10 Amazing Songs Written In 30 Minutes Or Less
4. Rihanna – Umbrella
Umbrella was released as a single by Rihanna in March 2007 and it was the Barbadian singer’s most successful song up until that point, and still is one of her trademark tunes. But its story actually begins a couple of months before that.
In January of that year, producers Christopher Stewart, Kuk Harrell, and Terius “The-Dream” Nash gathered in a studio to create some new material. During the process, Stewart was messing around with a beat, which inspired The-Dream to quickly get in the booth and record some vocals.
No artist appears on this list twice, with the exception of The-Dream, who also had a hand in writing Beyoncé’s Single Ladies. In an interview with Daze, he said:
"I said, 'Man, turn the mic on.' He's like, 'We're not ready. We've got to plug it up. We've got to get it right.' I'm like, 'Turn the mic on.' I maybe had to go back and change four words but I sung it from the top to the end – exactly as is, how you hear the song today."
He wrote the whole thing in a matter of minutes, and within the next few hours, a demo was recorded. Britney Spears was the first person they had in mind to sing it, but her label rejected it, stating that she already had enough songs ready for her upcoming album. After being shopped around some more, Umbrella eventually found its home with Rihanna who included it on her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad.