Lady Gaga has Little Monsters, Britney Spears has an Army, Justin Bieber has Beliebers and Beyoncé (the Queen Bey) has a BeyHive, but only Rihanna has her own Navy.
After playing a naval officer in the 2012 movie Battleship, the superstar decided that this nautical label was a good name for her legion of fans. Her disciples took to it like ships to water, launching Rihanna's Navy fan sites on every social media platform.
Those members of the Navy who could make it to the United Arab Emirates last month were as happy as sailors on a fine day with Rihanna's explosive performance.
story_article_left1
One of those present was 18-year-old fan Ernest Khumalo, who won a trip to Abu Dhabi and a ticket to the concert in Vodacom's NXT Level competition.
"I had never been to a live concert before," he said. "I can't believe my first time in a stadium was to hear Rihanna. I have heard people say that they are disappointed in live performances, but Rihanna delivered beyond expectations. She was amazing. It made my year."
The Abu Dhabi concert was part of Rihanna's Anti album world tour. Hers was the closing event of three nights of entertainment at Yas Island's du Arena during the week of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina circuit, which some of us watched from the stands while the rich and famous watched from their yachts.
The nightlife kicked off on the Friday with electric music duo The Chemical Brothers. On Saturday, veteran singer Lionel Richie proved that age doesn't mean anything. The crowd roared for the 67-year-old maestro, whose delivery was as polished and professional as ever.
Then came Sunday night and the breathlessly anticipated performance by Rihanna.
The one tiny disappointment was that Drake did not perform with her despite the rumours that he was to be a surprise guest, and a sighting of him in Abu Dhabi on the day of the concert. Instead, Rihanna performed their collaboration songs by herself.
WATCH: Rihanna performing We Found Love at the Rock in Rio 2015 music festival
The city was buzzing with celebrities, including US musicians Future and Travis Scott and British star Rita Ora.
But as all the faithful officers in her Navy agreed, the captain of this international ship of stars was most certainly Rihanna.
• Rea Khoabane was a guest of Vodacom
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package. 