Earlier today Rihanna dropped the music video for her fifth single from Talk That Talk, “Where Have You Been.” Helmed by producers Calvin Harris, Dr. Luke, and Cirkut, “Where Have You Been” is a lustful dance track, contrasting Rihanna’s pure voice with gritty breakdowns. This could have been a ridiculous, rainbow slathered, sexually infused circus of a video (a la Starships), but instead Rihanna took a much more seductive and sedated approach. The music video finds Rihanna in a tribal-like setting, rising from a pool of water, dancing in tribal-like clothes, and rolling around in a giant bird’s nest. The best thing about the “Where Have You Been” video is that it calls back to how pop music videos used to be. It’s a bit quirky at times but never over the top or in your face. It has relatively simple but impressive choreography, and Rihanna is actually pretty striking (without crazy colored hair). This is Rihanna as the Barbadian pop princess that we all remember, and hopefully marks a change for her appearance. There are enough crazy pop stars with brightly colored hair running around RiRi, you really don’t need to join in. Especially if you keep making videos like this one.
