A somewhat happy-looking Rihanna surfaced in NYC yesterday for the first time since the alleged incident of assault on her occurred in the early morning hours of February 8 here in SoCal. Since that incident, Rihanna was briefly spotted here and there in LA and in Mexico and it was reported that she spent some time in Miami, FL with her alleged attacker – boyfriend Chris Brown – but this is the first time that Rihanna made her way to NYC since the incident:

Rihanna may not have much to smile about recently after reports she was attacked by boyfriend Chris Brown. But the R&B singer was clearly determined to put her troubles behind her as she headed out for a night out on the town in New York. Wearing sunglasses and a big grin, there were no signs of the ordeal which left the 21-year-old with a swollen and bruised face last month. The 21-year-old went for an equestrian inspired look with a fitted jacket, jodhpurs and a striking pair of cut-out boots. After arriving at a friend’s apartment, she met with fellow R&B stars Beyonce and Jay Z. The A-list crowd headed to The Spotted Pig restaurant in the west village, Manhattan, where they met with celebrity chef Mario Batali. Rihanna appeared in good spirits and was seen laughing and joking with one of her friends as they headed out in the back of a car. The night out is thought to be a belated birthday night out for the star, who was forced to cancel her 21st celebrations last month in the wake of the alleged attack. She is said to have reconcilled with Brown earlier this month after a stay at millionaire producer Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ $20million home in Florida. However the 19-year-old recording artist, who was charged with two felonies for the beating, was nowhere to be seen on the birthday night out.

It’s good to see her looking so well … and I’m pleased to know that she appears to have traveled to NYC alone (ie. without Chris Brown). I’m also very relieved to learn that the report we heard last week that she and Brown were recording a duet together turns out was completely wrong. According to Rihanna‘s record label, no duet has been recorded (or is even being planned) despite the reports that came out from People magazine, CNN and others. In fact, People has even retracted their initial report:

People magazine retracted its Thursday story that popstars Chris Brown and Rihanna, roiled in controversy for the savage beating Brown allegedly inflicted on her last month, had recorded a duet. A widely-used source on the private lives of the rich and famous, People had said the duet’s producer confirmed he recorded a “sweet and sentimental” track by the couple after the alleged February 8 beating incident. “Contrary to published reports, Chris Brown and Rihanna did not record a duet after the incident,” a record “label source” told People, however.

Thank the gods that that duet thing was a total fabrication. I’m not surprised that “inside sources” are coming out of the woodwork to try and take advantage of this heinous situation in order to get their stories in the press. The source that gave this story to all the media outlets naturally wished to remain anonymous but was referred to as “a source close to the record’s producer, Polow Da Don”. Sadly, I’d not be surprised if the source really was Polow Da Don in the first place. I am still very concerned about reports of their reconciliation … and I’m hoping against hope that those reports aren’t true as well. But, no matter what she ends up doing from here on out, I guess we can take some comfort that she has a good group of friends rallying around her right now. It’s great to see her smile again.

[Photo credit: INFdaily; Source, Source]