Rihanna’s “Diamonds” instrumental first went to Eminem.
Benny Blanco, the Virginia producer recently sat down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe for a new interview where he talks about the origin of Rihanna’s 2012 hit “Diamonds” which he produced with Stargate and Sia. He admits that he wanted the song to go to Kanye West or Lana Del Rey. According to Blanco, the beat went on a bit of a trip before landing in Rihanna’s hands, as she was not who the producer had originally envisioned as the recipient. He explains, “At initially, we wanted it to be a Kanye song or a Lana Del Ray song,” before applauding Sia’s (one of the song’s co-writers) creative composing approach.
Benny Blanco also sent the beat to Eminem‘s manager Paul Rosenberg and the Detroit rapper ended up recording the song.
Benny Blanco is without a doubt one of pop music’s most in-demand producers, having collaborated with everyone from Rihanna to Justin Bieber to Halsey and Ed Sheeran. Blanco has dabbled in rap throughout his career (and occasional misadventures), while his producing approach leans toward the radio-friendly. Eminem is no stranger to this type of music, and one of Benny Blanco’s beats even made it onto his radar.
“I remember, at the same time, I had given a beat CD like a month earlier to Paul Rosenberg to give to Eminem,” says Blanco. “And apparently, Eminem had done a song to it, too. And I didn’t even know. I’m sitting there, Dude, so when it happened, Paul was like, ‘Man, Em had that beat on hold.’ I was like, ‘What? I didn’t even know.’”
The instrumental was finally used by Rihanna. “I’m sitting there, and then I finally am like, ‘You know what, Stargate?’ I let go. I said, ‘You guys know better. Let’s do it,’ She cut the song. First of all, the second she cut the song, they were completely right. I was like, ‘This is the best song I’ve ever done.’”
During the shocking conversation, Blanco also said that he inadvertently kissed Beyoncé while he was a guest at her Hamptons home a decade ago. “We’re sitting there. It’s the end of the night. It’s like the third night I’m there, okay? Everyone’s drunk. We’re having fun. It’s the best time ever. We’re saying, ‘Good night.’ And it’s at that point where I’m like… Okay, I haven’t yet. Do I hug Beyoncé? Like, what’s the protocol? What do you do?” he recalled.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awarded “Diamonds” a sextuple platinum certification after it sold over 3.5 million digital downloads in the United States. It also reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Rihanna’s eighth number-one single in the country; the British Phonographic Industry certified it three times platinum (BPI). It went on to sell over 7.5 million copies globally by May 2013, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.
“Diamonds” became Rihanna’s twentieth number one on the Dance Club Songs chart, matching her with Janet Jackson for the second-most number one in the list’s 36-year history. Only Madonna has a larger collection (49). The Recording Industry Association of America certified “Diamonds” as sextuple platinum (RIAA).
Check out the full interview here on Apple Music.
