After her sister in all things Illuminati Kee$ha premiered her video for “Die Young” last night, G4L Navy Commander Princess Rihanna has just released the gorgeous visual accompaniment to “Diamonds,” the lead single from her forthcoming record Happy Fearless Chalice Unapologetic.
Taking a break from hashtagging and Instagramming for a moment, the Barbadian beauty brings her Navy on a surreal journey for her Sia-penned Top 10 smash, resulting in a series of striking, symbolic visuals: Blunts filled with diamonds, a terrifying late-night chase, the Northern Lights, a room of objects shattering in reverse (breaking dishes up in here, to be exact), a stroll through the desert, galloping horses, a burning rose, riot squads, a city in flames and a stunning final moment drifting away at sea.
According to RiRi herself, the dramatic clip isn’t meant to be interpreted as a single narrative: “With ‘Diamonds,’ it was just a series of vignettes that we put together to help get the emotion across throughout the song ’cause the song changes and it builds,” she told MTV.
The video was shot by constant collaborator Anthony Mandler–you can tell once the desert scenes kick in–and the overall tone is much darker than what we’ve been seeing from Ri lately, giving off major Rated R vibes. (My favorite!)
Much like the song, I absolutely adore the video–I think Ri’s effectively nailed the otherworldly feel of the track.
Shine bright, Ri!
“Diamonds” was released on September 27. (iTunes)