“It wasn’t me.”
The Navy, Rihanna’s loyal legion of fans, has been anxiously awaiting her latest album. And though she told the public it would be released in 2019, that wasn’t the case. Apparently, at least one of the reasons for the hold up is the fact that artists are having to audition in order to be a part of it. With an artist of Rihanna’s caliber, it makes sense. Fans have been waiting for this album and I’m sure she wants to ensure that they’re not disappointed.
But when Rihanna–or her camp– asks established artists to take part in the project, they didn’t take too well to the idea of auditioning. Rumors have been swirling for a while now that the latest album will be a dancehall/reggae one. One of the artists she thought to have on the album was Jamaican artist Shaggy. But it apparently it didn’t pan out as the “It Wasn’t Me” singer didn’t take too kindly to the rumored audition process.
According to Britain’s Daily Star, Shaggy turned down the opportunity. “They approached me for the Rihanna project yet. There’s a lot of great people involved but for me, I didn’t need to audition to be on the record, I’ll leave that to younger guys. But from what I hear it should be good.”
Still, Shaggy completely supports Rihanna’s shift into dancehall. “It’s a healthy competition. Dancehall is in a good place but we need as many people to do this art form as possible. When it crosses over and becomes popular with artists from other genres and other cultures, that can only be good.”
What do you think about Shaggy’s decision? While it certainly would have been a good career opportunity, he doesn’t seem bothered by it much. And with nearly thirty years in the music industry, I can understand why he feels that way. Auditioning can be a nerve-racking ordeal. Do y’all think Rihanna is really out here holding auditions for features?
