Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella’ Was So Good It Upset Her Songwriters

Rihanna‘s “Umbrella” was, arguably, the song that transformed her from a regular Top 40 singer into a superstar. Two of Rihanna’s regular songwriters were upset that the track was so good. They wanted one of her other tracks to succeed.

Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella’ upset the writers of ‘Don’t Stop the Music’

Together, Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor E. Hermansen are a songwriting duo called Stargate. They have been instrumental in Rihanna’s career, writing hits such as “S&M,” “Only Girl (In the World),” “Diamonds,” and “Unfaithful.” During a 2018 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Eriksen recalled the creation of Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music,” one of the most beloved dance songs of the 2000s.

“Before we met her, before we even saw a picture of her, we could tell Rihanna was going places just by listening to her voice on ‘Pon de Replay,'” he said. “We just knew, like, ‘We have to work with this girl!’ There’s something very special about her voice.” While Rihanna doesn’t have the range of Beyoncé or Adele, her voice has a lot of personality.

“I remember when we finished ‘Don’t Stop the Music,’ we were like, ‘Oh my God, this must be the first single! This is the best thing ever!'” he added. “And then coming out of the studio room next to us was ‘Umbrella’ and when we heard that, we were like, ‘Oh God, no!'” Apparently, the duo worried that “Umbrella” would overshadow “Don’t Stop the Music.” “Umbrella” was Rihanna’s next lead single, but “Don’t Stop the Music” became a single as well.

A member of Stargate revealed what Rihanna is like as a person

Hermansen revealed what Rihanna is like as a person. “She was the same person then as she is now,” he opined. “She’s always been real. She’s always generous. She remembers people. She hugs people. She’s just a regular girl who happens to be a superstar.”

While Stargate is most known for working with Rihanna, they penned classic tracks for other artists as well. Some of them include Katy Perry’s “Firework,” Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable,” Fifth Harmony’s “Worth It,” Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow,” and Selena Gomez’s” Same Old Love.” The writers also penned lesser-known tunes for stars like Pink, Sia, Mariah Carey, Camila Cabello, and Sam Smith.

‘Umbrella’ and its parent album blew up

“Umbrella” became a massive hit. It became Rihanna’s second No. 1 single after “SOS.” “Umbrella” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks, staying on the chart for 34 weeks. The track appeared on the album Good Girl Hone Bad. That record reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for a total of 133 weeks.

Good Girl Gone Bad became one of Rihanna’s most important albums, inspiring a reissue called Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded. The two versions of the record produced several other hits besides, including “Take a Bow” and “Disturbia,” both of which topped the Billboard Hot 100, as well as “Hate That I Love You,” “Shut Up and Drive,” and “Don’t Stop the Music.” Despite Stargate’s misgivings, “Don’t Stop the Music” still managed to hit No. 3. Rihanna only became more and more of a dance artist after it came out.

“Umbrella” is one of Rihanna’s best songs even if it made Stargate upset for about a minute.