Rihanna brought an international feel to a very British gig last night, arriving on a steampunk pirate ship to join Chris Martin and his Coldplay bandmates at the Paralympics Closing Ceremony.
Many on Twitter immediately asked what a non-Brit was doing celebrating the close of the London Games, particularly as every other performer chosen by Danny Boyle and Co all had UK passports.
Rihanna was Coldplay's "special guest"
As well as joining Coldplay for their joint number Princess of China, she sang her own massive hit We Found Love, and then joined in with Jay-Z and Coldplay for an energetic rendition of Run This Town.
The Barbadian singer, as known for her raunchy image as for her singing skills, had the nouse, however, to cover up in a striking orange outfit, so that any chat of inappropriate dressage didn't overshadow the event, as had happened to her previously on X Factor and at the Brit Awards. Her freshly-cropped barnet also added to the overall look of a singer who wished to be taken more seriously than usual.
All in all, the star did nothing to dent her enormous fanbase, and may well have recruited some new converts with her display of stadium-sized charisma and ability to match some of the biggest stars in the world note for note.
What did you think of Rihanna's performance at the Closing Ceremony? Below is a round-up of some of the earliest feedback. Share yours in the Comments section too...
Here's a round-up of some of the first feedback on Rihanna's big gig...
The Sun:
Pop princess Rihanna wowed the crowd by performing a duet with Chris before appearing on a giant swing to sing We Found Love. More here...
The Mail:
The entrance of Rihanna after eight Coldplay songs was no doubt a welcome relief for people who weren't fans of the rock band. More here...
The Guardian:
The same was true of Rihanna's solo appearance. We Found Love is a decent pop song that's become rather a victim of its own success: one way of giving it some added interest in the teeth of its ubiquity is to have her perform it while flying around the stadium on what looked like a vast garden swing. More here...
The Telegraph:
Rihanna demurely flew in on a swing to liven things up with her hit We Found Love and later Jay Z joined them on Run This Town. The band were also self-effacing enough to leave the stage show to nearly 2,000 volunteer performers and professional dancers who writhed ecstatically around them, giving the night a decidedly prog-rock feel. More here...