Rap-Up.com || New Music: Skylar Grey – ‘Love the Way You Lie’ (Demo)

Skylar Grey is making a splash on the music scene, popping up on Diddy-Dirty Money’s “Coming Home,” Dr. Dre’s “I Need a Doctor,” and Lupe Fiasco’s latest “Words I Never Said.” But one of the biggest hits of last year, Eminem and Rihanna’s “Love the Way You Lie,” was originally hers. The elusive singer, who penned the Grammy-nominated hit for the duo, has released the demo version of the Alex Da Kid-produced track, putting Skylar in the spotlight as she takes on the song’s main vocal duties.

“I’m not primarily a songwriter for other people, I really am an artist,” she told PopEater. “I wrote the demo initially for myself because I thought, ‘Oh, I have this big song, and now I have a little bit of a launching pad to put out my own stuff.’ As soon as Rihanna and her team heard my demo, they were like, ‘Oh we want it for Rihanna’s album,’ so I had to make the decision if I was going to let them have it or not. But I did and so it was on Rihanna’s album, too. I still felt like it would be cool to let people hear my version of it, too.”

Check out the original version of the chart-topping hit below.

[HHNM via PopEater]

Posted in New Music, Skylar Grey | Permalink

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65 Comments

Yeah
February 1st, 2011 at 10:24 am
damn sounds the same

[Reply]
WhatTheF
February 1st, 2011 at 10:27 am
Godanna’s is better.

[Reply]
Shady
February 1st, 2011 at 10:29 am
I like this better then Rihanna´s to be honest

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Yeah
February 1st, 2011 at 10:30 am
cool! sounds like Rihanna, Rihanna did a GREAT job! I can listen to both, but I prefer Rih sorry
Still dope though

[Reply]
P
February 1st, 2011 at 10:30 am
We want a download link please!

[Reply]
Mella
February 1st, 2011 at 10:30 am
wow! Love this version way better.

[Reply]
Miki Reply:
July 31st, 2011 at 11:21 am
@Mella, COOL,IS BETTER

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YESSIR
February 1st, 2011 at 10:31 am
I like this version much better.. I like both tho…

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Yeah
February 1st, 2011 at 10:35 am
no her version is not better, her falsetto doesn’t do it for me

#imdone #thatisall

[Reply]
wayne
February 1st, 2011 at 10:42 am
Props to both but its probably worth pointing out that Ms. Grey has probably has had 1/100th the vocal training so ya, not hitting the falsetto perfect…yet.

If her and the Kid can diversify the sound/style a little more, I think we’ll be seeing a lot of them for a long time.

[Reply]
whitney
February 1st, 2011 at 10:56 am
smh trying to ride eminem’s wave of success. love the way you lie pt 2 was totally unnecessary. i’m so sick of her & alex da kid….he has got to be the most overrated producer out there right now….seriously so many better choices idk why em & dre keep using him. as for her her voice can’t hit the notes. good luck trying to carry your own album holly hafermann.

[Reply]
Joey
February 1st, 2011 at 11:01 am
Rihanna’s version is WAY better. I can’t hear no emotions in this version while Rihanna’s version was packed with real raw emotions. And for me Skylars vocals on this demo are way to thin.

But I really like Skylar for making name by appearing on other rappers songs. She did a great job on Dr. Dre and Lupe Fiasco. No words on the Dirty Money song because that song still would’ve been hot without Skylars vocals, as we saw in the live performances.

[Reply]
keely
February 1st, 2011 at 11:08 am
“I wrote the demo initially for myself because I thought, ‘Oh, I have this big song, and now I have a little bit of a launching pad to put out my own stuff.’ As soon as Rihanna and her team heard my demo, they were like, ‘Oh we want it for Rihanna’s album.’ lol rihanna’s a liar! riri said she didn’t want to do a part 2 but then changed her mind, skylar says they wanted it as soon as they heard it. why lie riri? lol

[Reply]
HipHopDiva
February 1st, 2011 at 11:11 am
I love her voice. I would like to hear more from her.

[Reply]
Brown Sugar
February 1st, 2011 at 11:45 am
She made the right decision giving it to Rih!

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Boy Wonder
February 1st, 2011 at 12:16 pm
@Keely Rihanna actually said that Alex tha Kidd persuaded her to do a part 2 after he brought the demo to her. So what are you talking about??

[Reply]
Phoenix_Wright
February 1st, 2011 at 1:36 pm
@whitney sounds like a hater. Let them get their shine while they can! damn

To me LTWYL part 2 was boring and dry as hell (both Rihanna & Skylar). I’ll settle for part 1

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Lexx_Janay
February 1st, 2011 at 1:41 pm
i like ri’s version better but this version is not that bad! i knew it wasnt gonna be as big as part 1

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dankingkemp
February 1st, 2011 at 2:02 pm
Wow, Super Perfection behind her Voice..)dk

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kiki
February 1st, 2011 at 2:13 pm
Since I really don’t listen to a lot of new music these days thought i check her version out.. it’s nice if she added some drums and guitars round the bridge that be a hit :)

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omg!
February 1st, 2011 at 2:57 pm
lol keely…you tried to expose rihanna…but you failed horribly…what you said made NOOOO sense! haha

[Reply]
Miniblock
February 1st, 2011 at 3:41 pm
this version is better tbh….

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wat
February 1st, 2011 at 3:55 pm
@omg! made sense to me

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Volcom
February 1st, 2011 at 4:00 pm
Nice! I prefer this version over rihanna’s

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Mr Xclusive
February 1st, 2011 at 4:18 pm
she is better than Rihanna, omg i love her!!! lol!

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@sainttruly
February 1st, 2011 at 4:24 pm
I love this version – and by the way she isn’t a new artist, shes been around for awhile check this song and you get to see her properly in the video too youtube.com/watch?v=FzAsBFj4fR8&feature=related

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phard
February 1st, 2011 at 4:28 pm
Like Rihanna version better but since she cant sing live i rather Skylar sing it with Em when i comes to performing it live.

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@uknowhoibillz
February 1st, 2011 at 4:36 pm
this girl beats rihanna anyday

[Reply]
adriana
February 1st, 2011 at 4:55 pm
keeley@
are you stupid? she said RIHANNA TEAM, not Rihanna. RiRi said SHE didn’t want to do it when her team showed her the song. RiRi didn’t lie. and i can’t believe someone actually thinks this girl can sing ?!?!?! wtf !?!?!? she is beyond terrible !! no vocals at all !

[Reply]
Asym
February 1st, 2011 at 4:59 pm
she shung it wel but the original one is better then this version .i wonder why people calling this version “the Original One”

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Asym
February 1st, 2011 at 5:01 pm
Skylar sung it wel but the original one is better then this version .i wonder why people calling this version “the Original One”

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incognegro
February 1st, 2011 at 5:20 pm
I would have to say that Rihanna did a really good job with this track as she sounds almost identical to this version. If I had to vote, I would have to say that I prefer this version. There is a certain level of authenticity that comes along with singing a song you wrote. I enjoyed Rihanna version, but I BELIEVED this version…there’s a difference…

[Reply]
sonam
February 1st, 2011 at 5:28 pm
isn’t this love the way u lie part 2??.

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Michael F
February 1st, 2011 at 6:52 pm
This sounds like a demo and could never be a finished version tbh… it sounds like it was written for Rihanna’s tonality and attack. Pales in comparison of the album version.

[Reply]
cream
February 1st, 2011 at 7:24 pm
rihanna’s version is WAY better!! this is nothing but a demo and it sounds like it”

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Bri
February 1st, 2011 at 7:40 pm
Yeah, this song is pretty boring no matter who sings it. I cringe whenever I hear this song. But Rihanna’s version was better and that’s all there is to it.

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Heminem
February 1st, 2011 at 7:49 pm
I think this is better than Rihannas
More emotional

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BD
February 1st, 2011 at 9:55 pm
I think this one is better. You can tell there is more emotion, especially since she actually wrote it. Yeah, Rihanna did the song well for reading someone else’s lyrics, but I still like this better.

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2XCL
February 1st, 2011 at 10:50 pm
Im confused. This is LTWYL part 2. She made the part 2 demo for herself and was going to release it with her vocals? After the huge success of the first one with Eminem and Rihanna why would she go and release this as a new artist and having the same song title.

And if Skylar wanted this part 2 demo for herself so badly, why would she even let Rihanna’s management HEAR it.

[Reply]
BD
February 2nd, 2011 at 12:12 am
@2XCL my guess is that she made the whole thing first, and then they added parts for Rihanna and then came out with the part 2 later. But I think everything was written before the 1st part came out

[Reply]
wow...
February 2nd, 2011 at 2:17 am
@adriana

Smh. She sounds amazing. Just because everyone is saying her’s is better than Rihanna’s version, you get mad. She sounds great. Both version are. -_-

[Reply]
moni
February 2nd, 2011 at 3:45 am
why the fuck she give that shit rihanna ( btw i like rihanna) she shouldnt have did that… :( this is real and emotional love it..like this verison (the original) better

[Reply]
SticksGood
February 2nd, 2011 at 5:00 am
I think Skylar Grey sounds better, plus she’s the one who wrote both versions of Love The Way You Lie…Rihanna just sang the exact same words so the songs would get name recognition…She still did good though…Skylar Grey also wrote Christina Aguilera’s part on T.I.’s Castle Walls plus she’s on that I Need A Doctor song and that new Lupe Fiasco song…This chick is bout to blow up…

[Reply]
DaDonRoMaN
February 2nd, 2011 at 11:28 am
Ya Are Forgetting This Is Just A Demo… Lord Knows How Many Times Rihanna Had To Sing This Song To Get That Mediocre Notes Right.. Rihanna Needs To Go Away Already

[Reply]
was a rihanna fan
February 2nd, 2011 at 2:21 pm
rihanna sang her tune spoke all her words rihanna did not even put her own feelings in the song.. she copyed skylar all the way…. this is crazy i hate her now… wtf wtf

[Reply]
Cynthia
February 2nd, 2011 at 4:23 pm
Skylar sounds waay better
Thats normal She wrote that song Every word have been choosen careffuly she sang it with emotion..
Rihanna made a commercial version of it..

@DaDonRoMan lmaoo U right!

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BritneyVsBeyonceIluvEmBoth
February 2nd, 2011 at 5:37 pm
im sure she sounds betta than rihanna live lol. but anyway sorry i like rihanna but this girl sounds way better. how do i get this on my ipod.

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Nait Phoenix
February 2nd, 2011 at 6:43 pm
This sounds more innocent than Rihanna could ever give. Even Fading, which I thought sounds like it needed a very innocent tone, sounded too strong.

[Reply]
P
February 2nd, 2011 at 8:20 pm
Considering this was only a demo (not mastered, or mixed) this version is RAW and very EMOTIONAL…

how can you not like the original? this is the way it was intended to be heard?

[Reply]
smantha evermore
February 2nd, 2011 at 8:57 pm
I love the innocence and genuine quality by Skylar Grey. Rihanna was terrific on it, too, and obviously copied Skylar’s demo for good reason and did a great job. Considering her history it was a good choice for Eminem. This demo sounds like a bare bones recording, totally authentic without all the bells and whistles effects . . . and now I learn S.G. never uses autotune! I’m sure she’d sound better live than 90% of singers these days! TRUE Talent is here. Time to WELCOME Skylar Grey!

[Reply]
Abigail Taylor
February 3rd, 2011 at 4:06 am
Skylar should of kept this song for herself, her version is epic.

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vladica07
February 5th, 2011 at 1:34 am
@Abigail Taylor:I agree with you,I love her version and I wasnt even into the song,lol Now I want a download link :)

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Confuzzled
February 10th, 2011 at 7:53 am
I thought Eminem said he thought of Rihanna for this song? So who had it first? Who’s lying?

I like Skylar’s voice a lot.

[Reply]
The Vogels
February 13th, 2011 at 1:40 pm
@confuzzled, no one is lying. When Eminem was done adding his words to the song I remember him saying that he wanted Rihanna in the song. I think it was because of what happened to Rihanna and the boyfriend that beat her up

[Reply]
anita
February 13th, 2011 at 7:28 pm
im sorry Rihanna but Skylar sang it waaaaaaaaay better.

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Ricky
February 13th, 2011 at 8:37 pm
Perfet in all ways.

From the Atrist, it makes so much sense.

You were the star of the Grammys.

[Reply]
Vee
February 14th, 2011 at 8:21 am
When I heard Skylar Grey sing at the Grammys last night, I was like, who is that girl? She is very talented. Not only can she come up with knock-out lyrics, she can carry a tune. This girl is going places.

[Reply]
tony p
February 15th, 2011 at 11:22 am
wow, skylars version is awesome! Its a really good song, crazy how u think its Rihannas song yet Skylar wrote it. I think I would have preferred Skylar but who know Rihannas star status probably help this song be such a big hit.

[Reply]
G
February 16th, 2011 at 11:44 am
Wow, she has a beautiful voice and will go far with a voice like that!

[Reply]
imeafk
February 19th, 2011 at 2:38 am
Em should sign in shady aftermath alex da kid and skylar grey asap now that he rebuilds shady records…

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g4vsa
March 4th, 2011 at 12:15 pm
this version it awesome,it got such depth and raw ness,it gave me goosebumps cos the sound of her amazin voice.should have kept it for herself n sung it wiv em,would have been wicked.

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loveit32
March 18th, 2011 at 3:30 pm
i loved it im so learnig hte piano part i luv it

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ricanaire
May 3rd, 2011 at 6:59 am
heres the situation..

Skylar wrote the chorus for LTWYL 1 while Eminem wrote the rap. Skylar was supposed to be the uncredited vocalist but Eminem wanted Rihanna instead. So Rihanna hopped on the track and it became a hit.

For LOUD recording sessions, Alex Da Kid (producer of LTWYL) asked Rihanna if she wanted to record a part 2 of LTWYL (assuming that LTWYL 2 was already written for Skylar’s personal use) She said no at first since a sequel can never beat the original. But i guess Rihanna heard Skylar’s piano demo of LTWYL and Rihanna fell in love with the PIANO VERSION. So she first recorded a modified version with Drums and Guitars and all the extra production. Then Rihanna asked Eminem if he can hop on the track. He did and they released the original album version, but since Rihanna liked the original Skylar PIANO VERSION she released it as a Bonus Track on iTunes.

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โครงการบ้าน
October 26th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
Thank you for writing such a beautiful article, I enjoy it very much.

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ผิวขาว
October 30th, 2011 at 8:49 pm
Thumbs this up! No words! your blog and article are always useful!

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