# Stay (Rihanna song)
**"Stay"** is a piano ballad by the Barbadian singer Rihanna featuring the American singer-songwriter Mikky Ekko, released on November 19, 2012 by [Def Jam Recordings](https://www.edgepedia.org/def-jam-recordings) as a track on her seventh studio album *Unapologetic* and subsequently as its second worldwide single.[1](https://www.shazam.com/en-us/song/1444106269/stay-feat-mikky-ekko) • [2](https://rihanna-fenty.com/career/music/discography/unapologetic/) Written by Mikky Ekko, Justin Parker, and Elof Loelv, the song became one of the most popular releases from the album, peaking at number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 4 on the UK Official Singles Chart, and earning a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.[3](https://www.grammy.com/artists/rihanna/5943/) • [4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/stay-mw0002496996) • [5](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/rihanna-ft-mikky-ekko-stay/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | November 19, 2012, on *Unapologetic* (Def Jam Recordings); second worldwide single, released January 7, 2013[1](https://www.shazam.com/en-us/song/1444106269/stay-feat-mikky-ekko) • [2](https://rihanna-fenty.com/career/music/discography/unapologetic/) |
| Writers | Mikky Ekko, Justin Parker, and Elof Loelv; produced by all three[6](https://www.rihannanow.com/news/unapologetic-album-credits/) |
| US peak | Number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, reached the week of March 2, 2013[4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/stay-mw0002496996) • [7](https://wikihits.com/2010s/rihanna-featuring-mikky-ekko-stay) |
| UK peak | Number 4 on the Official Singles Chart; 29 weeks on the chart from December 22, 2012[5](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/rihanna-ft-mikky-ekko-stay/) |
| Grammy recognition | Nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards (2014)[3](https://www.grammy.com/artists/rihanna/5943/) |
| Music video | Directed by Sophie Muller; premiered February 11, 2013[8](https://rihanna-fenty.com/career/music/videography/stay-ft-mikky-ekko/) |
| Commercial certification | Certified multi-platinum by the RIAA, with 5x and 6x platinum levels listed in the Recording Industry Association of America's 2015 awards[9](https://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/July2015.pdf) |
## Writing and recording
Mikky Ekko, a singer-songwriter from Louisiana, wrote "Stay" with the English songwriter and producer Justin Parker, who had previously co-written [Lana Del Rey](https://www.edgepedia.org/lana-del-rey)'s "Video Games" and other songs on *Born to Die*.[10](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/cat-power-stay/) • [11](https://www.gigwise.com/news/82979/mikky-ekko-i-didnt-like-stay-after-i-wrote-it/) Elof Loelv is credited as the third writer and, with Parker and Ekko, as a producer.[6](https://www.rihannanow.com/news/unapologetic-album-credits/)
Parker plays piano on the recording.[20](https://musicfactsdb.com/Recording/Index/14171579)
## Composition and reception
AllMusic's review describes "Stay" as "a traditional adult contemporary ballad" in which Rihanna duets with the song's co-writer over piano and sparse ambient textures that are secondary to the vocal performances.[4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/stay-mw0002496996) The duet structure carries much of the song's contrast: Rihanna dominates the first third, Ekko takes the lead during the second third, and the two combine in the bridge.[12](https://pophits.org/songs/rihanna-featuring-mikky-ekko-stay) Critics emphasized the song's emotional directness. *Time* later called it "an aching, searching ballad that lets her lead in an expressive push and pull duet" and included it among the best breakup songs.[13](https://time.com/5287962/best-breakup-songs/) Ekko himself described the song as a stark piano ballad he had co-written during a particularly vulnerable time in his life.[14](https://first-avenue.com/performer/mikky-ekko/)
## Release and chart performance
In the United Kingdom the song entered the Official Singles Chart at number 6 on December 22, 2012, peaked at number 4, and spent 29 weeks on the chart through July 6, 2013; it reached number 2 on the Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart and number 22 on the year-end singles chart.[5](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/rihanna-ft-mikky-ekko-stay/) In the United States, the song entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 57 after Rihanna and Ekko performed it at the 55th [Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-awards) in February 2013, then vaulted to number 3 the following week.[4](https://www.allmusic.com/album/stay-mw0002496996) It peaked at number 3 the week of March 2, 2013, becoming Rihanna's twenty-fourth top-ten single.[7](https://wikihits.com/2010s/rihanna-featuring-mikky-ekko-stay) • [12](https://pophits.org/songs/rihanna-featuring-mikky-ekko-stay) The Recording Industry Association of America certified the single multi-platinum, with 5x and 6x platinum levels appearing in its 2015 awards listing.[9](https://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/July2015.pdf)
## Music video and live performances
The music video was directed by Sophie Muller. On February 10, 2013, while walking the red carpet of the 55th Grammy Awards, Rihanna told [Ryan Seacrest](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-seacrest) in an interview that the video would premiere on [E! News](https://www.edgepedia.org/e-news) the following day; on February 11 she leaked an "uncut" version on Twitter, a single-take performance without Ekko, before the official premiere.[8](https://rihanna-fenty.com/career/music/videography/stay-ft-mikky-ekko/) The low-key video shows Rihanna in a bathtub, shot tightly and closely, intercut with Ekko performing his parts separately, perched on the edge of a different bathtub, gazing into a mirror, standing before an unlit fireplace, and sitting on a grand chair; it ends with a single tear falling from Rihanna's eye as she sinks lower into the bathtub.[8](https://rihanna-fenty.com/career/music/videography/stay-ft-mikky-ekko/) Rihanna described the production as "really, really simple" and explained that Ekko appeared in the video because he wrote the song and she wanted to keep him part of it.[8](https://rihanna-fenty.com/career/music/videography/stay-ft-mikky-ekko/)
Rihanna and Ekko performed the song together at the 55th Grammy Awards on February 10, 2013, with the Los Angeles Times noting Rihanna delivering the stripped-down ballad with eyes closed and hands outstretched.[15](https://www.grammy.com/news/mikky-ekko-new-music-touring-austin-versus-nashville/) • [16](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/la-xpm-2013-feb-11-la-et-ms-grammy-awards-review-20130211-story.html) The song was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the following year's 56th Annual Grammy Awards.[3](https://www.grammy.com/artists/rihanna/5943/)
## Legacy and covers
The official music video on Rihanna's YouTube channel has accumulated more than 1.2 billion views.[17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF8BRvqGCNs) Drake's 2014 song "Days in the East" samples "Stay."[18](https://time.com/4465225/drake-rihanna-relationship/) Writing for *Rolling Stone Australia* in a ranking of Rihanna's songs, critics placed the track among her most emotionally provocative performances, noting that its piano-driven display of vulnerability set the stage for her stripped-down follow-up album *Anti*.[19](https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/rihann-30-greatest-songs-ranked-44893/stay-feat-mikky-ekko-2012-44911/)
## References
1. [Stay (feat. Mikky Ekko) – Shazam](https://www.shazam.com/en-us/song/1444106269/stay-feat-mikky-ekko)
2. [Unapologetic – Rihanna Online](https://rihanna-fenty.com/career/music/discography/unapologetic/)
3. [Rihanna Grammy Awards and Nominations – Recording Academy](https://www.grammy.com/artists/rihanna/5943/)
4. [Rihanna: Stay – Review by Andy Kellman, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/stay-mw0002496996)
5. [STAY – Rihanna ft Mikky Ekko – Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/rihanna-ft-mikky-ekko-stay/)
6. [Unapologetic Album Credits – Rihanna Online](https://www.rihannanow.com/news/unapologetic-album-credits/)
7. [Stay by Rihanna Featuring Mikky Ekko (2013) – Hot 100 Story, WikiHits](https://wikihits.com/2010s/rihanna-featuring-mikky-ekko-stay)
8. [Stay (ft. Mikky Ekko) – Rihanna Online videography](https://rihanna-fenty.com/career/music/videography/stay-ft-mikky-ekko/)
9. [RIAA Gold & Platinum Awards, July 2015](https://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/July2015.pdf)
10. [Cat Power: "Stay" (Rihanna Cover) Track Review – Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/cat-power-stay/)
11. [Mikky Ekko: 'I didn't like "Stay" after I wrote it' – Gigwise](https://www.gigwise.com/news/82979/mikky-ekko-i-didnt-like-stay-after-i-wrote-it/)
12. [Stay by Rihanna Featuring Mikky Ekko – PopHits.org](https://pophits.org/songs/rihanna-featuring-mikky-ekko-stay)
13. [These Are the Best Songs to Help You Get Over a Breakup – Time](https://time.com/5287962/best-breakup-songs/)
14. [Mikky Ekko – First Avenue](https://first-avenue.com/performer/mikky-ekko/)
15. [Mikky Ekko On New Music, Touring & Austin Versus Nashville – Grammy.com](https://www.grammy.com/news/mikky-ekko-new-music-touring-austin-versus-nashville/)
16. [Review: Rihanna, Frank Ocean keep it simple amid Grammy spectacle – Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/la-xpm-2013-feb-11-la-et-ms-grammy-awards-review-20130211-story.html)
17. [Rihanna – Stay ft. Mikky Ekko (official video) – YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF8BRvqGCNs)
18. [A Brief History of Drake and Rihanna's Non-Relationship Relationship – Time](https://time.com/4465225/drake-rihanna-relationship/)
19. [Rihanna's 30 Greatest Songs, Ranked – Rolling Stone Australia](https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/rihann-30-greatest-songs-ranked-44893/stay-feat-mikky-ekko-2012-44911/)
20. [MusicFactsDB.com: Stay](https://musicfactsdb.com/Recording/Index/14171579)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Discographies and musical catalogues › Production and songwriter credit lists › Songs recorded by lists › Songs recorded by Western rock, pop, and R&B solo performers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license