Diamonds (Rihanna song)
Diamonds is a 2012 song by Rihanna and the lead single from her seventh studio album, Unapologetic. It was written by Sia, Benny Blanco, Mikkel S. Eriksen, and Tor Erik Hermansen, and produced by Benny Blanco and Stargate. The song premiered on September 26, 2012, and was released digitally the next day.
Musically, Diamonds is a mid-tempo pop, electronic and R&B ballad with heavy synths and orchestral sounds. Its lyrics compare love to “diamonds in the sky,” delivering a hopeful, positive message. Critics praised its emotional depth and Rihanna’s vocal performance, though some felt it wasn’t as impactful as her earlier hits.
Diamonds was a major chart success. It reached number one in the United States and the United Kingdom, among many other countries, and helped Rihanna top both the singles and albums charts at the same time. It sold about 3.5 million digital copies in the US and, by May 2013, had sold over 7.5 million copies worldwide. The song has since been certified Diamond by the RIAA and has achieved multi-platinum status in several countries.
The music video, directed by Anthony Mandler, features Rihanna in four environments representing earth, air, water, and fire, with diamond imagery and a tattooed man appearing throughout. It premiered on MTV in November 2012 and was later released on iTunes. The video has billions of views on YouTube.
A remix featuring Kanye West was released in November 2012, and the track has been covered by artists such as Josef Salvat and Zola Jesus. Rihanna also performed Diamonds at events like the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, Saturday Night Live, The X Factor UK, and the American Music Awards, among others; she closed the Super Bowl LVII halftime show with the song in 2023.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:51 (CET).