Rihanna postpones ‘Anti’ tour until March

After being forced to pull out of the Grammys because of bronchitis, Rihanna has postponed the start of her Anti world tour until next month.

Originally slated to kick off Feb. 26 at San Diego’s Viejas Arena, the trek will now kick off March 12 in Jacksonville, Fla.

The tour’s first eight stops — including San Jose, Phoenix, multiple dates in Texas, New Orleans and Atlanta — have shifted from February and March to May, a rep for the singer confirmed to the Times on Thursday.

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“Production delays” were cited for the postponement.

Earlier this week, the pop singer had to pull out of a planned performance at the Grammys in the eleventh hour due to a bout with bronchitis.

“Based on Rihanna’s examination, after Grammy rehearsal today, Rihanna’s doctor put her on vocal rest for 48 hours because she was at risk of hemorrhaging her vocal chords,” a statement from the singer read. “The antibiotics she has been on for three days did not kill the infection adequately, therefore she cannot perform safely.”

1/5

Rihanna, born Robyn Rihanna Fenty, can seemingly do no wrong when it comes to making hit music.The It-girl for the last few years, she has produced a string of popular songs, including “Umbrella” and “Disturbia.” There is no denying that the multi-racial songstress is a pop music powerhouse, and with three top-selling albums in three years, Rihanna is set up for a long career.  (Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images)

2/5

Caribbean queen

Thanks to a friend of a friend, Rihanna scored an audition with record producer Evan Rogers when she was just 15.

Rogers whisked the teenage Barbados-native from her island home in 2003 to Connecticut where she got to work on her first album, 2005’s “Music of the Sun.”

Her first single, the Caribbean-infused “Pon de Replay,” made it to No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

3/5

Giving back

In 2006, Rihanna created the Believe Foundation for terminally ill and disadvantaged children. She has since performed concerts and signed countless autographs in hospitals across the country in support of the charity.

Rihanna has also been involved in UNICEF and H&M’s Fashion Against AIDS campaign.

Her inspiration?

“When I was young and I would watch television and I would see all the children suffering, I always said: ‘When I grow up, I want to help,’ ” she told People.  (Aaron Favila / Associated Press)

4/5

Take a bow

To promote “Good Girl Gone Bad,” Rihanna began a 79-date worldwide tour in September 2007. She also managed performances at every major music award show in 2008, including the 50th Grammy Awards (where she picked up her first Grammy for “Umbrella”), the American Music Awards and the MTV Video Music Awards.  (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

5/5

Style star

In just a few years, Rihanna has transformed from the cutesy, earrings-wearing girl of the “Music of the Sun”-era to a more sophisticated and edgy starlet with a more daring fashion style -- though in her stage shows, she exhibits a risque even outlandish persona.

Along with raising hemlines, Rihanna has merged femininity and originality with extreme pixie haircuts and a tattoo count that has risen to about a dozen.  (Kevork Djansezian / Associated Press)

Rihanna was set to debut a live performance of “Kiss It Better” from her recently released album, “Anti.”

The “Anti” world tour is the singer’s first solo world tour since 2013. In 2014, she hit the road with Eminem for a limited stadium run.

Travis Scott will open for the North American leg; Big Sean and the Weeknd will join her in Europe.

Rihanna will play two dates at the Forum, on May 3 and 4.

gerrick.kennedy@latimes.com

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