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Rihanna Performs First Full Concert in Almost 8 Years at Private Wedding Party in India: ‘The Show Was the Best’

Rihanna sang at a lavish pre-wedding event in a multi-day celebration for soon-to-be newlyweds Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant.

Rihanna attends the Christian Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2024 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on Jan. 22, 2024 in Paris.

Rihanna attends the Christian Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2024 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on Jan. 22, 2024 in Paris.

Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

Rihanna made her return to the stage at a pre-wedding gig for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant in Jamnagar, India, on Friday (March 1).

The singer and Fenty mogul performed at a lavish party that was part of a multi-day celebration for the soon-to-be newlyweds, who will officially tie the knot July 12 in Mumbai. The nearly 1,200-person guest list included Rihanna as well as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Sunder Picha, Ivanka Trump and Bollywood celebrity Shah Rukh Khan, the AP reports.


Ambani is the son of multi-billionaire Mukesh Ambani, the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, and Nita Ambani, founder of the Reliance Foundation. Merchant is the daughter of Viren Merchant, CEO of Encore Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., and entrepreneur Shaila Merchant.

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“The show was the best,” Rihanna was seen saying on camera post-concert, while being approached by paparazzi. “I haven’t done a real show in eight years.”

Although Rihanna performed for the Super Bowl halftime show and at the Oscars last year, she hasn’t put on a full concert since her Anti World Tour in 2016. There were reportedly 19 songs on Friday night’s set list.

The Ambani dynasty is well-known for extravagant wedding festivities. When Mukesh’s daughter Isha got married in 2018, Beyoncé performed at the ceremony, and when the business titan’s oldest son Akash tied the knot in 2019, Coldplay’s Chris Martin and the Chainsmokers were hired.

See clips of Rihanna in India below, including videos of her performing “Bitch Better Have My Money,” “Work,” “Umbrella,” “Stay,” “All of the Lights,” “We Found Love,” “Diamonds” and more.

This article first appeared on Billboard U.S.

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Music News Digest: CRTC Aims To Fill a Gap for Indigenous Radio in Toronto and Ottawa
Photo by Will Francis on Unsplash
FYI

Music News Digest: CRTC Aims To Fill a Gap for Indigenous Radio in Toronto and Ottawa

Also this week: Sled Island reveals initial lineup curated by clipping., Truro hosts Nova Scotia Music Week and more.

The CRTC recently launched a call for applications for FM radio stations to serve Indigenous communities in Toronto and Ottawa. Broadcast Dialogue reports "the call follows the demise of First Peoples Radio’s ELMNT FM stations, which went off the air on Sept. 1 last year. Launched in the fall of 2018, the stations had a goal to 'fill the gap' for urban Indigenous listeners under-represented in the radio landscape. They carried an 'Indigenous-variety' format, featuring both English and Indigenous-language spoken-word and musical programming, with 25% of the playlist dedicated to Indigenous talent.

In its call, the commission says in its view, "there is a need and a demand for radio stations to serve the needs and interests of those communities."

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