Stay is a song by Rihanna and it was performed on SNL.
"Stay" is a song on the seventh studio album, Unapologetic.The second single from the album was released on January 7, 2013."Stay" was written by Ekko.The lyrics of the song speak of temptation and the inability to resist true love.Most music critics thought the balladry was a great track on the album.
"Stay" was on multiple charts after the release of Unapologetic.It was number one in Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Israel, and the top five in twenty-four countries worldwide after it was released as a single.It peaked at number three on the US Hot 100, making it more popular than Whitney Houston's tally.It has been number one on the US Pop Songs chart and number 16 on Hot Dance Club Songs.The single has sold over 10 million copies around the world making it one of the best selling singles of all time.
The music video for the song depicts Ekko singing in a separate bathroom from the naked singer in the bathtub filled with cloudy water.Critics said the video was similar to the song.While she performed "Stay" on The X Factor in the United Kingdom, she also performed the song on SNL.They performed "Stay" at the grammys.In support of the album, the track was included on the set list of most of her tour dates, as well as the opening song on her seventh tour.
In March 2012 she began working on the new sound for her seventh studio album.Several musicians and producers were recruited during the production of the album.The production of the album was massive according to Ekko.The studios we were working in were booked out for three months.I had never experienced anything like that before."Stay" was written and produced by three people.When the song was written, Ekko didn't like it because of its vulnerability, but he was persuaded to listen to it again.After another listen, he realized that the song is very important to him and that he knows what it means to her.[4]
Ekko was pleasantly surprised when he met her in Los Angeles, where she told him she already sang the vocals.The vocals were recorded by three people: Mike Gaydusek at NightBird Recording Studios in Los Angeles, and Marcos Tovar and Kuk Harrel at the same studio in LA.The vocal engineering was done by Gaydusek.The production of vocal production was completed.Phil Tan mixed it at Ninja Club Studios.Additional production was performed by Daniella Rivera."Stay" was the second single from Unapologetic.In the United States, "Stay" was the third single in the country after "Diamonds" and "Pour It Up".It was released as a CD single in Germany.10
"Stay" is a pop and R&B song with piano and bass guitar.It is written in the key of A minor and has a progression of C-Dm-Am-F.The song is playing at 112 beats per minute.The low and high notes of A3 and E5 can be heard in the song.The song was described as being stripped-bare.The lyrics are about failing to resist true love, according to Dan Martin."It's not much of a life you're living/ It is not just something you take," says the lyrics on the song."Now, tell me now, let me know now you know/ Not really sure how to feel about it/ Something in the way you move/ Makes me," she sings.According to Lewis Corner for Digital Spy, the simple yet effective piano riffs of Ri Ri's vocals glow over.[19]
Music critics gave "Stay" a good review.Jon Dolan for Rolling Stone wrote that he was impressed with the execution of the song, writing that she performs it "within an inch of its life" and "pleads at the piano".It's "stark" and "shadowy" which is "confrontationally honest" according to Dolan."Stay" is the highlight of Unapologetic, according to Dan Martin.Martin continued to write that the song "puts a vulnerable spin on the Brown situation, repeating another theme of the album", a reference to her relationship with Chris Brown."Stay" was praised by Smokey Fontaine for The Huffington Post.Three years ago, no one would have paid attention to a beautiful piano-ballad like 'Stay.'Because of how honest and emotional her vocals are, not because of the events we witnessed.[22]
"Stay" was awarded four out of five stars by Lewis Corner for Digital Spy, who said that "Riri doesn't need all the controversial romp to top the charts."Corner compared "Stay" to the work of "some of 2012's most successful female balladeers" Emeli Sande and Lana Del Rey and concluded that she "never follows" the pack.The song received a mixed review from Genevieve Koski."Stay" and "What Now" are heavy on the sort of milquetoast ballads that have never been Rihanna's specialty, according to Club.Jon Caramanica wrote for The New York Times that the song is dull piano driven.He felt "Stay", along with "Get It Over With" and "Lost in Paradise" were the least texturally confrontational and therefore the most successful.[25]
The song entered the US Digital Songs chart at number 25 for the issue dated February 23, with a 289% increase in sales.It rocketed to number three on the Hot 100 the week after, following the chart's new policy that allowed YouTube streaming to count.The surge was due to the large 358% increase of digital downloads to 306,000 sales sold that week, rising to number two on the Digital Songs chart.Whitney Houston had 23 top 10s on the Hot 100, but with the new peak, she lost her 24th.The song went from 57 to 36 on the Radio Songs chart after selling 213,000 copies."Stay" sold 211,000 downloads and went from 36 to 23 on the Radio Songs chart in the third week of the Hot 100.In its fourth week on the Hot 100, the song again climbed to number four, surging from 23 to 16 in the Radio Songs chart, and increasing 12% in download sales to 236,000 copies sold.With this, "Stay" passed the one million downloads-sold barrier, becoming the 27th title by the singer to reach the sales milestone.It rose to number 11 on the Radio Songs chart, selling 222,000 digital copies."Stay" ascended to number six on the Radio Songs chart, marking the 22nd top 10 for the singer.She trails only Carey for the most top tens in the tally's archives."Stay" was the number one song on the Radio Songs chart on May 11th, tying her with Carey for the most leaders since the chart's December 1990 inception.The song climbed from six to three on the Hot 100.[34]
The Pop Songs chart in the United States had "Stay" at number 34.The song climbed into the top 10 of the chart on the issue dated March 30."Stay" rose from number two to one on the Pop Songs chart, her 10th leader.With this, she became the most successful artist in the chart's 20-year history.Bruno Mars' "When I Was Your Man" is the second piano-and-vocal-only number one to have ruled Pop Songs.The US Hot Dance Club Songs chart has "Stay" at number 47."Stay" was ranked number two on the Adult Pop Songs chart.It peaked at number five on the Adult Contemporary chart.By July of this year, "Stay" had sold over 3 million digital copies, making it the 10th song to pass the three million sales mark.The song became the 10th best-selling song of the year in the US, with over 3 million copies sold.The song has sold over 4 million copies in the US.[42]
The song entered the Canadian Hot 100 at number 58.It reentered the chart for the week of February 23, at number 37.It remained at number three for a further week before climbing to number two for the week of March 16."Diamonds" was the second consecutive single to top the chart after "Stay".It was number one for three weeks in a row.It was 49 and 50.
"Stay" entered the UK R&B Chart at number 16 on November 25, 2012 due to strong digital download sales following the release of Unapologetic.It entered the UK Singles Chart at number 102 in the same week."Stay" reentered the UK Singles Chart at number six on December 22, 2012 after it was performed on The X Factor the previous week.A new peak of number four was reached the following week.Over the next five weeks, the song fluctuated inside the top ten, returning to its number four peak on two separate occasions."Stay" has sold over 400,000 copies in the UK."Stay" was number 15 for the week ending December 13, 2012 in Ireland.The song made its debut at number 53 in France and Switzerland after the album's release."Stay" returned to its former peak of 53 in France on January 5, after three weeks of being outside of the top 100.It peaked at number two in the twelfth week."Stay" was the number one song in the country for the second year in a row on March 1st.[59]
On December 24, 2012 "Stay" entered the singles chart in New Zealand.It reached a new peak of 16 in the third week after climbing to 25 the previous week.On January 14, it climbed into the top ten to number nine, marking the fifth time in a row that it had reached number ten.In its ninth week on the chart, the song reached a new peak of number seven.After climbing to six, "Stay" dropped to seven, but came back two weeks later.A new top five peak of four was achieved by the song after it fell to number seven.The song has been certified double-Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand."Stay" was published in Australia in the issue dated January 20, 2013).The week after, it moved up to number 28 and into the top 20.The song peaked at number 11 in its fourth week.The following week it dropped to 13, but rebounded into the top ten to mark a new peak of number six in its sixth week on the chart, following the release of the music video.This was the song's 24th top ten single in the country.The album's lead single, "Diamonds", peaked at number one, but it climbed to number five the following week."Stay" climbed to number four on the chart, marking a new peak.The Australian Recording Industry Association certified it for sales of 280,000 copies.[63]
According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, it sold 7.9 million copies.[64]
The music video was directed by a woman.On February 10, 2013, whilst walking the red carpet of the 55th AnnualGRAM Awards, Ri Ri held an interview with Ryan Seacrest who officially revealed that the music video would premiere on E!News the next day.The production of the video was simple.We shot it really close and I stayed in the bathtub.There's another person in the video as well.I'm excited about collaborating with him for the first time because he's the one who wrote the song and I fell in love with his voice and we want to keep him a part of it.It's almost like telling a story if you say it out loud and express how you feel.The "uncut" version of the video was leaked on February 11 before the official premiere.The official version was on E!Later that day, there will be news.It was uploaded to her account at 8 am the next day.Shortly after the video was uploaded, it was flagged for its sexual content.The flag has been taken down.As of December 2020, the Stay video performance has received more than 928 million views.
The video opens with a shot of water.The singer climbs into a bathtub while undressing.The singer is nude in a tub full of cloudy green water in the rest of the video.There is a picture of a woman with long hair and little make-up on her face.The singer flickers her eyes to the ceiling and puts her head in her hands, showing off long manicured nails and a diamond stud earring.The low-key video also features Mikky Ekko, who performs his parts of the song separately, including scenes of him perched on the edge of a different bathtub, gazing into a mirror, in front of an unlit fireplace, and sitting on a grand chair.The video transitions between the pair throughout the course of the video until it ends with a single tear falling from her eye as she sinks into the bathtub.71
A reviewer of The Huffington Post said that the video for her latest album Unapologetic matches the emotional nature of the song.August Brown of the Los Angeles Times commented on the video saying, "we kind of want to curl up in a hot shower and have a good cry ourselves."It's kind of an echo of her famous "We Found Love" video, with the quick-cut, drugged-up frenzy of bad romance replaced with solitary, locked-off shots that feel more intimate than exploitative.She looks amazing, but the focus isn't so much her body as the look of her face.The clip was described by Brown as being "appropriately minimalist" and "a beautiful video that broadens the emotional-musical palette"The tough girl posturing is usually a cover up for a very sensitive soul according to Bené Viera.Four minutes of makeup free, teary-eyed, glistening wet, raw emotion is what the video for 'Stay' has.Sarah Flanigan is from Yahoo!The video shows a softer side of the singer.She said that there were no frills, no flashy clothes, just a very raw and emotional performance allowing her to tell this love story in her own words.The "baptismal effect" of the video "feels like a seamless transition from Rihanna's 'Diamonds' video", according to MTV.Both videos feature impossibly famous singers reflecting upon damaged relationships while inviting us into their well-designed bathrooms, and both are equally stunning and sobering.Britney Spears' " Everytime" video was compared to and said to be inspired by Janet Jackson's video for "Every Time", with one critic noting that "Rihanna isn't the first pop star to brood in."The emotion of Janet Jackson and Britney Spears was immersed in water.Janet was in a blue lagoon for her video.The tub scene in Britney's video proved to be a dark point in her troubled world.[78]
As part of the promotion for the release of Unapologetic, a song called "Stay" was aired on Saturday Night Live."Diamonds" is the album's lead single.guest vocalist Ekko was absent from the performance of a solo version of "Stay".The singer wore a Bob Marley dress and red lipstick.The singer used her touching vocals to prove that not only can she sex up a performance but she can also sing the heck out of one.The singerbelted out the song.[83]
During the seven days prior to the release of the album, she embarked on a seven-date promotional tour where she performed seven concerts in seven countries across North America and Europe.She performed "Stay" at the second concert in Toronto as part of a duet with "Love the Way You Lie".There was a solo version of the song performed.It was performed as the ninth song out of 13 in between "S&M" and "Where Have You Been" at the fourth concert in Paris.The fifth and sixth concerts were held in Berlin and London, where the singer performed "Stay" in between "S&M" and "Unfaithful".The seventh and final concert was held in New York City.The press committee attended all seven concerts where she described the audience as being in atrance as the singer performed.[89]
The final of The X Factor took place on December 9, 2012.The singer and Ekko performed "Stay" at the grammys.The singer stood in front of a dim lit set and was dressed in a dark dress.The most memorable moment of the night was when the performance was reviewed by the Los Angeles Times."Her beautiful voice took center stage during the duet, assuring those watching why she was worthy of her six Grammys".A reviewer wrote that the performer looked moved by her performance.The solo version of "Stay" is included as part of the set list on the "Diamonds World Tour", as the twenty-seventh track and first encore.The song was the opening song on her seventh tour.At the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, she performed the song.95
A short video of American singer Adam Lambert performing a cover of "Stay" was released online in February.The singer said that it was a preview and that there was more to come.The video release came after the singer praised Ekko's performance at the Grammys, saying it was the best she had ever heard.Wow.There is a beautiful and haunting emotion.The singer performed a full version of the song with the album track "Underneath" at his "We Are Glamily" tour in Tokyo.The video of Vin Diesel performing a karaoke style cover of the song was released on February 15, 2013.There was a music video in the background.[98]
The concert in Monterrey was part of the 2012/2013 World Tour and the song was covered by the jonas brothers.The season 12 semi-finalist performed the song on the show.At the 3rd Annual YouTube Gathering, Rebecca Black and Dave Days performed a duet of the song.Fifth Harmony, an American girl group formed on the second season of The X Factor performed Stay and uploaded video on their YouTube channel.On April 5, a music video was posted.The radio 1 broadcasted a cover of "Stay" by The Script.Fatin Shidqia performed on Grand Final X Factor Indonesia.On May 18, she covered the song at her shows in Massachusetts, San Antonio, California, and Los Angeles.RaVaughn and Kiley Dean each released a version of "Stay" on July 1, 2013.Thirty Seconds to Mars made a cover of Stay at the Live Lounge.Low's cover of the song was released with the proceeds going to Rock For Kids.In June of last year, Paul Ieti, an American soldier, performed "Stay" on America's Got Talent and his cover received over one million views.There was a show at New York'sWebster Hall on December 30, 2013).[106]
Danielle Bradbery, winner of The Voice, recorded an acoustic cover of the song.[107]
Cat Power released a cover of the song as the third single from her tenth studio album.[108]
Stay on The Voice season 18 will feature a performance by Team "John Legend" member Thunderstorm Artis.