Rihanna leaves fans in shock with her ‘horrible’ karaoke performance New York City event: ‘She sounds terrible’

Rihanna is facing backlash after the clip of her off-key karaoke performance in New York goes viral on social media

Rihanna was recently spotted attending the Girls Love Karaoke event in New York City. Several videos of the singer’s performance at the event surfaced online. One particular clip, in which she sang her hit song Needed Me off-key, went viral on social media, drawing heavy criticism from fans.

Rihanna's viral Karaoke performance in NYC invites backlash. (Twitter)

Rihanna Performs at Girls Love Karaoke in New York

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), fans shared clips of Rihanna’s "horrible" karaoke performance at a nightclub in New York and criticized her vocals. In the video, the singer wore an oversized fur hat, a graphic Tupac shirt, jeans, and boots for the event. Here’s a look at how the internet reacted to Rihanna’s performance.

X Users Criticize Rihanna’s Performance

Sharing a comparison video of her 2016 concert alongside the recent karaoke performance, one X user tweeted, "Rihanna in 2016, Rihanna in 2024. Consistently sounds horrible and can never ever find the pitch/key."

Another tweet read, "We all know Rihanna is not the best singer, but she can hold her own with her bomb-a** music. But, umm, after seeing that video of her singing karaoke last night, maybe she should stick to this music break and take some vocal lessons."

One user found her vocals "terrible," writing, "Rihanna singing in a nightclub. I’m speechless… not them saying ‘yeah,’ she sounds terrible." Another user sarcastically tweeted, "Shoutout to Rihanna for being relatable and purposely singing like a butchered goat. She’s so fun and down to earth."

Some fans defended the singer, with one writing, "Karaoke is not supposed to be taken seriously, hun. That’s the whole point." Another speculated, "She did this so folks will stop asking her for music."

Rihanna’s High-Profile Visit to India

Meanwhile, in 2024, Rihanna visited India to perform at the pre-wedding festivities of Mukesh Ambani's son, Anant Ambani, and Radhika Merchant. According to Daily Mail, the singer was reportedly paid £5 million ( ₹52 crore) for her performance at the lavish event.