Rihanna shined “like a diamond in the sky” this weekend. The R&B star came out of an eight-year-long live performance hiatus this weekend for the pre-wedding party of an Indian billionaire’s son. But a viral video of Rihanna’s performance at the private party sparked debate, not about the singer’s groundbreaking show but about the device used to record the footage.
French model Joh Masse captured Rihanna’s private concert at Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s pre-wedding celebration in Jamnagar, India, and confirmed he had used an iPhone 13 Pro Max.
But the video, which was uploaded to both Joh’s Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter) page, caused quite a stir amongst viewers.
A man captured Rihanna’s return to the stage at a wedding in India but caused a heated debate about what phone he used to film with
Image credits: joh_masse
Rihanna performed after an eight-year hiatus for the pre-wedding party of an Indian billionaire’s son
— Joh (@joh_masse) March 1, 2024
Joh had taken several videos of the show, but one clip, in particular, saved as a highlight on Instagram, saw the 36-year-old singer in high-quality performing All of the Lights before the camera zoomed back to show the viewer was watching from a significant distance.
The stage becomes almost invisible when the camera zooms out completely.
Users on X quickly jumped on the footage, sparking an animated discussion, as a person wrote it was the “greatest ad” for Android, a post that received many likes despite Joh’s clarification he had used an iPhone.
Samsung tried to take credit for the type of phone used to film Rihanna’s performance
Image credits: joh_masse
Rihanna’s performance featured a 19-song setlist at the lavish event attended by high-profile guests
Image credits: joh_masse
In an Instagram story later shared on X, Joh wrote: “Yall asking me which phone I used to record the vids. This is the phone: Apple 13 Pro Max.
“I’m not an Android user and never will be, no shade.”
Later on X, a contextual statement revealed that the metadata indicated the video was captured with an iPhone 13 Pro Max, with a link to the corresponding Instagram story.
French model Joh Masse confirmed he had filmed Rihanna with an iPhone 13 Pro Max
U think I’m lying about a fuckn video ? Here the proof so yall leave me alone 😮💨 https://t.co/iDugsjqyx1 pic.twitter.com/L5YyLch9sE
— Joh (@joh_masse) March 2, 2024
However, the multiple confirmations didn’t stop some from people arguing about the origin of the footage.
Even Samsung chimed in at some point, taking to their X account and taking credit for the impressive video quality.
Not counting the 15-minute halftime show and her Lift Me Up performance at the 2023 Oscars, the pre-wedding gig marked Rihanna’s first full concert since November 2016, when her Anti World Tour wrapped up in Abu Dhabi, Rolling Stone reported.
Despite clarification from Joh, some viewers argue about the origin of the footage
Image credits: Imthiyaz Syed
According to the publication, the Fenty founder delivered a 19-song performance for the son of billionaire industrialist and “Asia’s richest man,” Mukesh Ambani.
It’s been speculated that Rihanna will receive between $5 million to $8 million for the one-off performance, with Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Ivanka Trump among those on the 1,200-person guest list.
Moreover, TMZ reported that David Blaine, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, and the Chainsmokers were among the evening’s performers.
“I knew Android could never,” a reader commented
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