A Farmer who once asked Rihanna to ‘Cover Up’ during a video shoot had ‘no idea’ who she was. The singer’s video for the track We Found Love prompted a farmer, who had no clue who she was, to ask her to ‘cover up’.
The song, featuring English DJ, Calvin Harris, was released ten years ago by the Barbadian singer and beauty mogul. The 33-year-old, then 23, filmed part of the music video in a rural field in Northern Ireland, just off Belfast Road near Bangor.
However, while filming, farmer Alan Graham told the award-winning singer to ‘cover up’, having no idea who she was.
‘She was virtually unknown to me – I was illiterate regarding issues to do with pop music,’ Graham told the BBC News Northern Ireland‘s Good Morning Ulster programme.
Graham explained the situation ten years later to the outlet where he recalled first noticing that the singer had removed an item of clothing on the field.
‘Most of the video took place on a field adjacent to a main road which was a public place,’ the former Ards and North Down councillor said.
‘It was when the film crew went to a further away field from the road that I felt things were becoming inappropriate and I asked the filming to stop at that stage,’ he added.
Graham highlighted that he believed the media had entirely misrepresented the situation. ‘It wasn’t a case of being scantily clad – it was a case of part of the clothing being missing altogether, let’s put it that way,’ he explained, ‘I did not object to her outfit.’
He also told the news outlet that he and Rihanna had actually parted on ‘good terms’, recalling the incident that happened ten years ago.
‘I spoke first of all to the filming crew and explained to them that this was over and at that stage, Rihanna wrapped herself up very nicely and came over and we had a very short conversation but a courteous conversation,’ the farmer added.
The oak tree that is heavily featured in the video has since been dubbed the ‘Rihanna Tree’ by Graham, who reported a few years after filming that it was dying, per BBC News.
The music video for the song We Found Love, shot in various locations across Belfast, went on to win best video of the year at the MTV Video Music Awards.
