This Grouponicus deal turns up the volume with $5 for one digital MP3 download of LOUD, Rihanna's fourth studio album (a $9.99 value). Executive produced by the artist and Island Def Jam Music Group chairman Antonio "L.A." Reid, LOUD includes the #1 Billboard Hot 100 hit "What's My Name," featuring Drake, and the #4-ranked single "Only Girl (In the World)." Rihanna is the first female artist of the decade to earn six number-one songs on the Hot 100, with "What's My Name" marking her eighth chart topper. For the reasons stated above, we decided she was worth interviewing and asked her these 13 questions…
Groupon: What was it like growing up in Barbados?
Rihanna: It was a lot of fun. I had a lot of friends. I loved going to the beach with my brothers and I would hang at this club called The Courtyard. I would climb trees, steal mangoes, catch birds, silly things that were fun to us at the time. My cousin and I were the only girls in the group. We would have to stand up for ourselves because the guys didn't want us around.
Groupon: When did you know you wanted to be a singer?
Rihanna: I was inspired by Mariah Carey and Celine Dion. I was about seven years old when I discovered I had a voice and I told my Mom, "I wanna do this for real."
Groupon: Who are your biggest musical influences?
Rihanna: Among my musical influences are Brandy, Madonna, Alicia Keys, Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Bob Marley, ....I love reggae music.
Groupon: Was the song "Umbrella" based on a real umbrella?
Rihanna: An umbrella is protection, it protects you from rain. The rain in this case is negativity and vulnerability, which is where Umbrella came from.
Groupon: What's your all-time favorite album?
Rihanna: My favorite album of all time is Miseducation by Miss Lauryn Hill. I just love her voice. There's nobody out there like Lauryn Hill. That album says so much. I love how she was such a positive role model for the youth in this album and the lyrics are really
deep.
Groupon: Who's taller? Kanye West or Jay-Z?
Rihanna: Jay-Z
Groupon: Does it hurt to sing so much?
Rihanna: No, I love to sing.
Groupon: Do you believe in ghosts?
Rihanna: No.
Groupon: What about Frankenstein? Do you believe in him?
Rihanna: No.
Groupon: Does the little record player on the Grammy award actually play records? Rihanna: No, it's actually just a miniature gramophone.
Groupon: If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, where would you eat it?
Rihanna: I love my mom's food. She makes a lot of Jamaican food, it's very spicy
Groupon: As a vocalist, which phoneme do you prefer: the glottal stop or the fricative? Rihanna:
Groupon: How many teeth do you have?
Rihanna:
Reviews
Entertainment Weekly gave Loud an "A-", and the New York Times, the Boston Globe, SPIN magazine, the Los Angeles Times, the BBC, and NME praised the album.
- What Loud showcases best, though, is a star undefeated by her worst circumstances — and finding redemption in exactly the kind of pop nirvana that made her famous in the first place. – Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly
- This is a more mature nod to the bubbly pop that established her fame. And it's a statement from a woman who's come into her own, and who won't be going anywhere that isn't worth her while. We could all do worse than to follow her lead. – Stacey Anderson, SPIN
Groupon Says
The Groupon Guide to: The Latest Video Games
Video games are one of the most popular pastimes, and the latest games make the best holiday gifts. Here is a list of the season's hottest games:
- Manic Meerkat's Caffeinated Castle
- Motion-Controlled Arm-Flailing Simulator
- Buck Stanton: Art Puncher
- Grand Theft Backpacking through Europe Before School Starts
- Weekend at Bernie's: The Game
- Chief Justice Roberts's Supreme Kart Showdown
- Mavis Beacon Teaches Curse Words
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