World - It's been a busy year for Rihanna. The Barbados-born R&B singer climbed to the top of charts around the world with her global hit, Umbrella, and picked up two MTV Video Music Awards, plus an MTV Europe Music Award, for the song and its accompanying video.

Her success inspired a totally new live show, both artistically and technically, with the addition of a new band and the adoption of Sennheiser evolution wireless G2 personal monitoring systems and a Sennheiser SKM 5200 wireless handheld mic outfitted with an MD 5235 capsule.

"That microphone she sings on is fantastic," enthuses Rihanna's monitor engineer, Ricky 'Bongos' Galecki. "It's one of the best mics I've ever heard in my life."

"It works really well," reckons front-of-house engineer Davie Kirkwood, who has over thirty years of experience working with names like Joss Stone, Jewel, Mötley Crüe, Stevie Wonder and The Rolling Stones. "Rihanna is dancing a lot, but then at one point sits down and sings a couple of ballads positioned four feet from the drums. The MD 5235 capsule handles everything."

Rihanna has been all over the world this year in support of her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad, with performances in Europe, Africa, Asia and North America. Galecki reports that the Sennheiser wireless products have been rock-solid and exceptionally easy to operate.

(Jim Evans)


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