"Walks Like Rihanna" is a song by the British-Irish boy band The Wanted. It was released in Australia on 10 May 2013, and in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 23 June 2013, as the third single from their third studio album Word of Mouth (2013). The song was written by Andy Hill, Henrik Michelsen, and Edvard Førre Erfjord, and it was produced by Dr. Luke and Cirkut, with additional production by Michelsen and Erfjord under their stage name Electric.
The title of the song is a reference to Barbadian singer Rihanna. It peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart and number three in the Republic of Ireland.
In a press conference announcing their reunion in September 2021, band member Tom Parker said that he did not like the song, saying "That song just should not exist. Go in the bin forever. It’s the f****** worst song ever."Female First. "The Wanted: Walks Like Rihanna is the worst song ever" 21 September 2021. Bandmates Nathan Sykes and Jay McGuiness countered that "without being hateful, it is a fan favourite, it’s part of our history – and Rihanna liked it!" and "She was very flattered, which is nice."
Music video The music video premiered on 7 May 2013, at a total length of three minutes and thirty-four seconds. It features parodies of three other well-known boy bands' videos: "Bye Bye Bye" by NSYNC, "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys, and "Back for Good" by Take That.
Track listing
Credits and personnel Recording Recorded at Luke's in the Boo, Malibu, California and Conway Recording Studios, Hollywood, California Mixed at MixStar Studios, Virginia Beach, Virginia Mastered at 360 Mastering Studios, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Personnel
Dr. Luke – producer, instruments, programming, additional vocals Cirkut – producer, instruments, programming, additional vocals Andy Hill – songwriter Henrik Michelsen – songwriter, additional production, instruments, programming Edvard Førre Erfjord – songwriter, additional production, instruments, programming Clint Gibbs – engineer Eric Eylands – assistant engineer Rachael Findlen – assistant engineer Serban Ghenea – mixing John Hanes – mix engineer
Nathan Sykes – vocals Tom Parker – vocals Max George – vocals Siva Kaneswaran – vocals Jay McGuiness – vocals Kyle Moorman – additional vocals Chris Jones – additional vocals Gavin Degraw – additional vocals Martin Johnson – additional vocals Dick Beetham – mastering
Charts
Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for "Walks Like Rihanna" Chart (2013) Peakposition Brazil (Billboard Brasil Hot 100) 95 Brazil Hot Pop Songs 27 Slovenia (SloTop50) 27UK Airplay (Music Week) 5
Year-end charts + Year-end chart performance for "Walks Like Rihanna" Chart (2013) Position Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 100 Russia Airplay (TopHit) 76 UK Singles (OCC) 96 Ukraine Airplay (TopHit) 48
Certifications
Release history + Release dates and formats for "Walks Like Rihanna" Region Date Format Label Australia 10 May 2013 Digital download United States 28 May 2013 United Kingdom 23 June 2013 Ireland Germany 28 June 2013
References