Rihanna Wants 'Diamonds' To Last Forever

It may not have been the song fans expected to hear, but for Rihanna, the Sia-penned "Diamonds" was the "perfect" first single to introduce her upcoming seventh project, Unapologetic.

A midtempo track with shimmery production from Benny Blanco and longtime Rih collaborators Stargate, "Diamonds" finds the Bajan stunner leaving behind the oh-so-raw approach of her last solo effort, Talk That Talk. So whereas that project was dripping with lusty double entendres, at least on this first outing, the singer is so light-footed, you nearly miss the Molly reference.

"It was the right powerful record," Rihanna said of "Diamonds" — whose anticipated video we're set to premiere today (November 8) at 6:50 p.m. on MTV and MTV.com — when we visited her while filming in Santa Monica. "It was hopeful. It was also different from what people are used to hearing from me."

On the chart-blazer, Rihanna meditates on a hard-won love — "Find light in the beautiful sea / I choose to be happy" — before going on to compare the couple to the glistening gems, or "diamonds in the sky." That the song had lyrics that were begging to be inspected made it that much more appealing to the 24-year-old. "It was a song that meant something, and that's the whole theme throughout the album," she told us.

When we asked her to unpack some of those heady metaphors, Rih explained, "I think a lot of people are afraid of being happy because of what others might think of it. ... They're afraid to embrace that and embrace themselves and love themselves and do what they love and do what makes them happy." It's an internal dilemma that the bad-girl songstress said she doesn't have to box with: " "My story is definitely going to be a happily ever after, no matter what."

Since she was determined to surprise her RihannaNavy with this release, we can only guess what she'll unleash with the "Diamonds" video; a behind-the-scenes clip hinted at riot police and Occupy-type warriors, yet it also gave glimpses of the ever-fierce Rih belting as sand blew about her in a desert scene. We'll know in a few hours, but her visual track record with director Anthony Mandler can only mean a movie.

Catch the "Diamonds" video premiere tonight at 6:50 p.m. ET on MTV and MTV.com, where Rihanna will introduce the hotly anticipated clip!