Rihanna - Stay ⧸ Love On The Brain ⧸ Diamonds (Live From The 2016 MTV VMAs)

What this video is

This performance segment represents the ceremonial apex of Rihanna's 2016 MTV VMA appearance, in which she was honoured with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award — placing her in the company of Madonna, Beyoncé, and Justin Timberlake as recipients. The medley of 'Stay,' 'Diamonds,' and 'Love on the Brain' was deliberately constructed as a showcase of vocal range and emotional depth, deliberately contrasting…

Why it matters

The segment occupies a pivotal position in the documentation of 2010s R&B-pop live television spectacle: a high-prestige, orchestra-backed ballad medley broadcast during one of music television's most-watched annual events, demonstrating how arena-scale production can be reconfigured for intimate…

The director

Hamish Hamilton (born Mark Hamilton, 8 April 1966, Blackpool, England) is a British multi-camera television director and co-founder of production company Done + Dusted. He began his career at BBC Scotland and directed the Super Bowl halftime show annually…