Justin Biber defends 'queen' Rihanna after major backlash

Justin Bieber isn’t letting Rihanna face the heat alone.

The Baby hitmaker came to RiRi’s defense after her surprise karaoke performance in New York City sparked a wave of online criticism. Rihanna, who sang Needed Me and Sex with Me at the Girls Love Karaoke event on December 28, was roasted by some fans for her vocals, with clips from the night quickly going viral.

Bieber, however, shut down the negativity, resharing a video on Instagram Stories that same night with the caption, “Missed seein u sing Queen,” alongside crown and goat emojis.

Critics on social media didn’t hold back, with one person tweeting, “Is this really Rihanna? My cat can sing better.” Another quipped, “The mic was bleeding,” while a third commented, “Is this edited? This sounds horrible.”

Some speculated about her long break from music, writing, “Can you blame her? She’s super rich, so she doesn’t need the music lol,” and, “Now I see why we haven’t been getting any music.”

Despite the backlash, Rihanna’s fans jumped to her defense. “Say what you want about Rihanna’s singing at a drunken karaoke event, however, she will always be THAT GIRL,” one fan wrote. Another chimed in, “She did this so folks will stop asking her for music.”

Rihanna, 36, previously told British Vogue that the pressure to outdo her last album, Anti, has made her music hiatus feel “toxic.” She added, “Music is an outlet… It doesn’t have to even be on any scale. It just has to be something that feels good.”

But with Bieber calling her a “queen,” it’s clear Rihanna still reigns supreme in his eyes.