Diamonds is an album.
`` Diamonds '' is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her seventh studio album , Unapologetic ( 2012 ) . The song premiered on September 26 , 2012 , during the Elvis Duran and the Morning Show and was digitally released the following day as the lead single from Unapologetic . The song 's lyrics serve as a departure from the themes of unhealthy relationships that were on Rihanna 's previous singles and contain a prominent concept of love . `` Diamonds '' topped music charts in over twenty countries , including the United States , where it became Rihanna 's twelfth number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 and tied her with Madonna and The Supremes for the fifth-most number one singles in the chart 's history .