Rihanna is set to premiere the video for “Russian Roulette,” the official lead single from her forthcoming album, Rated R, at a yet-unspecified time Friday on ABC. In yet another instance of her promotional schedule colliding with that of her former boyfriend Chris Brown, his new video, “Crawl,” will premiere on the same day.
In an unfinished version of the video previewed by MTV News, Rihanna appears to be restrained in a compound where she is being detained against her will. The video features a face-off of sorts between the singer and her love interest as the two sit as a table with a weapon placed between them. Things later come to a head toward the end of the video when Rihanna breaks free.
The images are stark throughout. Anthony Mandler directed “Russian Roulette” and also helmed the clip for “Wait Your Turn,” the first video released for Rated R. He told MTV News recently that Rihanna was aiming for “bravado” in her videos.
“We shot the clip in mid-October on a cold day in New York City. The vibe and feeling was great,” Mandler explained of “Wait Your Turn.” “It was the first video for the album, so obviously everyone was excited and focused on setting the tone for what’s to come. Rihanna and I spoke in depth about creating a piece that was gritty, raw and more of a street video than a classic beauty piece.”
Also on Friday, Brown will premiere his latest video, “Crawl,” during his appearance on “The Wendy Williams Show.” The clip features Bad Boy recording artist Cassie as the lead.
Originally, Rihanna was slated to premiere “Russian Roulette” during her appearance on “20/20,” in which she discussed Brown’s assault on her, last Friday. However, the video wasn’t finished before the taping.
Source: MTV
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