Diplo Says Rihanna Keeps Turning Down His Attempts To Collaborate

In a new interview, the producer remembers the pop star telling him his song sounded “like a reggae song at an airport.”

August 08, 2017
Diplo Says Rihanna Keeps Turning Down His Attempts To Collaborate Diplo performs at SAP Center in San Jose, California, December 1, 2016.   Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Diplo has been trying to get Rihanna on a Major Lazer song for some time. Back in 2015, in response to The FADER's article "14 Songs Written For Rihanna That Other People Recorded," the producer wrote on Twitter that "Lean On" had also been written for the pop star. But it seems as though Diplo has persisted in his quest to get a Rihanna feature, and the singer keeps curving him.

ADVERTISEMENT

"I just want [Rihanna] on a Major Lazer song," Diplo told GQ Style in a new interview. "She's like the one artist that we can't ever get."

He went on to recount the stories behind his failed attempts at convincing Rihanna to collaborate:

ADVERTISEMENT

I played her “Lean On.” She was like, "I don't do house music." I face-palmed so hard on that one. Another time I had a session with her, and Future was also invited. The Weeknd was there. Metro Boomin was there before anybody knew who he was. I was so contact high. Future played her, like, 700 songs. It was four in the morning. Finally, I was like, Yo, G, I'm leaving unless you let me play her a song. So I played her a song. And she was like, "This sounds like a reggae song at an airport." [laughs] I was like, I'm gonna go kill myself.

Read GQ Style's full interview with Diplo here.

ADVERTISEMENT

Update (8/8 6:57 p.m.): Rihanna has responded to Diplo's comments in his GQ Style interview. On Instagram she wrote, "#DutyFree 😂😂😂 My bad @diplo." See the post below.

ADVERTISEMENT

#DutyFree 😂😂😂 My bad @diplo

A post shared by badgalriri (@badgalriri) on

Diplo Says Rihanna Keeps Turning Down His Attempts To Collaborate