Monday has turned into a bit of a holiday for us as it’s the day we get to introduce you to another navy. For this week’s Fan of the week we’ve talked to Bermuda:

1. Name?
@thottiepebbles on Twitter
@bermuda.navy on Instagram

2. Age?
I’m 22.

3. Where do you live?
I live in Bermuda.

4. Number of times you’ve seen Rihanna live?
I’ve seen Rihanna in concert 7 times.

5. Are you attending ”ANTI WORLD TOUR”?
Yassss, I attended Hartford & Brooklyn x2.

Tell us about your experiences at the AWT! Were there any differences between the shows?
My first AWT experience which was in Hartford was unforgettable, the expression on her face when she saw me in the front row was one I’ll never forget, she’s just the best. My other two AWT dates which were both in Brooklyn was amazing bc I was with other navy that I knew personally. I think that makes the concert 100x better, being around ppl that completely understand.

When did you become a die hard fan?
When I turned 18 I was able to travel alone to concerts and meet other Rihanna navy.

How did you get your follow from Rihanna?
I was front row at The Monster Tour and she remembered me from there. She tweeted this photo:

and I replied saying that she was pointing at us. Kat retweeted it, she saw the tweet and followed me :)

What’s your take on the ANTI era?
The ANTI era is absolutely everything. Her growth in all expects shows in this album/era. It’s gonna be hard to top this era but the crazy part about that is, we all know she will.

Like $he, you’re also from an Island. Does that mean anything in particular to you, in relating to or appreciating her?
Yes, it means a lot and it really makes me appreciate her even more. She’s such an inspiration!

What’s your favorite song, video and era?
At the moment, my favorite song is Love On The Brain.
My favorite video is every LOTB performance.
And I think Unapologetic era was my fave because the fans were more involved.

Are there any negatives to stanning for Rihanna?
The after concert depression is about the worstttttttt thing ever.

If you got the opportunity to work with Rih on something, what would it be and what would be your role?
If I got the opportunity to work with Rih it’ll probably be a photoshoot on a beach and I would be the photographer.

Will you share a personal Rihanna encounter with us? Something she’s told you, taught you or done.
One encounter I can share was at the RiRi by Rihanna perfume meet & greet. I had found out about it just days before it was happening and I booked a flight to New York the next day. Stan life have you doing crazzzyyyy stuff but it was so worth it. When I walked up on the stage to take this picture with her I didn’t say anything, I just smiled and posed. She ended up talking first and saying ”You always come to see me, thank you so much”. I damn near died but that moment made the last minute traveling so worth it.

Lastly, what’s the one thing you should never say to Rihanna fan?
You should never tell a Rihanna fan what Rihanna is doing or going to do because they already know.

Give the biggest of hugs to our Fan of the week heauxno1curr aka Tai!

1) Name and age?
Tai Grace, 16.

2) Where do you live?
Houston, Texas.

3) Occupation?
Student/ Lifeguard/ Freelance Photographer

4) Number of times you’ve seen Rihanna live?
3 times.

5) Have/are you attending ”ANTI WORLD TOUR”?
Yes – she snatched my wig.

Tai and Tee at AWT.

Tell us all about the AWT plzzzzzzz!
I’ve seen Rihanna twice in concert but honestly this time was different than the rest. I truly feel that Rih has grown so much as an artist and I’ve grown with her. ANTi World Tour has hands down been her best tour yet. I met my ”twin” Tee and we Phucked up shit together! Rih sung my absolute favorite song by her. Same Ol Mistakes which is a cover of Tame Impalas song and she phucking recognized me. She had tugged my wig all throughout the concert but when she recognized me my wig was phucking snatched off! In all seriousness though, She was mesmerizing and she still remains the same humble fave that Ive known since I became apart of this fanbase. I love her dearly and there will never be another tour like AWT

What does it mean to be a navy?
To me, being apart of the navy means having family. All over the world of every sexuality, race, gender, culture and ethnicity and I’ve never been so happy. Rihanna navy has changed my life.

How important is Rihanna for you?
Rih is important to me greatly because her music and her confidence has inspired me to be unapologetic about who I am and the decisions I make throughout my life.

What’s your favorite song, video and era?
My fave Rih song is actually Same Ol Mistakes. I know it’s a cover but her version is absolutely mesmerizing and it does something to me. My favorite video is We found love & my favorite era is GGGB because it really represents Rih saying phuck you to everyone and becoming an unapologetic woman.

What else do you enjoy doing besides stanning for Rih?
Besides stanning, I’m involved greatly in politics and activism. I stan for BLM, Feminism & Veganism (I’ve been vegan for about a month now). I also enjoy traveling, reading books and photography.

You’re very spiritual. What does that mean to you and how does it manifest itself in your everyday life?
Haha, to me spirituality is just what keep me whole and what keeps me connected to the earth, everyone and everything here and my divine source (GOD & Christ). Spirituality honestly didn’t teach me to be a better person because you shouldn’t need someone to tell you that, although it has taught me to think beyond this world, question everything and know that we are all spiritual beings having a human experience.

When I got to know you you were like 14 years old and running a HUGE Rihanna account where she would interact with you on the regular. How did that happen?
Oh yes! Most people don’t know this story but there was a previous owner of the account. She gave it to me and my life has never been the same. I guess Rih liked my sense of humor and ever since then we’ve had great interactions.

Will you share a personal Rihanna encounter with us?! Something she’s told you, taught you or done.
Rih recently sent me an amazing DM that was very comforting. I won’t share it, it’s personal, but I DM’d her because I was very upset. My brother had passed away just a few months ago and I was having one of those nights where I realllly missed him. She really didn’t have to send me anything but she did and I’ll never forget it. Now the other encounter I love with her was the tweet in my bio on Twitter! I actually was having an awful day when I tweeted that and she made it all better by just recognizing me. Rih making a picture I took at The Monster Tour her AVI was also HUGE for me because I’m a photographer and for her to recognize my work was huge.

What are your dreams for the future?
In the future I’ll be in school in the U.K. getting my international law degree, doing freelance photography and traveling around the world. And hopefully embarking on an even deeper spiritual journey.

If you could make up a dream encounter/hang out with Rihanna, what would go down? Where would you be, who’d be there, what would you do etc.
A dream meet up with Rih would honestly be me working for her as a personal or tour photographer. She’s an amazing model and well I love her tours so I guess it’s like a dream job!

Tai & her brother. (We love you so incredibly much and are so sorry for your loss. <3)

Rihanna: Unapologetic, Free, and Sexy as fuck.

Hey y’all! Let’s be real, you probably already know who I am for better and for worse. If you don’t, my name is Samer Alhato and I’m 19 years young. Before I go any further I want to thank Ebba and Alex for giving me this opportunity to rant about my love and admiration for Rihanna.

I was born in Palestine, and immigrated to America with my family when I was 5 in 2001. I’m sure many people are aware of the struggle that comes with being an immigrant in such a large country. Culture shock was definitely a thing that persisted through my life, and my family moved around Chicago for a long time. We’ve finally settled in a Chicago suburb surrounded by beautiful people and an established community. And this isn’t any average community: I live in what many people call “Little Palestine”, a title given to my suburb for having the largest concentration of Palestinians in America. I’m currently a sophomore in college finishing up my Chemistry (pray 4 me) and Anthropology majors as well as my Middle Eastern Studies minor. When I’m not in college I’m working full time as a customer service representative at Walgreens (keep praying for me) or assistant director at a private accounting firm (I make some good ass money there). In my free time I volunteer at the United Holy Land Fund, a nonprofit organization for Palestine that my mother has been working at for over a decade.

Believe it or not, between my social activism, college classes and constant thirst for sex, I do find time for one thing: Rihanna. I actually got to see her (beautiful) ass live, twice. The first time was when I was a Junior in high school, in 2013. I was VIP, but not front row. Granted, I was barely 16 and those seats were what I was able to afford with my job at the time. You know what’s actually really funny is the fact that I had to beg my mom to let me go. No one from our family had EVER been to a concert before. Being the first born, I knew how to pull the strings to my mother’s heart. I was after all her most accomplished offspring (bahahaha). She eventually let me go and the rest is history. I won’t bore you with the details. Just know I cried with some white girl next to me when Rihanna popped outta nowhere singing “Mother Mary”. She followed me on Twitter a month later, thanks to my zaddy @oooshii.

Now, here’s what I’ve been DYING to write about. April 15th I got to see Rihanna live again, 3 years later at the United Center. The Anti World Tour was here, in Chicago. This time – I was front row. Y’all, I looked so damn sexy…’cause I was legit planning on getting laid after the concert. But the dick appointment got cancelled cause men are trash and we benefit from the patriarchy too much. Alas, I am still salty. But whatever, back to the real tea and that’s how god damn amazing SHE was. I’m still in such awe that I can’t really give a professional review, but I’ll try my best. First of all, she’s got one heck of an ass on her body. I’m sorry I just had to say that ‘cause GOD DAMN. Everything she did wrong during the Diamond World Tour was fixed. Seating? Fixed. Lighting? Fixed. Her wardrobe was done in a way to allow for quick transition, easy breathing, and to allow room for a lot of agility. The stage was still high this time, but not nearly as high as last time.  She was on a whole ‘nother level than last time. Rihanna had clearly been perfecting herself over the years. The fact that she started at the end of the stadium made me really happy for people that couldn’t afford front row. Queen of capital equality! She made her way to the main stage as she wrapped up “Sex With Me”, my favorite gospel song. That’s when the stadium went wild. Some ass-clapping music was playing in the back and BAM! “It’s not even my burfday..” she cooed. And then immediately, to my pleasure, she hit her mark for the choreography. That’s when I knew Rihanna wasn’t playing games anymore. I knew what to look out for next – “Love On The Brain”, which was towards the end of the concert. I needed to hear her hit the notes and ascend to the highest level of Heaven. An honorable mention to her performances of “Same Ol’ Mistakes” and “Diamonds”, two of the greatest songs to grace this god forsaken planet. Let me be brutally honest for a second, though. Could she have danced better? Yeah. Could she have hit more notes? Yeah. But you know what the coolest thing about Rihanna is? She’s never going to peak. Because she gets better, and better, and better…and then you ask yourself “will she ever top this?”, and guess what: she does.

I gotta say…I am so proud of Rihanna after witnessing how alive she was on stage during the AWT. I liked that one part where she recognized me and held my hand during “FourFiveSeconds”. Robyn, if you’re ever reading this, I want to fight your ass for recognizing me but not taking me backstage. You’d probably win though anyways. Although, after seeing you live I can say one thing firmly: Any doubts anyone has about Rihanna can be settled after the Anti World Tour. She’s proven all her critics wrong. I can truly say now with full confidence that anyone who critiques Rihanna is biased. That’s why I’m what they call “Rihanna Navy”. We just don’t give a fuck lol. And we continue to prosper in our personal lives because we don’t waste time worrying about people that disagree with our lifestyles. And I think that’s why we’re so close to Rihanna, and why she’s so close to us. We’re all rebels, paving our own paths in our own lives. And the funny thing is I wasn’t always like this. I was shy, complicit, easily conforming. I hid away who I was for such a long time. Rihanna, as a woman in a male dominated industry (and world), truly inspired me to stop caring so much about what other people had to say about me, or would say about who I really was. She’s inspired me to be unapologetic.

On top of not giving a rat’s ass about her haters, Rihanna is in all aspects, free. She’s what we call “carefree”. I think that’s my favorite quality about her. Reading her interviews really gave me a glimpse inside her brain. She doesn’t view nudity as a bad thing, and in fact thinks it can be great for one’s confidence. So in context to sexuality, Rihanna has played a huge role in my life with that too. I’m a very sexually driven person, and I think that’s because I spent a long time hiding that part of me for multiple reasons. I’ve spent so long censoring who I was and who I wanted to be. I thought for once, it’s time to do what I want. It’s time to enjoy what I feel is natural. I think Rih might have had the same self-realization moment too. We spend so much of our resources trying to conform to standards we did not construct, and when we look back on our lives we will see that we did not live as freely as we wanted to.

Now before y’all judge me as some crazy fangirl, you should know that…well, you’re probably right. Hahaha jokes aside, I promise I’m not obsessed. My life does not revolve around Rihanna, and I swear I’ve only dreamt of her like 3 or 10 times. #JokesForDays. My life is mostly social activism on and off social media, studying as much as I can about Palestine, and work work work work work. I’ve never really hid my admiration for Rihanna though! Like let’s be honest: she’s hot as hell, talented af, and so down to earth it’s honestly hard not to love this woman. I feel a personal connection to her and I promise, I’m not being weird. She’s talked to me many times, so it’s hard not to love her! Once, she randomly messaged me on Twitter sharing her experience of dealing with her grandmother’s illness. I was in shock. This woman, a global superstar, took time to directly message me and offer me advice. And get this – she’s done it TONS of times before. I could go on and on about all the times she’s been there for me but the moment that stood out to me the most was when I asked her to tweet “#FreePalestine”. I asked her to tweet that during the summer of 2014, when Israel launched “Operation Protective Edge” on Gaza, effectively killing hundreds of Palestinian children and destroying thousands of homes. I remember literally yelling when I saw her tweet it moments later. She has since deleted it and tweeted a more two-sided tweet, but nonetheless I was thankful for the attention she brought to the issue.

This brings me to our next topic: the Anti era as a whole. Without a doubt, this is my favorite Rihanna era. Musically and artistically, this is objectively her best era. She has done everything she did not do before, whether it be with actual production of music or her vocals. This era is very precious to me for some reason and although I cannot pinpoint it, I think it’s because the nature of the album. Music aside, Rihanna as an artist has always gone against the grain. I think with this album she definitely flipped everything upside down. She went against the grain, but in a different way. Anti itself as an embodiment is something I can relate to – opposition. In all aspects of my life, I have opposed many things. Whether it be oppression, stereotypes, rhetoric, or conforming to the ideals of those above me, this album helps me to continue striving for a form of self-identity and self-actualization. With that being said, it’s near obvious that my favorite song on the album is “Same Ol’ Mistakes”, a Tame Impala cover. Rihanna’s voice added a new dimension to an already personal song to me, and I couldn’t have wished for anything more. The song is all about embracing change, but with a touch of harsh reality. You’re not who you used to be…is that for better or for worse? I can especially relate to the song because of who I am right now, and who I strive to be. I’ve definitely changed in many aspects, but I continue to make elementary mistakes and put myself down for it. I’ve also had my fair share of cutting loose ends with friends because of clashing ideals. I genuinely don’t know anymore what I want to do half the time because I’ve lost so many friendships.

And that’s when it kicks in. I shouldn’t give a fuck. People come and go, doors open and close all the time. What matters is that I continue striving to perfect who I am, and I think that’s where Robyn and I align. We never stop working. So in many aspects, I guess you could say I’m a stan. But I know for a fact Rih and I are friends, so I don’t think there’s an age limit for me to stop supporting a friend. I hope further down the line she takes more radical approaches on social justice issues, rather than being very low-key about her stances in interviews or music videos. Robyn, do not be afraid of fucking up. Do not shy away from having a crazy opinion. After all, you have the right to believe whatever you want. I know she performed in Israel before, but I forgave her long ago. It’s no secret that Israel has the strongest rebranding of colonization and apartheid we’ve ever seen. I’ve since written about Palestine A LOT on Twitter and having her follow has definitely affected my want to educate people. I hope she’s genuinely learned something! I am the child of Palestinian refugees – so I too am a refugee. Rihanna makes me believe that in a world of white men and women dictating what happens, that I too can continue to go against the grain and create beautiful art through my writing and thought process.

I’ve decided to be who I am, wholeheartedly and unapologetically. There is no doubt in my mind that Rihanna has brought on my new level of self-confidence since my early teenage years. It is not my job to apologize to other people for who I am. It is not my job to explain to other people who I am. It is not my job to tell other people that I am a genuine human being, that I am not malevolent. That is their job. All I ask, all that I have ever asked, is to be treated as a human being. I have only ever asked for bigoted jingoism to not be injected into every aspect of my life, and that at least an illusion of decency remain. If Rihanna’s confidence in her sexuality bothers you, that’s you problem. If my confidence in my sexuality bothers you, that’s still also your problem. Tolerating us is not an accomplishment. We don’t need you to “tolerate” us. We don’t need you to merely put up with our presence. We demand to be acknowledged. And we will continue to push boundaries with our bodies, our art, our voices. No longer will we be silenced or censored. Thank you Rihanna, for helping me keep the discourse alive. Thank you for showing me what it means to be a true rebel.

Edit: As you might have noticed, our Fan of the week is Samer who in true ANTI fashion ignored our questions and wrote an essay instead. ;) /Alex & Ebba

BITCHHHHHHHH I just wanna say I love Samer from the bottom of my heart. That’s my daddy I don’t care. Watch him take over the world one day. Just watch. / Ebba

If Ebba’s gonna speak then so am I! SAMER you’re MY zaddy!  .هذه حقيقة, نقطة إلى السطر / Alex

It’s Monday which means it’s time for Fan of the Week! This time we’ve interviewed Ebba’s dear friend and crush: Zayn.

1) Name and age?
My name is Zayn Alahmad & I’m 19 years old.

2) Where do you live?
I recently moved to L.A to peruse my dreams & study acting. My goal is to be an excellent motherfucking actor in Hollywood.

3) Occupation?
Because I just moved to the U.S, I’m working day & night at a car dealership until my visa papers are done and I get my papers done and start depending on myself and live on my own.

4) Number of times you’ve seen Rihanna live?
I’ve seen Rihlegend live 2 times at this point. The first time was on 2010’s new years eve for the Last Girl On Earth tour & the 2nd time was on October 20th 2013 for the Diamonds World Tour. Both dates were in Abu Dhabi and they both succeeded to be life changing and sexuality confusion moments.

5) Are you attending ”ANTI WORLD TOUR”?
As of now I’m definitely going to attend L.A’s show of AWT. I’m hoping I’ll attend both the 3rd and 4th of May. But since I’m having hard times lately I’m afraid I won’t be able to attend any, but since I’m a positive person I won’t allow life to be a bitch at me. It’ll have to square tf up.

When did you discover Rihanna is the greatest ever to stan?
Technically, I’ve been following Rihanna since 2006 but my stan life got verified in the Rated R era when I joined Stan Twitter and Rih started growing slowly but harshly in my veins. Ever since then I wake up with her face in my mind and I sleep dreaming about her outstanding legendary existence.

How was it being a Rihanna fan in Syria/Dubai?
Being a Rihanna fan in the middle east period was a tough thing to experience, maybe it was even harder in Syria since I used to get judged a lot for it but just the fact that you’re a stan in the middle east is tough since it’s rare to find actual stans and the mindsets there are fu**ed up. However being a Navy gave me a very exquisite identity around the community and the people that are around me. At some point in Dubai the people called me Rihanna and suddenly they started discovering her just so they can approach me and be friends with me lol. I even made people go from making fun of me to die just so they can attend her concert.

Has she helped you with your confidence?
In all honesty, Rihanna was THE life changing person in my life, she helped me shape my personality, she helped me evolve as a person. Due to my sexuality I had troubles at first with accepting and loving myself but through her music, interviews and her messages to her fans and the way she lives her life regardless of the world trying to tear her apart since 2005 to this very date, she transformed my persona, she made me sronger, she vanished 70% of the fucks that I carried with me through the years. She made me find, love and accept myself in the best way possible, and ever since, I started living in a certain form of freedom that changed my life forever. I owe Rih my life and I will never be able to thank her enough for it.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Will you still be a hard core fan? Or perhaps work with her?
In 5 years, I see myself as an Arab actor who just finished studying acting and made his very first appearances on the big screen in Hollywood, which I’m hoping will be an excellent start of a career that I’m hoping it will standout in the future and be very successful. Since Rih inspires me massively I’m planning on showing myself to be an extremely excellent versatile actor who’s willing to reinvent and take risks regardless of the backlash the Arab world is going to give me.

I said it before and I’m going to say it again, I will never unstan Rih or grow out of her love. I don’t give a fuck how old I am, I will not let this fucked up world and society decide what I’m going to do in my life. Madonna’s stans are still stanning her hard after 30 years even tho they have jobs families and responsibilities and this will be me with Rihanna. What makes you think I will unstan someone who defined my persona? Who helped me through the toughest times? Whose art gave me the greatest moments in my life and the best memories to ever be made on this planet? I love her to death.

Oooooh god, I already picture myself working with her in the future. Whether acting in her music videos or any project that she makes like the ANTIDiaRy. But the best thing would be if she focused more on getting into movies which will increase the chances of me standing in front of her majesty on the big screen.

RIHLEGEND I LOVE YOU TO DEATH. KISS IT BETTER BEST SONG EVER BY THE FUCKING WAY.