essence drawing in viewers due to its uncommon nature. This video skilfully subverts gender stereotypes; the artist is presented as a female cheat, which subverts the stereotypical idea that it is usually the male who cheats. She is depicted as a deceiving person, and so is not attempting to encourage envy and emulation, she is revealing reality as opposed to the idealistic, however, this does not mean female viewers will not feel a slight ounce of envy. Females may feel jealous of her figure, her appearance, her confidence but also the dominance she holds within her relationship. Within this video, the male is seen as more helpless and vulnerable, and somewhat is being manipulated and taken advantage of by the woman. Intentionally, she has been presented as classy woman, which alludes to the idea that no matter what your status, you can be susceptible to being unfaithful.