Sledgehammer (Rihanna song)

On June 26, 2016, Rihanna hinted that she would release a new song, stating on Instagram, "Got something for y'all tomorrow".[1] Over two years prior, Rihanna tweeted, "You're just another brick and I'm a sledgehammer", hinting that she had been working on the song since 2014.[2] The song was written collaboratively by Rihanna, Sia Furler and Jesse Shatkin.[3] Rihanna and Sia had previously worked together on the former's 2012 song, "Diamonds".[4]

A new trailer for Star Trek Beyond featuring "Sledgehammer", was released on June 27, 2016, the same day that the song was released.[5] Rihanna subsequently said that she had been a fan of the Star Trek franchise since she was a child, after being introduced to it by her father. She explained that "This is something that's been a part of me since my childhood, it's never left me, I love Star Trek. It was automatic. I would do anything in terms of music. It's such a big deal not only as a fan, as a musician... because Star Trek is such a big deal across the globe."[3]

The song is a piano ballad[6] written in the key of D major with a slow tempo of 65.5 beats per minute in common time. It follows a chord progression of D – B♭ (B♭/C in the coda) – Gm, and Rihanna's vocals span from G₃ to F♯₅.[7]

Camila Cassidy of The Edge gave the song a generally positive review stating, "She pretty much nailed it – it feels tone perfect. It’s a little orchestral, swooping, but with a strong enough chorus and verse pattern to be commercially successful." However she also stated, "As a dramatic theatrical piece? It’s a little weak, too much fuss with the lyrics while instrumentation takes a back seat. As a radio hit? The vocals aren’t prominent enough...Both are excellent, but both just need to be more."[8] Daniel Kreps from Rolling Stone wrote, "Rihanna sings on the aching chorus, which sports a monster hook typical of Sia's work."[6] Rachel Sonis from Idolator gave the song a 7/10, stating, "The Aussie singer-songwriter knows exactly how vast Rih[anna]’s vocal abilities are and isn’t afraid to push them. No doubt, this probably came in handy, since “Sledgehammer” — from Rihanna’s haunting drones to the song’s thunderous melody — is a monster of a track."[9] A Bit of Pop Music wrote, "‘Sledgehammer’ is a powerful pop ballad with a huge chorus, that should do well in combination with the probable success of its movie...but it might be time for Sia to shake up her formula a bit, as ‘Sledgehammer’ is in no way a surprising composition."[10]

A music video for the song premiered June 30, 2016 in IMAX theaters at 9:00am EST. The video was then released onto Vevo and Tidal an hour later. The music video was the first to be shot entirely with IMAX cameras.[11] The music video features Rihanna dressed in a sci-fi costume performing magical acts, with Swarm Ships from Star Trek Beyond flying around her. At the video's ending, Rihanna turns into a celestial god, face to "face" with the USS Enterprise.

The video was shot at the Trona Pinnacles by director Floria Sigismondi.[12]