Rihanna has come to the defense of Abby Aguirre, the writer behind her latest Vogue cover story.
Immediately after the profile was published, the Los Angeles-based reporter was hit with backlash over an admission that she had gone into the interview without any questions prepared.
Normally I bring a list of questions, but I didn’t have time to prepare one, which I make a split-second decision to confess. “I’m winging it, so you have to help me,” I say nervously. Rihanna flashes a grin that is somehow both reassuring and mischievous. “Aren’t we all?” she says.
Aguirre claimed that her sit-down with Rihanna was pushed up on short notice, which is why she didn't have any time to round up a solid list of questions. She provided further explanation on Twitter after Rihanna fans and journalists criticized for her lack of preparedness.
Though the Navy clearly felt some type of way toward Aguirre, Rihanna praised the writer for the way she handled the situation and was even seemingly surprised about all the controversy.
"Wait, wait, what?" Rihanna recently told WWD when asked about the criticism of Aguirre. "No, no, no, no. That’s gangster. For you to get a call the day before being like, 'Hey, Rihanna’s in L.A., you wanna do this?' And show up on the dime and write an incredible article that I’m really proud of and enjoyed reading? She’s badass for that."
She continued: "If you don’t have to prepare, girl, you’re gangster."
Rihanna made the comments Friday night during an event for her new self-titled coffee table book. When asked why she decided to release a "visual autobiography" rather than a memoir, the singer told WWD she simply didn't have the time to write a full book.
"And my fans are young and they’ve got ADD; they’d rather look at pictures than read, let’s be real," she said. "But it’s something that we both can enjoy. I get to share these moments in a visual way. These are moments that my fans either have been a part of, can relate to, or haven’t had access to. So it’s a combination of me and them and sharing my memories and my life, some of which they’ve been there for, a lot of which they’ve seen evolve before their eyes."
Rihanna's book will include never-before-seen photos from her childhood as well as her tours. The book will hit shelves Tuesday.
