Rihanna Joins Coldplay On Stage in Paris
Coldplay brought their French fans a pretty awesome surprise: Rihanna! The Bajan beauty joined the band onstage in Paris for their duet, ‘Princess of China,’ as well as a performance of a ballad version of her own breakthrough hit, ‘Umbrella.’
For their ‘Princess of China’ performance, RiRi was decked out in similar geisha garb as she donned in the video, this time in flowing red and black. Her black Skrillex-style hair was in an updo. Rihanna’s performance was understated; she deliberately did without a lot of the dancing, cursing and effects that usually accompany her own stage shows. Also quieter than usual? Her actual vocals, which appear to have been performed without the backing tracks that usually help to amplify the singer and occasionally correct her pitch and tone. She doesn’t sound bad by any means, but at certain points in the song you can hardly hear her at all.
Rihanna made a swift and quiet exit after her performance, for which frontman Chris Martin offered a heartfelt, “Thank you, RiRi!” and told the crowd that it was “f—ing awesome.”
However, forever having more tricks up their sleeves, Coldplay and the newest PETA target collaborated once more. Rihanna changed into a black and white printed fitted dress, let her hair down and put on some darker lipstick (similar to Azealia Banks‘ signature Mac shade) to belt out ‘Umbrella,’ accompanied only by Martin on piano. Her vocals were much stronger during this performance, so we’re willing to chalk up the ‘Princess of China’ inaudibility to audio issues and a louder crowd.
Watch Rihanna and Coldplay Perform ‘Umbrella’ Live in Paris