I am a London girl born and raised however Barbados is a place I have revisited over the years as my family originate there and every time I return, the country offers me a stronger sense of cultural pride.
The biggest music success no doubt to emerge from the country is Rihanna. A female artist that has established herself worldwide as a force of musical versatility and marketing. Rihanna has proved her appeal as a mainstream artist applying her vocals to all genres from house music to country music. She is an inspiration and important figure to the people of Barbados as this is the first time one of their own has established themselves internationally as a credible, versatile artist.
I visited Barbados this August and this time was particularly special as during my two weeks there, Rihanna was scheduled to perform for the first time in her home country. As soon as we arrived you could feel the buzz in the air from the Bajan community and on the radio stations and TV as the excitement and awareness of this historical event built up.
The excitement amongst my cousins, sister and I continued to build as we arrived at the Kensington Oval Stadium where the show would be held. As well as the wide stretch of seats curved in front of the stage, the open space in the middle was also vast and filled up completely by the time Rihanna began her show, showing just how much this small island appreciates their native star.
It wasn’t just Bajan citizens that came out to see Rihanna, the event was ultimately targeted towards tourists, attracting people from all over the world to see Rihanna perform in her home country. That was the main purpose I wanted to see the show, as I knew it was significant moment for Barbados as this concert encouraged Bajan citizens that it didn’t matter if they came from a small island, they are still able to not only dream bigger, but make these dreams a reality as Rihanna has.
It was great to see her genuinely exultant, honoured and emotionally connected to those watching her, as she called out halfway through the show, ‘I’m back in my home country – thank you Barbados, I love you!’ This was followed by her singing the first line of ‘Take A Bow’, ‘How ‘bout a round of applause’ which was appropriately met with a chorus of cheers and applause from spectators, not necessarily cheering Rihanna, but cheering a success and victory for Barbados achieving this night, and the love and attention from people all over the world, thanks to Rihanna’s participation. Spectators opened their eyes to the range of what Barbados has to offer musically and as a country which I am proud to have been able to experience.
Rihanna has definitely grown stronger vocally as a performer and shows no signs of slowing down. She is able to command the full attention of spectators on stage while allowing everyone to also let loose and party with her.
A historical event took place at the Kensington Oval that night and I just hope this isn’t the last time the country is able to experience a night like this.
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