Rihanna
Encyclopedia
Robyn Rihanna Fenty better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian
recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers
. She subsequently signed a contract with Def Jam Recordings
after auditioning for then-label head Jay-Z
.
In 2005, Rihanna released her debut studio album, Music of the Sun
, which peaked in the top ten of the Billboard 200
chart and features the Billboard Hot 100
hit single "Pon de Replay
." Less than a year later, she released her second studio album, A Girl Like Me
(2006), which peaked within the top five of the Billboard albums chart, and produced her first Hot 100 number one single, "SOS
". Rihanna's third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad
(2007), spawned four chart-topping singles "Umbrella
", "Take a Bow
", "Disturbia
" and "Don't Stop the Music
", and was nominated for nine Grammy Awards, winning Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
for "Umbrella," which features Jay-Z. Her fourth studio album Rated R
, released in November 2009, produced the top 10 singles "Russian Roulette
", "Hard
" and "Rude Boy
", which achieved the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100. Loud
(2010), her fifth studio album, contains the number-one hits "Only Girl (In the World)
", "What's My Name?
" and "S&M
". "We Found Love
" was released in September 2011 as the lead single from her sixth studio album and has topped the charts in over ten countries. Talk That Talk
, Rihanna's sixth album, was released in November 2011.
Rihanna has sold more than 20 million albums and 60 million singles which makes her one of the best selling artists of all time. She is the youngest artist in Billboard
charts history to achieve eleven number-one singles on the Hot 100. As of March 2010, Rihanna has sold approximately 7.3 million album units and over 33.7 million digital singles in the United States. Billboard named Rihanna the Digital Songs Artist
of the 2000s decade, and ranked her as the 17th Artist of the 2000s decade. She has received several accolades, including the 2007 World Music Awards
for World's Best-Selling Pop Female Artist and Female Entertainer of the Year, and the 2011 Brit Award
for Best International Female Solo Artist. She has also amassed a total of four Grammy Awards, five American Music Awards
, and eighteen Billboard Music Awards. Rihanna has also been appointed the official ambassador
of youth and culture for Barbados.
, is Afro-Guyanese
, and her father is of Barbadian
and Irish
descent. The eldest of three siblings, she has two brothers, Rorrey and Rajad Fenty. She also has two half-sisters and a half-brother from her father's side, each born by different mothers before Rihanna's father married her mother. She grew up listening to reggae
music, and began singing at around the age of seven. Her childhood was deeply affected by her father's addiction to crack cocaine
, alcohol
, and marijuana
, and her parents' rocky marriage ended when she was 14, although he remained a part of her life. During her parents' marriage, she suffered from excruciating headaches leading doctors to think she had a brain tumor and underwent several CAT scans from the age of eight until her parents separated. She grew up in a modest three-bed bungalow in Bridgetown
and would sell clothes with her dad on a street stall
. She attended Charles F. Broome Memorial School, a primary school in Barbados, and then the Combermere School
, where she formed a musical trio with two of her classmates. She was an army cadet in a sub-military programme that trained with the military of Barbados and Shontelle
was her drill sergeant. Although she initially wanted to graduate from high school, she chose to pursue her musical career instead.
In December 2003, Rihanna met American music producer Evan Rogers
through a mutual friend who knew Rogers' wife. When Rogers and his Bajan
-born wife were in Barbados for the holidays, Rihanna and her two bandmates auditioned for him in his hotel room, who said that "the minute Rihanna walked into the room, it was like the other two girls didn't exist." While auditioning for Rogers, she sang Destiny's Child
's cover of "Emotion". Impressed, Rogers set up a second meeting, and, with her mom present, invited her to do some recording and write with him and Carl Sturken at their studio in New York. Shortly after turning 16, she won the Miss Combermere school beauty pageant, as well as her high school talent show
with a performance of Mariah Carey
's "Hero
". Over the next year, Rihanna and her mom shuttled back and forth to Rogers' home in Stamford
, Connecticut
. With the help of Sturken, she recorded a four-song demo
, which included the ballad "Last Time", a cover of Whitney Houston
's "For the Love of You", and what would become her first hit, "Pon de Replay
". It took a year to record the demos, as Rihanna was still going to school and therefore would only record during her summer and Christmas school breaks.
In January 2005, Rogers began shopping Rihanna's four-song demo to various recording companies. A copy of the demo was sent to Def Jam Recordings
, where Jay Brown, an A&R executive, overheard it and played it for the label's then-president, Jay-Z
. When he heard "Pon de Replay", Jay-Z was skeptical about Rihanna at first because he felt that the song was too big for her, stating that "when a song is that big, it's hard [for a new artist] to come back from. I don't sign songs, I sign artists". Def Jam was the first label to respond and invited her to audition where she sang "For the Love of You" for Jay-Z and L.A. Reid of Island Def Jam Music Group. She was signed the same day and canceled a set of meetings with other labels. After signing with Def Jam in February 2005, she relocated to the United States and moved in with Rogers and his wife. Although she still thinks of herself as Robyn, she chose her middle name as her stage name because, to her, the name Rihanna is just a stage that started in a recording studio in 2005.
, she spent the next three months recording and completing her debut album. The album featured production from Evan Rogers, Carl Sturken, Stargate
and Poke & Tone. She first collaborated with rapper Memphis Bleek
on his fourth studio album 534
before her debut. She released her debut single, "Pon de Replay
", on August 22, 2005, which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100
and the UK Singles Chart
. It became a global hit where it peaked within the top ten across fifteen countries. Her debut album, Music of the Sun
, was released in August 2005 in the United States. The album reached number ten on the Billboard 200
, selling 69,000 copies in its first week. The album sold over two million copies worldwide and received a Gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America
, denoting shipments to United States retailers of over 500,000 units.
Her music was marketed within the reggae
genres because of her Caribbean
descent. The album received mixed reviews by music critics. Rolling Stone magazine rated it 2.5 out of 5 stars and described as lacking the replay value, ingenuity and rhythm of the single with "generic vocal hiccups and frills" of US R&B inflecting upon her "Caribbean charm". Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine
described the album as a "glut of teen R&B chanteuses " and described her lead single "Pon de Replay
" as "a dancehall-pop mixture that owes plenty of its sweat and shimmy to Beyoncé
's "Baby Boy". A reviewer for Entertainment Weekly
commented that the "dancehall/R&B debut is filled with chintzy production and maudlin arrangements that block out the Music of the Sun." The albums second single, "If It's Lovin' that You Want
" was less successful than "Pon de Replay", having managed a peak position of number thirty-six in the United States, and number eleven in the United Kingdom. The single proved to be well-received in Australia, Ireland and New Zealand reaching the top ten in those countries.
A month after the release of her debut album, she began working on her second studio album. The album contained production from record producers Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken who produced most of her debut album, Stargate
, J. R. Rotem
and label-mate singer-songwriter Ne-Yo
. While recording the album, Rihanna served as an opening act for Gwen Stefani
to promote her debut album. The lead single, "SOS
", peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first number-one in the United States. A Girl Like Me
was released in April 2006, less than eight months after her debut. The album reached number five on the Billboard 200 selling 115,000 copies in its first week and has been certified platinum by the RIAA, having shipped over one million units. Internationally, the album peaked at number one on the Top Canadian Albums, five on the UK Albums Chart
and number five on the Irish Album Chart. The critical response to the album was mixed; Rolling Stone magazine commented "Like her filler-packed debut album, this similar but superior follow-up doesn't deliver anything else as ingenious as its lead single." Critics described the album as a record that almost identically alternates between the sunny dancehall
/dub-pop, hip-hop-infused club bangers and gushy, adult-oriented ballads.
The second single, "Unfaithful
", became a major worldwide hit, reaching the top ten in dozen countries around the world, including the United States where it reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as topping the charts in Canada, France and Switzerland. The albums third single, "We Ride
" failed to reprise the success of the lead single but the fourth single, "Break It Off
" featuring Sean Paul
, jumped from number fifty-two to number ten eventually peaking at number nine. After the release of the album, Rihanna embarked on her first headlining tour, the Rihanna: Live in Concert Tour
. She then embarked on the Rock The Block Tour and then toured with Pussycat Dolls
from November 2006 to February 2007 in the United Kingdom. Rihanna also made her acting debut in a cameo
role in the straight-to-DVD film Bring It On: All or Nothing
, which was released on August 8, 2006.
With her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad
(2007), Rihanna wanted to head in a new direction with the help of music producers Timbaland, will.i.am and Sean Garrett, and re-imagine her album compositions with fresh, uptempo dance tracks. She adopted a more rebellious image while recording the album, eventually dying her hair black and cutting it short. Rihanna commented, "I want to keep people dancing but still be soulful at the same time [...] You feel different every album, and [at] this stage I feel like I want to do a lot of uptempo [songs]." The album topped the charts in countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Russia and Ireland, and it peaked at number two in the United States and Australia. Unlike previous work, the album featured a more dance-pop sound instead of the dancehall, reggae and ballad styles. The album received positive reviews by critics, becoming her most critically acclaimed album at that time compared to her previous efforts.
Good Girl Gone Bad yielded four chart-topping singles – all singles reaching the top three on the Billboard Hot 100 – including the worldwide number-one hit "Umbrella
," featuring Jay-Z. In addition to reaching number one in various countries, "Umbrella" was the number-one single in the United Kingdom for ten consecutive weeks, making it the longest-running number-one single since Wet Wet Wet
's single "Love Is All Around" spent fifteen weeks at the top in 1994. The song is listed number three on the 100 Best Songs of 2007 published by Rolling Stone magazine. Her other singles, "Shut Up and Drive
", "Don't Stop The Music
" and "Hate That I Love You
", were released from the album and were able to mirror the success of "Umbrella," with "Don't Stop the Music" reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 while peaking at number one in Australia, the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Switzerland. At the 2007 American Music Awards
, she won the Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist.
The re-issue of her third album, titled Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded, which was released in June 2008, features three new songs. The first single from the re-release, "Take a Bow
", topped the charts in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. "If I Never See Your Face Again
", a duet with Maroon 5
, was also included in the re-release, alongside "Disturbia
", which reached number-one in the United States and New Zealand. "Disturbia" reached to number four before reaching number one, as her previous single, "Take a Bow", was at number two, making Rihanna the seventh female singer to have two songs in the top five. She was also featured on rapper T.I.
's "Live Your Life
," which peaked at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Rihanna her fifth number-one single on the Hot 100 thus far ("SOS
," "Umbrella," "Take a Bow," "Disturbia," and "Live Your Life"). This made Rihanna one of the two female solo artists with the most number-one singles of the decade, with the other being Beyoncé Knowles. A remix of the album, Good Girl Gone Bad: The Remixes, was also released containing remixed versions of songs from the original album. The album has shipped over two million units in the United States, receiving a two-times-platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA); this gave Rihanna her best-selling album to date.
Rihanna was nominated in four categories at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards
, winning Monster Single of the Year and Video of the Year. At the 2008 Grammy Awards
, Rihanna earned her first Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, in addition to receiving five other nominations, including Record of the Year
, Best Dance Recording, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group and Best R&B Song. In support of the album, she kicked off her second headlining tour, the Good Girl Gone Bad Tour on September 12, 2007, with several shows across the United States, Canada and Europe and then embarked on the Glow in the Dark Tour
with Kanye West
, Lupe Fiasco
, and N.E.R.D on April 16, 2008. Rihanna won Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist at the 2008 American Music Awards
. In December 2008, Margeaux Watson of Entertainment Weekly
wrote an article entitled "Rihanna: Diva of the year" which he referred to her breakout success of 2008.
was cancelled. Reports later surfaced regarding an alleged altercation with then-boyfriend, singer Chris Brown, who was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats. On March 5, 2009, Brown was charged with assault and making criminal threats. Due to a leaked photograph from the Los Angeles Police Department
obtained by TMZ.com
—which revealed Rihanna had sustained visible injuries—an organization known as STOParazzi has proposed a law called "Rihanna's Law," which, if enacted, would "deter employees of law enforcement agencies from releasing photos or information that exploits crime victims." Gil Kaufman of VH1
reported "[t]he nonstop coverage of the Rihanna/Brown case has brought up a number of issues regarding the privacy of alleged victims of domestic violence, including the decision by almost all major news outlets to divulge the identity of the victim—which is not typically done in domestic-violence cases" and the controversial distribution of the leaked photograph. Rihanna was subpoenaed to testify during a preliminary hearing in L.A. on June 22, 2009. "The DA told me Rihanna will be subpoenaed. I will accept on her behalf," Rihanna's attorney, Donald Etra told Us Weekly
. On June 22, 2009, Brown pled guilty to the felony assault. In exchange for his plea Brown received five years probation and was ordered to stay fifty yards away from Rihanna, unless at public events, which then will be reduced to ten yards.
Rihanna made an appearance as the central character in Kanye West
's music video "Paranoid
". She also collaborated with Jay-Z
and West on "Run This Town
" which peaked at number two on Billboard Hot 100
as well as reaching the top ten in ten other countries. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Song
and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, bringing her total to three Grammys. Her fourth studio album, Rated R
, was released in November 2009. Rolling Stone
was favorable of the album commenting that "Rihanna has transformed her sound and made one of the best pop records of the year". The album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 and has been certified platinum
by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) for shipment of one million copies. Its first three singles: "Russian Roulette
", "Hard
" and "Rude Boy
" peaked within the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Rude Boy" reaching number-one. The song also topped the charts in Australia, while reaching number two in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand and Switzerland. Two other singles were released from Rated R, which included "Rockstar 101
" and the final single from the album, "Te Amo
". To further promote the album, she embarked on her worldwide tour, the Last Girl on Earth Tour
.
" and "Entertainer of the Decade". She was named "International Female Artist of the Year" at the 2010 NRJ Music Awards
. During the summer, she collaborated with rapper Eminem
on "Love the Way You Lie
", which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as other countries including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden. "Love the Way You Lie" became the seventh number one Billboard Hot 100 single of her career, making her the female artist with the fifth-most number ones in the chart's history. She also lent her vocals to the hook of "All of the Lights
", the fourth single from Kanye West
's fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, which features additional vocals from several other recording artists, including John Legend
, The-Dream
, Elly Jackson
, Alicia Keys
, Fergie, Kid Cudi
, and Elton John
. In October 2010, she released a self-titled book
, and announced that she was parting ways with manager Marc Jordan and will henceforth be managed by Jay-Z's Roc Nation
Management. She is also starting her own company, Rihanna Entertainment, in which she will "merge all of her businesses including music, film, fragrance, fashion and book ventures".
Rihanna released her fifth studio album, Loud
, on November 16, 2010. It debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling 207,000 copies in its first week, making it the biggest opening week sales of her career so far. Its lead single, "Only Girl (In the World)
", reached number one in more than ten countries including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The song also won a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording
at the 53rd Grammy Awards
. The album's second single, "What's My Name?
", featuring Canadian rapper Drake
, also reached number one in the United States and on the official UK singles chart, making Rihanna the first female solo artist to have five number one singles in the United Kingdom in consecutive years. The song reached number one on the Hot 100 before "Only Girl (In the World)", making it the first time in Hot 100 history that an album's debut single reached number one after the second single. With her third international single from Loud, she earned another milestone when "S&M
", featuring Britney Spears
reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the youngest artist in the chart's 52-year history to achieve ten number-one singles. "Man Down
" and "California King Bed
" were the two subsequent singles released from the album. The final single from Loud, "Cheers (Drink to That)
", reached number seven on the Hot 100. In June 2011, Rihanna embarked on her worldwide concert tour, Loud Tour
, to promote the album.
In October 2011, two collaborations featuring Rihanna were released. They were Coldplay
's "Princess of China
" from the album Mylo Xyloto and Nicki Minaj
's Fly
from the album Pink Friday
. During that month she appeared in the Judges' Houses round of the American reality TV
program, The X Factor
, assisting L.A. Reid as a guest mentor. Rihanna's sixth album, Talk That Talk
, is scheduled to be released on November 21, 2011 in both deluxe and standard editions. The lead single "We Found Love
" premiered on September 22, 2011 and was released on the same day for digital download in the US. With the ascension of "We Found Love
" to number nine on the US charts, Rihanna became the fastest solo artist in the chart's history to achieve twenty Hot 100 top-ten singles, breaking the previous record set by Madonna
. The song later became Rihanna's eleventh number one single on the Billboard
Hot 100. "You Da One
" was released as the second single on November 11, 2011 and a music video for the song is planned to be shot in London before the end of 2011. Rihanna will appear in the 2012 film Battleship
, which is based on the game of the same name
. On November 30, 2011, Rihanna received seven Grammy
nominations; Album of the Year
and Best Pop Vocal Album
for Loud, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
for "What's My Name?" and "All of the Lights", Song of the Year
and Best Rap Song
for "All of the Lights" at the 54th Grammy Awards
.
world." Becoming an international sensation, Rihanna is known for blending R&B with Caribbean music
, such as reggae
and dancehall
. At the time of her debut, reviewers referred to her as a "bubblegum
queen" and her music to "teen pop
." Larry Meyler of The Sun
stated that "Rihanna going bad is very good" and that she had "[shaken] off any 'teen pop' image as she rocked the stage." While performing at the Ottawa Bluesfest
, Denis Armstrong of Canadian Online Explorer
commented on her performance saying "her show was a Disney-esque choreographed fantasy of non-stop hip-swivelling, sassy attitude and personal endearments and a string of funky, sugar-free hits."
Rihanna was originally marketed as a reggae
singer since she burst into the music scene in 2005, with a styles of pop, R&B
and dancehall
. Her music include various styles of musical genres, including contemporary R&B
, dance-pop
and the Caribbean music
styles of reggae and dancehall. With the release of Music of the Sun
and its lead single "Pon de Replay
", Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic described Rihanna's musical style as "synthesize Caribbean rhythms and beats with standard-issue urban dance-pop: Caribbean-inflected urban, if you will." Rihanna is described as utilizing "dancehall-lite beats and a reggae vocal cadence." NME
describes the singer as a "heady mix of dancehall, reggae and contemporary R&B." Barry Walters of Rolling Stone considers Rihanna's A Girl Like Me to be "lightweight dancehall and R&B jams." After the release of Good Girl Gone Bad, Allmusic's Andy Kellman credits Rihanna to be "as pop as pop gets." Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times described her hit "Umbrella
" as a lightweight pop confection with a heavy hip-hop backbeat, a breezy love song enriched by those unexpectedly goth-sounding keyboards and by the incongruous hint of anguish in Rihanna’s girlish voice.
Her debut album featured production from pop veterans Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken who first discovered her. Sturken and Rogers have collaborated with Rihanna many times, including with her debut single "Pon de Replay", which helped launch her career with the tradition of reggae and dance pop and collaborated on her second album. Rihanna then enlisted into the pop and contemporary R&B working with music producer Stargate
and singer-songwriter Ne-Yo
on "Unfaithful
" and sampling the key section, bass line, and drum beat from Soft Cell
's 1981 single "Tainted Love
" on "SOS
". With songs like "Kisses Don't Lie" and "Shut Up and Drive
", her music style became more rock-oriented. Unlike Music of the Sun or A Girl Like Me, her third album contained a more dance-pop sound and less of the dancehall, reggae and ballad styles of her previous albums. She has included various styles of music from uptempo pop-reggae with "Pon De Replay", to an 80s
new wave fueled club banger "SOS" to the whiff of gothic horror in a love song "Unfaithful
". Most of her love subject ballads contain a mid-tempo pop sound, with an R&B influences that uses of a gently strummed acoustic guitar
with the production of Stargate and the songs written by Ne-Yo. Some of her up-tempo dance-pop songs include production from Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart
and J. R. Rotem. She has also sampled songs from other artist like Soft Cell's "Tainted Love
" on "SOS", New Order
's "Blue Monday
" on "Shut Up and Drive" and '70s original song "Soul Makossa
" of Manu Dibango
with a part of the chorus from Michael Jackson
's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
" on "Don't Stop the Music
".
as her idol and biggest influence, and said she wants to be the "black Madonna". She said: "I think that Madonna was a great inspiration for me, especially on my earlier work. If I had to examine her evolution through time, I think she reinvented her clothing style and music with success every single time. And at the same time remained a real force in entertainment in the whole world." Rihanna also cited Mariah Carey
as her influence and idol. She said "I looked up to [Mariah] a lot and I still do. I admire her as an artist, and to [compete with her] was a moment I will never forget for the rest of my life. Of Janet Jackson
, Rihanna has commented that "[s]he was one of the first female pop icons that I could relate to ... She was so vibrant, she had so much energy. She still has power. I’ve seen her on stage, and she can stand there for 20 minutes and have the whole arena scream at her. You have to love Janet." Beyoncé
has been named as a major influence, citing that she was inspired to start her career after watching Knowles on television as part of a Destiny's Child
performance. Her other musical influences include Bob Marley
, (for whom she built a shrine
in her Los Angeles home) Alicia Keys
Whitney Houston
, Destiny's Child
, Celine Dion
, Brandy
and Gwen Stefani
. Her friend and former Island Def Jam record label artist Fefe Dobson
was someone that she admired and looked up to, having a fellow artist writing, singing, and performing the music she truly loves.
Rihanna's music contains strong influences of Caribbean music
which include reggae
and dancehall
. The video for "Rude Boy" was inspired by her Caribbean roots. In an interview, she stated that while growing up in Barbados
she grew up listening to reggae music and when she came to the United States she was exposed to many different types of music. During the Good Girl Gone Bad Tour, she did a cover to "Is This Love
" which paid tribute to Marley; she would later do a cover song to Bob Marley & The Wailers
' "Redemption Song". Rihanna commented that Marilyn Monroe
and vintage clothing
served for visual inspiration for the music video "Hate That I Love You
" and "Rehab
"; in contrast, the "dark, creepy" scenes of "Disturbia" have drawn comparison to Michael Jackson's Thriller. The music video ranked number five on the "Top Five Most Paranoid Music Videos" published by MTV Buzzworthy. Jon Bream of the Star Tribune
commented "[i]n the tradition of Madonna and Janet Jackson, Rihanna has become the video vixen of the '00s ... Rihanna has perfected the pout, the long-legged strut and trend-setting hairdos that keep women and men alike checking her out on YouTube." George Epaminondas of InStyle considers Rihanna's music videos to be "cinematic" due to her "blend of lush island rhythms and swinging pop and ... mischievous sensuality."
magazine described Rihanna's early look as that of a cookie-cutter teen queen while stating that she has the ability to shift looks dramatically and with great ease. This was underscored when in March 2011 American Chronicle writer Arturo Tora termed her “Rihannaissance Woman.” Around the time of the release of her second album, many critics felt that Rihanna's sound and musical material were too similar to those of Beyoncé
. Negative reviews appeared, in which her music, music videos, performances and her image were compared to those of Beyoncé, which garnered Rihanna much criticism. Some media even claimed that Jay-Z fashioned her to be a replica of Beyoncé. During the release of her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad
, she adopted a more sexual image. Sonya Magett of Black Voices reported that Rihanna's style has become quite risqué since she burst onto the scene four years ago. After revealing a new image while headlining her first tour, she was likely to be criticized for her tight leather outfit during each show. A review in The Times
compared Rihanna's stage wardrobe styling to that of Janet Jackson
. He described her outfit as "a vision of Ann Summers
couture in thigh-high boots and a few scraps of black PVC." Stuart Derdeyn of The Province
commented that "even with the whole haute couture B&D clearly firing on all points, she's still got a ways to go to become the new Janet Jackson."
Rihanna has appeared on Maxim
' s Hot 100 list five consecutive years, listed in positions eight in 2007, fifteen in 2008, eight in 2009, six in 2010, and twenty-two in 2011. She was also listed on People
's 10 Best Dressed Stars of 2008, and ranked seventeenth on Glamour
magazine's list of the 50 Most Glamorous Women in 2009. Tracey Lomrantz of Glamour commented, "If style risks could be measured in miles, Rihanna would have criss-crossed the globe a thousand times over already." Rihanna was also declared as Woman of the Year 2009 by Glamour. In June 2007, Gillette named her the Venus Breeze's Celebrity Legs of a Goddess. In October 2011, Esquire
declared Rihanna as the Sexiest Woman Alive. Rihanna has four wax figure
s of herself at Madame Tussauds Wax Museums in Washington D.C., Vienna
, Berlin
and London
.
Rihanna's tattoo
s include a music note tattoo on her ankle, a Pisces sign behind her right ear, a Sanskrit prayer going down her hip, a star in her left ear, the word love on her left middle finger, an Arabic phrase meaning "Freedom in Christ" on her ribcage area, a trail of stars going down the back of her neck, a skull with a pink hair bow, the phrase "shhh..." on her right index finger
, the date 11.4.86 in Roman numerals
on top of her left shoulder, a henna-style dragon claw including hibiscus flowers, a handgun under her right armpit, a six-word phrase on her chest, and the phrase "rebelle fleur" on her neck, which means "rebel/rebellious flower" in French. Her gun tattoo was planned to be just below her shoulders but was ultimately located on her ribcage. In answer to criticism for her violence-themed tattoo, Keith "Bang Bang" McCurdy, her tattoo artist, was quick to explain his opinion that the image simply "represents strength and power". Her thirteenth tattoo which she had was on her chest and reads, "Never a failure, always a lesson". She had it tattoed backwards, McCurdy says, because she wanted to be able to read it in the mirror. When he asked why she wanted it, she said that it was her "motto in life for everything".
sportswear for the launch of her "SOS" and J. C. Penney
. That same year, she received an endorsement deal from Clinique
to promote their Happy fragrance. She recorded a song written by Ne-Yo
entitled "Just Be Happy" as part of the deal to promote their Happy fragrance. Rihanna also recorded a song called "Winning Women" with Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger
for Procter & Gamble
's female deodorant Secret. In 2007, Rihanna signed with CoverGirl and became a celebrity spokesperson which included appearances on TV commercials and in the Barbados Tourism Authority's tourism commercials.
In December 2008, Rihanna contracted with Gucci
to appear in their ads for the Tattoo Heart Collection, a special-edition line. In the Gucci handbag ad, Rihanna is seen hanging from a giant hoop, scantily clad in a barely-there white bodysuit and wearing an oversized white Gucci purse. The success of her single, "Umbrella
" earned her an endorsement deal with Totes
. Her handlers pitched her hit "Umbrella" to Totes and the song became the soundtrack for commercials in which she starred. On April 8, 2009, it was announced that Rihanna inked a fragrance deal with Jay-Z
’s licensing company Iconic Fragrances. The fragrance is named Reb'l Fleur
and was released in 2011. Rihanna was working with her artistic director for Rated R
, Simon Henwood, on the book Rihanna
. It was released on September 14, 2010. In August 2010 Rihanna began appearing in an Australian television advert for Optus
, a position previously held by Pink
. In May 2011, Rihanna became a spokeswoman for the German skincare brand Nivea
. Rihanna's song "California King Bed
" was featured as a part of Nivea's "100 Years of Skincare" commercial campaign.
. She began by including the flag
and broken trident
in many of her videos, shooting her album packaging for A Girl Like Me there. In September 2007, she became the official face of tourism for Barbados, being included in many of their ad campaigns. She holds the honorary title of Ambassador for Culture and Youth in Barbados. She additionally was honored by the Prime Minister David Thompson
, who presented her with several gifts at a national concert on February 20, 2008, in Barbados, called "Rihanna Day". In February 2008, Rihanna thanked and honoured her country during the acceptance speech for her win of "Best Rap/Sung Collaboration" at the Grammy Awards. Although Rihanna is heavily involved in the promotion of her country and works with the government in Barbados to do so, she is often criticized by other Barbadians for everything from her music to her successes and for wearing "skimpy clothes". Rihanna, speaking on one incident, said, "I went to the beach and I had on a one-piece swimsuit with jeans [...] They took the picture and they made it look like a top that was really revealing... There were [...] radio programmes about it. It was a big deal for, like, three weeks straight – talking about I'm not setting a good example." Rihanna states she was bullied at school. "Having lighter skin wasn’t a problem in my household, but it was when I went to school – which really confused me at first. The harassment continued to my very last day of elementary school."
Rihanna has performed a number of concerts to raise funds for both charities and the Foundation and is a 2008 Cartier
Love Charity Bracelet Ambassador. She performed at Madonna
’s Raising Malawi
fundraiser on February 6, 2008, in New York City. After becoming an honorary cultural ambassador for Barbados
, Rihanna became involved with DKMS, an international donor network based in Tübingen
, Germany, to try to find a donor for Lisa Gershowitz Flynn. The Manhattan attorney had been diagnosed in November with acute myelogenous leukemia. In January 2008, Rihanna contributed in the fight against AIDS when she visited the H&M
in New York to support Fashion Against AIDS by presenting her t-shirt design and signing autographs for a limited time with slogans like "Believe" and "Stop and Think." The collection features t-shirts and hoodies designed by Rihanna, Timbaland and other well-known designers, musicians and artists. The line, called Fashion Against AIDS, was launched in February 2008 to raise awareness of the disease among teens and spread awareness about HIV/AIDS. In August 2008, Rihanna and other pop, rock, R&B and country singers such as Carrie Underwood
, Ciara
, Beyoncé Knowles
, Leona Lewis
, Mary J. Blige
, Mariah Carey
, and Fergie recorded the charity single, "Just Stand Up!
", the theme song to the anti-cancer campaign Stand Up to Cancer
and its theme song. The singers performed the song live on September 5, 2008. Rihanna was also selected as the spokesmodel for Gucci’s first United Nations Children's Fund
ad campaign. She appeared in the fashion house’s Tattoo Heart campaign, which premiered in December 2008. Rihanna was photographed in series of special edition print ads with United Nations Children's Fund items, twenty-five percent of sales will benefit the children’s charity.
On November 19, 2008, Rihanna was enlisted by Gucci
's Frida Giannini
along with Madonna
to light the United Nations Children's Fund Christmas snowflake in New York City at the Grand Army Plaza. In 2008, she became the global representative and the face of the 4th annual Gucci Campaign to Benefit United Nations Children's Fund. The campaign aimed to raise funds for children in Africa through the sale of its Tattoo Heart collection of bags, which launched worldwide on November 19, 2008. Rihanna has been a part of many benefit concerts to help raise money for various illnesses, such as cancer for Hope Rocks. Rihanna performed on January 20, 2009, at the Recording Industry Association of America's Presidential Inauguration Charity Ball to raise money for the world largest anti-hunger organization. On April 2, 2009, Rihanna visited the NYU Medical Center to help look for another bone marrow donor for a young girl named Jasmina Anema. Rihanna first learned about Anema's plight in February 2009, when she saw the moving video Anema's best friend, Isabelle Huurman, and her mother, Karen Detrick, made appealing for donors to save Anema. Rihanna honored Anema's best friend, Isabella, for her efforts for trying to save her best friend at a DKMS Gala on May 7, 2009. Jasmina Anema eventually received her transplant on June 11, 2009, but died on January 27, 2010. In September 2009, Rihanna performed at Jay-Z
's "Answer the Call" concert, which paid tribute to the police officers and firefighters who died on the September 11 attacks.
In February 2011, Rihanna was scheduled to perform at a charity concert for the Women's Cancer Research Fund, but was forced to pull out at the last minute, due to bronchitis
.
Barbadian people
Barbadians are people originating on the Caribbean island of Barbados whether they live there or in the Barbadian diaspora.Rihanna is by far the most popular Barbadian on the planet.-Diaspora:...
recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers
Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers
Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers are New York-based songwriters and music producers who are business partners and friends. They have produced hits for Ruben Studdard, Wild Orchid, Christina Aguilera, and Rihanna's debut album...
. She subsequently signed a contract with Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
after auditioning for then-label head Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
.
In 2005, Rihanna released her debut studio album, Music of the Sun
Music of the Sun
Music of the Sun is the debut album of Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna, released August 26, 2005 on Def Jam Recordings. Rihanna worked with several producers for the album, mainly Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers who produced and penned most of the tracks on the album. It features guest contributions by...
, which peaked in the top ten of the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart and features the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
hit single "Pon de Replay
Pon de Replay
"Pon de Replay" is a song recorded by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her debut studio album Music of the Sun . The song was made available to download via iTunes on August 26, 2005, released as the album's lead single. The song was written and produced by Carl Sturken, Evan Rogers and...
." Less than a year later, she released her second studio album, A Girl Like Me
A Girl Like Me (Rihanna album)
A Girl like Me is the second studio album by Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna. It was released through Def Jam Recordings on April 19, 2006 in Japan, on April 24 in the United Kingdom, and on April 25 in the United States. For the production of the album, Rihanna worked with Evan Rogers, Carl Sturken,...
(2006), which peaked within the top five of the Billboard albums chart, and produced her first Hot 100 number one single, "SOS
SOS (Rihanna song)
"SOS" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna from her second studio album, A Girl like Me. The song was produced by J. R. Rotem and written by Rotem and Evan "Kidd" Bogart. It was released as the lead single from the album...
". Rihanna's third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad
Good Girl Gone Bad
Good Girl Gone Bad is the third studio album by Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna, released May 30, 2007, on Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions for the album took place during October 2006 to April 2007 at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles. Rihanna worked with producers Christopher "Tricky"...
(2007), spawned four chart-topping singles "Umbrella
Umbrella (song)
"Umbrella" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna, featuring a rap verse by Jay-Z. The song was written by The-Dream, Christopher Stewart, Kuk Harrell and Jay-Z, and was produced by Stewart and The-Dream for Rihanna's third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad...
", "Take a Bow
Take a Bow (Rihanna song)
"Take a Bow" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, taken from the re-release, Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded , of her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad . The song was written and produced by Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel Eriksen and Shaffer Smith, under their stage names Stargate and Ne-Yo...
", "Disturbia
Disturbia (song)
"Disturbia" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, taken from the re-release, Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded , of her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad . The song was released as the third single from the reloaded edition of the album, and seventh overall...
" and "Don't Stop the Music
Don't Stop the Music (Rihanna song)
"Don't Stop the Music" is a dance-pop song performed by Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna from her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad. It was the third single from the album in most of Europe, the second single in Germany and Spain and the fourth single in the rest of the world...
", and was nominated for nine Grammy Awards, winning Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
The Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs on which rappers and singers collaborate...
for "Umbrella," which features Jay-Z. Her fourth studio album Rated R
Rated R (Rihanna album)
Rated R is the fourth studio album by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, first released November 20, 2009, on Def Jam Recordings. The album is a musical distance from her previous effort Good Girl Gone Bad , which contained up-tempo and ballad-oriented songs, and it heavily incorporated pop and...
, released in November 2009, produced the top 10 singles "Russian Roulette
Russian Roulette (song)
"Russian Roulette" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, taken from her fourth studio album Rated R . The song premiered on radio stations on October 20, 2009 and was released as the album's lead single on October 26, 2009 through Def Jam Recordings. It was written and produced by...
", "Hard
Hard (song)
"Hard" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna from her fourth studio album, Rated R . It was written by Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart, Rihanna and American rapper Jeezy, who also provides featured vocals. Nash and Stewart produced the song under their respective stage names The-Dream...
" and "Rude Boy
Rude Boy (song)
"Rude Boy" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, taken from her fourth studio album, Rated R . The song was released as the third single from the album on February 19, 2010, through Def Jam. It was written by Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Ester Dean, Makeba Riddick, Rob Swire...
", which achieved the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100. Loud
Loud (Rihanna album)
Loud is the fifth studio album by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, first released on November 12, 2010 by Def Jam Recordings. The album was recorded between February and August 2010, predominantly during Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth Tour and filming for her first feature film Battleship...
(2010), her fifth studio album, contains the number-one hits "Only Girl (In the World)
Only Girl (In the World)
"Only Girl " is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna from her fifth studio album, Loud . The song was released as the album's lead single on September 10, 2010 through Def Jam. It was written by Crystal Johnson, Norwegian production duo Stargate and Sandy Vee, and produced by Stargate and Vee...
", "What's My Name?
What's My Name? (Rihanna song)
"What's My Name?" is mid-tempo electro-R&B song, produced by Norwegian producers, StarGate, who return Rihanna to the "Island-pop" of her early career with a backing track consisting of "heavy reggae" and ska beats with synthesised organs. Bill Lamb from About.com noted that before Rihanna's vocals...
" and "S&M
S&M (song)
"S&M" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, taken from her fifth studio album, Loud . The song was written by Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Corey Jackson Carter, Sandy Wilhelm and Ester Dean, with production helmed by Eriksen and Hermansen of Stargate and Sandy Wilhelm under her...
". "We Found Love
We Found Love
"We Found Love" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her sixth studio album Talk That Talk . The song features Scottish singer-songwriter Calvin Harris. "We Found Love" was released as the lead single from the album and premiered on September 22, 2011, in the United Kingdom on the...
" was released in September 2011 as the lead single from her sixth studio album and has topped the charts in over ten countries. Talk That Talk
Talk That Talk
Talk That Talk is the sixth studio album by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna and was released on November 18, 2011, through Def Jam Recordings. The lead single from the album, "We Found Love" featuring Calvin Harris, premiered on Capital FM radio on September 22, 2011, and was released on iTunes...
, Rihanna's sixth album, was released in November 2011.
Rihanna has sold more than 20 million albums and 60 million singles which makes her one of the best selling artists of all time. She is the youngest artist in Billboard
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
charts history to achieve eleven number-one singles on the Hot 100. As of March 2010, Rihanna has sold approximately 7.3 million album units and over 33.7 million digital singles in the United States. Billboard named Rihanna the Digital Songs Artist
Hot Digital Songs
The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of...
of the 2000s decade, and ranked her as the 17th Artist of the 2000s decade. She has received several accolades, including the 2007 World Music Awards
World Music Awards
The World Music Awards is an international awards show founded in 1989 that annually honors recording artists based on worldwide sales figures provided by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry . John Martinotti is an executive producer and co-founder of the show...
for World's Best-Selling Pop Female Artist and Female Entertainer of the Year, and the 2011 Brit Award
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
for Best International Female Solo Artist. She has also amassed a total of four Grammy Awards, five American Music Awards
American Music Awards
-Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC...
, and eighteen Billboard Music Awards. Rihanna has also been appointed the official ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
of youth and culture for Barbados.
1988–04: Early life and career beginnings
Rihanna was born Robyn Rihanna Fenty on February 20, 1988, in Saint Michael, Barbados, to Monica Braithwaite, a retired accountant, and Ronald Fenty, a warehouse supervisor for a garment factory. Her mother, a native of GuyanaGuyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, is Afro-Guyanese
Afro-Guyanese
Afro-Guyanese people are the inhabitants of Guyana of Black African origin...
, and her father is of Barbadian
Barbadian people
Barbadians are people originating on the Caribbean island of Barbados whether they live there or in the Barbadian diaspora.Rihanna is by far the most popular Barbadian on the planet.-Diaspora:...
and Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
descent. The eldest of three siblings, she has two brothers, Rorrey and Rajad Fenty. She also has two half-sisters and a half-brother from her father's side, each born by different mothers before Rihanna's father married her mother. She grew up listening to reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
music, and began singing at around the age of seven. Her childhood was deeply affected by her father's addiction to crack cocaine
Crack cocaine
Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...
, alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
, and marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
, and her parents' rocky marriage ended when she was 14, although he remained a part of her life. During her parents' marriage, she suffered from excruciating headaches leading doctors to think she had a brain tumor and underwent several CAT scans from the age of eight until her parents separated. She grew up in a modest three-bed bungalow in Bridgetown
Bridgetown
The city of Bridgetown , metropolitan pop 96,578 , is the capital and largest city of the nation of Barbados. Formerly, the Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael...
and would sell clothes with her dad on a street stall
Stall (enclosure)
A stall is a small enclosure of some kind, usually less enclosed than a room.-Market stall:A market stall is usually an immobile temporary structure erected by merchants to display and shelter their merchandise...
. She attended Charles F. Broome Memorial School, a primary school in Barbados, and then the Combermere School
Combermere School (Barbados)
Combermere also referred to as "The University of Waterford" is one of the leading schools on the island being the third heighest,Harrison's College, Queens College followed by Combermere. Combermere School is certainly one of the oldest, if not the oldest, secondary school in Barbados. The...
, where she formed a musical trio with two of her classmates. She was an army cadet in a sub-military programme that trained with the military of Barbados and Shontelle
Shontelle
Shontelle Layne , known professionally as Shontelle, is a Barbadian singer, and songwriter. She released her debut album Shontelligence in November 2008. Her sophomore album, No Gravity, was released in September 2010...
was her drill sergeant. Although she initially wanted to graduate from high school, she chose to pursue her musical career instead.
In December 2003, Rihanna met American music producer Evan Rogers
Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers
Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers are New York-based songwriters and music producers who are business partners and friends. They have produced hits for Ruben Studdard, Wild Orchid, Christina Aguilera, and Rihanna's debut album...
through a mutual friend who knew Rogers' wife. When Rogers and his Bajan
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
-born wife were in Barbados for the holidays, Rihanna and her two bandmates auditioned for him in his hotel room, who said that "the minute Rihanna walked into the room, it was like the other two girls didn't exist." While auditioning for Rogers, she sang Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
's cover of "Emotion". Impressed, Rogers set up a second meeting, and, with her mom present, invited her to do some recording and write with him and Carl Sturken at their studio in New York. Shortly after turning 16, she won the Miss Combermere school beauty pageant, as well as her high school talent show
Talent show
A talent show is an event where participants perform their talent or talents of acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics, drumming, martial arts, playing an instrument, and other activities to showcase a unique form of talent, sometimes for a reward, trophy or prize...
with a performance of Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
's "Hero
Hero (Mariah Carey song)
"Hero" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on October 19, 1993 by Columbia Records as the second single from Carey's third studio album, Music Box . Originally intended for Gloria Estefan, the song was written and produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff...
". Over the next year, Rihanna and her mom shuttled back and forth to Rogers' home in Stamford
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. With the help of Sturken, she recorded a four-song demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
, which included the ballad "Last Time", a cover of Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
's "For the Love of You", and what would become her first hit, "Pon de Replay
Pon de Replay
"Pon de Replay" is a song recorded by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her debut studio album Music of the Sun . The song was made available to download via iTunes on August 26, 2005, released as the album's lead single. The song was written and produced by Carl Sturken, Evan Rogers and...
". It took a year to record the demos, as Rihanna was still going to school and therefore would only record during her summer and Christmas school breaks.
In January 2005, Rogers began shopping Rihanna's four-song demo to various recording companies. A copy of the demo was sent to Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
, where Jay Brown, an A&R executive, overheard it and played it for the label's then-president, Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
. When he heard "Pon de Replay", Jay-Z was skeptical about Rihanna at first because he felt that the song was too big for her, stating that "when a song is that big, it's hard [for a new artist] to come back from. I don't sign songs, I sign artists". Def Jam was the first label to respond and invited her to audition where she sang "For the Love of You" for Jay-Z and L.A. Reid of Island Def Jam Music Group. She was signed the same day and canceled a set of meetings with other labels. After signing with Def Jam in February 2005, she relocated to the United States and moved in with Rogers and his wife. Although she still thinks of herself as Robyn, she chose her middle name as her stage name because, to her, the name Rihanna is just a stage that started in a recording studio in 2005.
2005–06: Music of the Sun and A Girl Like Me
After signing with Def JamDef Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
, she spent the next three months recording and completing her debut album. The album featured production from Evan Rogers, Carl Sturken, Stargate
Stargate (production team)
This is a list of songs written and produced by the Norwegian production team Stargate.-Produced singles:-1999:5ive - Invincible*05. "Two Sides to Every Story"*06. "You Make Me a Better Man"Noora Noor - Curious*01. "Curious"...
and Poke & Tone. She first collaborated with rapper Memphis Bleek
Memphis Bleek
Malik Thuston Patrick Cox , better known by his rap persona of Memphis Bleek or "Bleek", is a New York rapper mainly known for his tenure with Roc-a-Fella Records and CEO of his own label Get Low Records...
on his fourth studio album 534
534 (album)
-Samples:"534"* "London, Paris, New York" written by Graham Preskett"Interlude"* "Summer Song" Performed by Lisa Koch"Dear Summer"* "Morning Sunrise" performed by Weldon Irvine"Like That"* "Everybody Plays The Fool" by The Main Ingredient...
before her debut. She released her debut single, "Pon de Replay
Pon de Replay
"Pon de Replay" is a song recorded by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her debut studio album Music of the Sun . The song was made available to download via iTunes on August 26, 2005, released as the album's lead single. The song was written and produced by Carl Sturken, Evan Rogers and...
", on August 22, 2005, which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. It became a global hit where it peaked within the top ten across fifteen countries. Her debut album, Music of the Sun
Music of the Sun
Music of the Sun is the debut album of Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna, released August 26, 2005 on Def Jam Recordings. Rihanna worked with several producers for the album, mainly Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers who produced and penned most of the tracks on the album. It features guest contributions by...
, was released in August 2005 in the United States. The album reached number ten on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, selling 69,000 copies in its first week. The album sold over two million copies worldwide and received a Gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
, denoting shipments to United States retailers of over 500,000 units.
Her music was marketed within the reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
genres because of her Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
descent. The album received mixed reviews by music critics. Rolling Stone magazine rated it 2.5 out of 5 stars and described as lacking the replay value, ingenuity and rhythm of the single with "generic vocal hiccups and frills" of US R&B inflecting upon her "Caribbean charm". Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
described the album as a "glut of teen R&B chanteuses " and described her lead single "Pon de Replay
Pon de Replay
"Pon de Replay" is a song recorded by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her debut studio album Music of the Sun . The song was made available to download via iTunes on August 26, 2005, released as the album's lead single. The song was written and produced by Carl Sturken, Evan Rogers and...
" as "a dancehall-pop mixture that owes plenty of its sweat and shimmy to Beyoncé
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
's "Baby Boy". A reviewer for Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
commented that the "dancehall/R&B debut is filled with chintzy production and maudlin arrangements that block out the Music of the Sun." The albums second single, "If It's Lovin' that You Want
If It's Lovin' That You Want
"If It's Lovin' that You Want" is a song recorded by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her debut studio album Music of the Sun . The song was released on December 2, 2005 through Def Jam Recordings, as the album's second and final single. The song was written by Samuel Barnes, Scott LaRock,...
" was less successful than "Pon de Replay", having managed a peak position of number thirty-six in the United States, and number eleven in the United Kingdom. The single proved to be well-received in Australia, Ireland and New Zealand reaching the top ten in those countries.
A month after the release of her debut album, she began working on her second studio album. The album contained production from record producers Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken who produced most of her debut album, Stargate
Stargate (production team)
This is a list of songs written and produced by the Norwegian production team Stargate.-Produced singles:-1999:5ive - Invincible*05. "Two Sides to Every Story"*06. "You Make Me a Better Man"Noora Noor - Curious*01. "Curious"...
, J. R. Rotem
J. R. Rotem
- Early life :Rotem was born in South Africa to Israeli immigrant Jewish parents. He moved to Toronto at the age of two and finally to Moraga, California when he was twelve.Rotem's entry point into music was in receiving classical piano tuition at a young age...
and label-mate singer-songwriter Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. , better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. Beginning his career as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario...
. While recording the album, Rihanna served as an opening act for Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Renée Stefani is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani is the lead vocalist for the rock and ska band No Doubt. Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was inspired by music of the 1980s, and was a success with sales of over...
to promote her debut album. The lead single, "SOS
SOS (Rihanna song)
"SOS" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna from her second studio album, A Girl like Me. The song was produced by J. R. Rotem and written by Rotem and Evan "Kidd" Bogart. It was released as the lead single from the album...
", peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first number-one in the United States. A Girl Like Me
A Girl Like Me (Rihanna album)
A Girl like Me is the second studio album by Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna. It was released through Def Jam Recordings on April 19, 2006 in Japan, on April 24 in the United Kingdom, and on April 25 in the United States. For the production of the album, Rihanna worked with Evan Rogers, Carl Sturken,...
was released in April 2006, less than eight months after her debut. The album reached number five on the Billboard 200 selling 115,000 copies in its first week and has been certified platinum by the RIAA, having shipped over one million units. Internationally, the album peaked at number one on the Top Canadian Albums, five on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
and number five on the Irish Album Chart. The critical response to the album was mixed; Rolling Stone magazine commented "Like her filler-packed debut album, this similar but superior follow-up doesn't deliver anything else as ingenious as its lead single." Critics described the album as a record that almost identically alternates between the sunny dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
/dub-pop, hip-hop-infused club bangers and gushy, adult-oriented ballads.
The second single, "Unfaithful
Unfaithful (song)
"Unfaithful" is a ballad written by Ne-Yo, Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen for R&B singer Rihanna's second album, A Girl like Me. It was produced by Stargate and released as the album's second single in mid-2006. The music also featured, with Tamil lyrics, as the song, "Unakenna Naan" in...
", became a major worldwide hit, reaching the top ten in dozen countries around the world, including the United States where it reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as topping the charts in Canada, France and Switzerland. The albums third single, "We Ride
We Ride
"We Ride" is a dancehall/R&B song written by Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel S. Eriksen, and Makeba Riddick for R&B singer Rihanna's second studio album A Girl like Me . The song was confirmed as the album's third single by MTV and released in mid-2006 in the United States, where it failed to enter the...
" failed to reprise the success of the lead single but the fourth single, "Break It Off
Break It Off
"Break It Off" is a song written by D. Bennett, K. Ford, Sean Paul, and Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna. The song, which featured Sean Paul, was the fourth and final single from Rihanna's second album A Girl like Me and was released only in the United States, Canada, and select European territories...
" featuring Sean Paul
Sean Paul
Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques , who performs under stage name Sean Paul, is a Jamaican pop rap and reggae singer.-1973–1996: Early life:...
, jumped from number fifty-two to number ten eventually peaking at number nine. After the release of the album, Rihanna embarked on her first headlining tour, the Rihanna: Live in Concert Tour
Rihanna: Live in Concert Tour
The Rihanna: Live in Concert Tour was the first concert tour by Barbadian singer Rihanna. The tour supported her debut studio album, Music of the Sun and second studio album, A Girl Like Me. The tour took place during the summer of 2006...
. She then embarked on the Rock The Block Tour and then toured with Pussycat Dolls
Pussycat Dolls
The Pussycat Dolls are an American pop girl group and dance ensemble based in Los Angeles; currently consisting of Lauren Bennett, Vanessa Curry, Kristal "Lyndriette" Smith, Tiffany "Taz" Zavala, Kia Hampton and Paula Van Oppen. The Pussycat Dolls were founded by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995...
from November 2006 to February 2007 in the United Kingdom. Rihanna also made her acting debut in a cameo
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
role in the straight-to-DVD film Bring It On: All or Nothing
Bring It On: All or Nothing
Bring It On: All or Nothing is the third installment in the Bring it On series of films that revolves around high school cheerleading. Directed by Steve Rash, the movie was released direct-to-DVD on August 8, 2006 by Universal Pictures....
, which was released on August 8, 2006.
2007–08: New image and Good Girl Gone Bad
Good Girl Gone Bad
Good Girl Gone Bad is the third studio album by Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna, released May 30, 2007, on Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions for the album took place during October 2006 to April 2007 at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles. Rihanna worked with producers Christopher "Tricky"...
(2007), Rihanna wanted to head in a new direction with the help of music producers Timbaland, will.i.am and Sean Garrett, and re-imagine her album compositions with fresh, uptempo dance tracks. She adopted a more rebellious image while recording the album, eventually dying her hair black and cutting it short. Rihanna commented, "I want to keep people dancing but still be soulful at the same time [...] You feel different every album, and [at] this stage I feel like I want to do a lot of uptempo [songs]." The album topped the charts in countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Russia and Ireland, and it peaked at number two in the United States and Australia. Unlike previous work, the album featured a more dance-pop sound instead of the dancehall, reggae and ballad styles. The album received positive reviews by critics, becoming her most critically acclaimed album at that time compared to her previous efforts.
Good Girl Gone Bad yielded four chart-topping singles – all singles reaching the top three on the Billboard Hot 100 – including the worldwide number-one hit "Umbrella
Umbrella (song)
"Umbrella" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna, featuring a rap verse by Jay-Z. The song was written by The-Dream, Christopher Stewart, Kuk Harrell and Jay-Z, and was produced by Stewart and The-Dream for Rihanna's third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad...
," featuring Jay-Z. In addition to reaching number one in various countries, "Umbrella" was the number-one single in the United Kingdom for ten consecutive weeks, making it the longest-running number-one single since Wet Wet Wet
Wet Wet Wet
Wet Wet Wet are a Scottish pop rock band that formed in the 1980s. They scored a number of hits in the British charts and around the world. The band is composed of Marti Pellow , Tommy Cunningham , Graeme Clark and Neil Mitchell...
's single "Love Is All Around" spent fifteen weeks at the top in 1994. The song is listed number three on the 100 Best Songs of 2007 published by Rolling Stone magazine. Her other singles, "Shut Up and Drive
Shut Up and Drive (Rihanna song)
"Shut Up and Drive" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad . Released as album's second single, the song was solicited to the US radios on June 12, 2007 and was physically released on August 27, 2007 in the United Kingdom...
", "Don't Stop The Music
Don't Stop the Music (Rihanna song)
"Don't Stop the Music" is a dance-pop song performed by Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna from her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad. It was the third single from the album in most of Europe, the second single in Germany and Spain and the fourth single in the rest of the world...
" and "Hate That I Love You
Hate That I Love You
"Hate That I Love You" is a song by Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna, released as the third single from her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad on August 21, 2007. It features R&B singer Ne-Yo, who had worked with Rihanna previously, contributing to her 2006 hit "Unfaithful". The song was produced...
", were released from the album and were able to mirror the success of "Umbrella," with "Don't Stop the Music" reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 while peaking at number one in Australia, the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Switzerland. At the 2007 American Music Awards
American Music Awards of 2007
The 35th American Music Awards took place on November 18, 2007 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.-Pop/Rock:Favorite Male Artist:*Akon*Timbaland*Justin Timberlake...
, she won the Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist.
The re-issue of her third album, titled Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded, which was released in June 2008, features three new songs. The first single from the re-release, "Take a Bow
Take a Bow (Rihanna song)
"Take a Bow" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, taken from the re-release, Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded , of her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad . The song was written and produced by Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel Eriksen and Shaffer Smith, under their stage names Stargate and Ne-Yo...
", topped the charts in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. "If I Never See Your Face Again
If I Never See Your Face Again
"If I Never See Your Face Again" is a song written by Maroon 5 members Adam Levine and James Valentine for Maroon 5's second studio album, It Won't Be Soon Before Long . A remix of the song was recorded with pop singer Rihanna, and was released as the fourth single from the album instead of the...
", a duet with Maroon 5
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...
, was also included in the re-release, alongside "Disturbia
Disturbia (song)
"Disturbia" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, taken from the re-release, Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded , of her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad . The song was released as the third single from the reloaded edition of the album, and seventh overall...
", which reached number-one in the United States and New Zealand. "Disturbia" reached to number four before reaching number one, as her previous single, "Take a Bow", was at number two, making Rihanna the seventh female singer to have two songs in the top five. She was also featured on rapper T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
's "Live Your Life
Live Your Life
"Live Your Life" is a song by American rapper T.I., and the third single, from his sixth studio album Paper Trail. It was released as the third single from the album on September 23, 2008. The song features Barbadian pop singer Rihanna, and was produced by Just Blaze and Canei Finch. It officially...
," which peaked at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Rihanna her fifth number-one single on the Hot 100 thus far ("SOS
SOS (Rihanna song)
"SOS" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna from her second studio album, A Girl like Me. The song was produced by J. R. Rotem and written by Rotem and Evan "Kidd" Bogart. It was released as the lead single from the album...
," "Umbrella," "Take a Bow," "Disturbia," and "Live Your Life"). This made Rihanna one of the two female solo artists with the most number-one singles of the decade, with the other being Beyoncé Knowles. A remix of the album, Good Girl Gone Bad: The Remixes, was also released containing remixed versions of songs from the original album. The album has shipped over two million units in the United States, receiving a two-times-platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA); this gave Rihanna her best-selling album to date.
Rihanna was nominated in four categories at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards
2007 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, honoring the best music videos from the previous year, took place on September 9, in Las Vegas at The Palms. The 2007 VMAs were the smallest VMAs ever held in MTV history, eliminating 13 awards, re-naming many of the remaining awards, and having only four...
, winning Monster Single of the Year and Video of the Year. At the 2008 Grammy Awards
50th Grammy Awards
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2008. Kanye West received the most nominations, with eight. Amy Winehouse was the big winner, winning a total of five awards. Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters won Album of the Year,...
, Rihanna earned her first Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, in addition to receiving five other nominations, including Record of the Year
Record Of The Year
Record of the Year may refer to:*Grammy Award for Record of the Year*The Record of the Year, a British award based on public polling...
, Best Dance Recording, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group and Best R&B Song. In support of the album, she kicked off her second headlining tour, the Good Girl Gone Bad Tour on September 12, 2007, with several shows across the United States, Canada and Europe and then embarked on the Glow in the Dark Tour
Glow in the Dark Tour
The Glow in the Dark Tour is a critically acclaimed world concert tour by Kanye West featuring Rihanna, Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D, and Nas. It began on April 16, 2008 in Seattle, Washington and travelled to Latin America, Asia, Europe, New Zealand and Australia through to early December.The tour...
with Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
, Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...
, and N.E.R.D on April 16, 2008. Rihanna won Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist at the 2008 American Music Awards
American Music Awards
-Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC...
. In December 2008, Margeaux Watson of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
wrote an article entitled "Rihanna: Diva of the year" which he referred to her breakout success of 2008.
2009–10: Domestic violence case and Rated R
On February 8, 2009, Rihanna's scheduled performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards51st Grammy Awards
The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA on February 8, 2009. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the biggest winners of the night, jointly winning five awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year...
was cancelled. Reports later surfaced regarding an alleged altercation with then-boyfriend, singer Chris Brown, who was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats. On March 5, 2009, Brown was charged with assault and making criminal threats. Due to a leaked photograph from the Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
obtained by TMZ.com
TMZ.com
TMZ.com is a celebrity news website that debuted on November 8, 2005. It was a collaboration between America Online and Telepictures Productions, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. However, it is still affiliated with AOL News and has the AOL News logo affixed in...
—which revealed Rihanna had sustained visible injuries—an organization known as STOParazzi has proposed a law called "Rihanna's Law," which, if enacted, would "deter employees of law enforcement agencies from releasing photos or information that exploits crime victims." Gil Kaufman of VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
reported "[t]he nonstop coverage of the Rihanna/Brown case has brought up a number of issues regarding the privacy of alleged victims of domestic violence, including the decision by almost all major news outlets to divulge the identity of the victim—which is not typically done in domestic-violence cases" and the controversial distribution of the leaked photograph. Rihanna was subpoenaed to testify during a preliminary hearing in L.A. on June 22, 2009. "The DA told me Rihanna will be subpoenaed. I will accept on her behalf," Rihanna's attorney, Donald Etra told Us Weekly
Us Weekly
Us Weekly is a celebrity gossip magazine, founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, who sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986. The publication covers topics ranging from celebrity relationships to the latest trends in fashion, beauty, and entertainment...
. On June 22, 2009, Brown pled guilty to the felony assault. In exchange for his plea Brown received five years probation and was ordered to stay fifty yards away from Rihanna, unless at public events, which then will be reduced to ten yards.
Rihanna made an appearance as the central character in Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
's music video "Paranoid
Paranoid (Kanye West song)
"Paranoid" is a song by American hip hop artist Kanye West. It was released as the fourth and final single from his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak. The song was co-produced with Jeff Bhasker and Plain Pat, while co-written by the three along with Consequence and Kid Cudi...
". She also collaborated with Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
and West on "Run This Town
Run This Town
"Run This Town" is a 2009 song performed by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West. The song features Rihanna. The track was produced by Kanye West alongside No I.D. It is released as the second single of Jay-Z's eleventh studio album The Blueprint 3...
" which peaked at number two on Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
as well as reaching the top ten in ten other countries. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Song
Grammy Award for Best Rap Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song was first awarded in 2004. It is a songwriting award given to all who wrote the lyrics and music of the song. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works released in the previous year...
and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, bringing her total to three Grammys. Her fourth studio album, Rated R
Rated R (Rihanna album)
Rated R is the fourth studio album by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, first released November 20, 2009, on Def Jam Recordings. The album is a musical distance from her previous effort Good Girl Gone Bad , which contained up-tempo and ballad-oriented songs, and it heavily incorporated pop and...
, was released in November 2009. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
was favorable of the album commenting that "Rihanna has transformed her sound and made one of the best pop records of the year". The album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 and has been certified platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA) for shipment of one million copies. Its first three singles: "Russian Roulette
Russian Roulette (song)
"Russian Roulette" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, taken from her fourth studio album Rated R . The song premiered on radio stations on October 20, 2009 and was released as the album's lead single on October 26, 2009 through Def Jam Recordings. It was written and produced by...
", "Hard
Hard (song)
"Hard" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna from her fourth studio album, Rated R . It was written by Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart, Rihanna and American rapper Jeezy, who also provides featured vocals. Nash and Stewart produced the song under their respective stage names The-Dream...
" and "Rude Boy
Rude Boy (song)
"Rude Boy" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, taken from her fourth studio album, Rated R . The song was released as the third single from the album on February 19, 2010, through Def Jam. It was written by Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Ester Dean, Makeba Riddick, Rob Swire...
" peaked within the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Rude Boy" reaching number-one. The song also topped the charts in Australia, while reaching number two in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand and Switzerland. Two other singles were released from Rated R, which included "Rockstar 101
Rockstar 101
"Rockstar 101" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, taken from her fourth studio album, Rated R . The song was released as the album's fourth overall single on June 2, 2010 through Def Jam. "Rockstar 101" was written by Terius "The-Dream" Nash, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Rihanna,...
" and the final single from the album, "Te Amo
Te Amo (Rihanna song)
"Te Amo" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna from her fourth studio album, Rated R . The song was written by Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, James Fauntleroy II and Rihanna, with production helmed by Eriksen and Hermansen under their production name, Stargate...
". To further promote the album, she embarked on her worldwide tour, the Last Girl on Earth Tour
Last Girl on Earth Tour
The Last Girl on Earth Tour was the third concert tour by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. Visiting Europe, Asia, North America and Australia, the tour supported her fourth studio album, Rated R . The tour was announced through MTV News in December 2009...
.
2010–present: Loud, Talk That Talk and film debut
In January 2010, Rihanna won two Barbados Music Awards for "Song of the Decade" with "UmbrellaUmbrella (song)
"Umbrella" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna, featuring a rap verse by Jay-Z. The song was written by The-Dream, Christopher Stewart, Kuk Harrell and Jay-Z, and was produced by Stewart and The-Dream for Rihanna's third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad...
" and "Entertainer of the Decade". She was named "International Female Artist of the Year" at the 2010 NRJ Music Awards
NRJ Music Awards
The NRJ Music Awards, created in 2000 by the radio station NRJ in partnership with the television network TF1 takes place every year in mid-January at Cannes as the opening of MIDEM...
. During the summer, she collaborated with rapper Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
on "Love the Way You Lie
Love the Way You Lie
"Love the Way You Lie" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his seventh studio album, Recovery . It was released as the album's second single on August 9, 2010, by Interscope-Geffen-A&M. The song features vocals by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. According to her, its theme...
", which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as other countries including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden. "Love the Way You Lie" became the seventh number one Billboard Hot 100 single of her career, making her the female artist with the fifth-most number ones in the chart's history. She also lent her vocals to the hook of "All of the Lights
All of the Lights
"All of the Lights" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West, released January 18, 2011, as the fourth single from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy...
", the fourth single from Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
's fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, which features additional vocals from several other recording artists, including John Legend
John Legend
John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...
, The-Dream
The-Dream
Terius Youngdell Nash , better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is known for co-writing "Umbrella" for Rihanna and "Single Ladies " for Beyoncé, as well as for his three solo albums, Love Hate, Love vs...
, Elly Jackson
Elly Jackson
Eleanor Kate "Elly" Jackson is an English singer-songwriter and the lead singer of the electropop duo La Roux. She is well known for her red hair and androgynous style.-Biography:...
, Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
, Fergie, Kid Cudi
Kid Cudi
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi , better known by his stage name Kid Cudi , sometimes stylized KiD CuDi, is an American rapper, singer and actor. He first gained major attention after the release of his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi. In 2009, his single "Day 'n' Nite" reached the top five of the...
, and Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
. In October 2010, she released a self-titled book
Rihanna (book)
Rihanna is a coffee table book by Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna, in collaboration with artistic director Simon Henwood. It was released on October 19, 2010.-History:...
, and announced that she was parting ways with manager Marc Jordan and will henceforth be managed by Jay-Z's Roc Nation
Roc Nation
Roc Nation is an American management, music publishing and entertainment company founded by Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter.-History:In April 2008, Live Nation partnered with Jay-Z to create Roc Nation...
Management. She is also starting her own company, Rihanna Entertainment, in which she will "merge all of her businesses including music, film, fragrance, fashion and book ventures".
Rihanna released her fifth studio album, Loud
Loud (Rihanna album)
Loud is the fifth studio album by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, first released on November 12, 2010 by Def Jam Recordings. The album was recorded between February and August 2010, predominantly during Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth Tour and filming for her first feature film Battleship...
, on November 16, 2010. It debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling 207,000 copies in its first week, making it the biggest opening week sales of her career so far. Its lead single, "Only Girl (In the World)
Only Girl (In the World)
"Only Girl " is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna from her fifth studio album, Loud . The song was released as the album's lead single on September 10, 2010 through Def Jam. It was written by Crystal Johnson, Norwegian production duo Stargate and Sandy Vee, and produced by Stargate and Vee...
", reached number one in more than ten countries including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The song also won a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording
Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording
The Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the dance music genre...
at the 53rd Grammy Awards
53rd Grammy Awards
The 53rd annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights prior to the telecast on February 11. Nominations were...
. The album's second single, "What's My Name?
What's My Name? (Rihanna song)
"What's My Name?" is mid-tempo electro-R&B song, produced by Norwegian producers, StarGate, who return Rihanna to the "Island-pop" of her early career with a backing track consisting of "heavy reggae" and ska beats with synthesised organs. Bill Lamb from About.com noted that before Rihanna's vocals...
", featuring Canadian rapper Drake
Drake (entertainer)
Aubrey Drake Graham , who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian recording artist and actor. He originally became known for playing Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation....
, also reached number one in the United States and on the official UK singles chart, making Rihanna the first female solo artist to have five number one singles in the United Kingdom in consecutive years. The song reached number one on the Hot 100 before "Only Girl (In the World)", making it the first time in Hot 100 history that an album's debut single reached number one after the second single. With her third international single from Loud, she earned another milestone when "S&M
S&M (song)
"S&M" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, taken from her fifth studio album, Loud . The song was written by Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Corey Jackson Carter, Sandy Wilhelm and Ester Dean, with production helmed by Eriksen and Hermansen of Stargate and Sandy Wilhelm under her...
", featuring Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the youngest artist in the chart's 52-year history to achieve ten number-one singles. "Man Down
Man Down
"Man Down" is a song performed by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, taken from her fifth studio album Loud . The song was sent to US rhythmic and urban radios on May 3, 2011 and was released as the album's sixth overall single in the United States as well as in certain countries internationally...
" and "California King Bed
California King Bed
"California King Bed" is a song performed by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna from her fifth studio album, Loud . The song was released as the album's fifth single on May 13, 2011 through Def Jam. The song was written by Andrew Harr, Jermaine Jackson, Priscilla Renea and Alex Delicata, and was...
" were the two subsequent singles released from the album. The final single from Loud, "Cheers (Drink to That)
Cheers (Drink to That)
"Cheers " is a song recorded by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her fifth studio album Loud . The song impacted US mainstream and rhythmic radio on August 2, 2011, as the seventh and final single released from Loud...
", reached number seven on the Hot 100. In June 2011, Rihanna embarked on her worldwide concert tour, Loud Tour
Loud Tour
The Loud Tour is the fourth concert tour by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. Performing in over twenty countries in the Americas and Europe, the tour supports Rihanna’s fifth studio album, Loud...
, to promote the album.
In October 2011, two collaborations featuring Rihanna were released. They were Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
's "Princess of China
Princess of China
"Princess of China" is a song by British alternative rock band Coldplay with guest vocals by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. It is the tenth track from Coldplay's fifth studio album Mylo Xyloto...
" from the album Mylo Xyloto and Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj , better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj; ), is a Trinidadian-born American recording artist...
's Fly
Fly (Nicki Minaj song)
"Fly" is a song by Trinidadian recording artist Nicki Minaj featuring Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna. The track was produced by J.R. Rotem and co-produced by Kevin Hissink. The song is inspired by the emotion of soaring above and overcoming all stereotypes and negativity, only to have come out...
from the album Pink Friday
Pink Friday
Pink Friday is the debut studio album by hip hop recording artist Nicki Minaj. It was released on November 19, 2010 in both standard and deluxe editions through Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Universal Motown. The intended lead single from the album, "Massive Attack", flopped...
. During that month she appeared in the Judges' Houses round of the American reality TV
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
program, The X Factor
The X Factor (U.S.)
The X Factor is an American television music competition to find new singing talent. The show is produced by creator Simon Cowell's company SYCOtv. It premiered on September 21, 2011 on Fox....
, assisting L.A. Reid as a guest mentor. Rihanna's sixth album, Talk That Talk
Talk That Talk
Talk That Talk is the sixth studio album by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna and was released on November 18, 2011, through Def Jam Recordings. The lead single from the album, "We Found Love" featuring Calvin Harris, premiered on Capital FM radio on September 22, 2011, and was released on iTunes...
, is scheduled to be released on November 21, 2011 in both deluxe and standard editions. The lead single "We Found Love
We Found Love
"We Found Love" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her sixth studio album Talk That Talk . The song features Scottish singer-songwriter Calvin Harris. "We Found Love" was released as the lead single from the album and premiered on September 22, 2011, in the United Kingdom on the...
" premiered on September 22, 2011 and was released on the same day for digital download in the US. With the ascension of "We Found Love
We Found Love
"We Found Love" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her sixth studio album Talk That Talk . The song features Scottish singer-songwriter Calvin Harris. "We Found Love" was released as the lead single from the album and premiered on September 22, 2011, in the United Kingdom on the...
" to number nine on the US charts, Rihanna became the fastest solo artist in the chart's history to achieve twenty Hot 100 top-ten singles, breaking the previous record set by Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
. The song later became Rihanna's eleventh number one single on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100. "You Da One
You Da One
"You Da One" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her sixth studio album Talk That Talk . The song was written by Ester Dean, Dr. Luke, Rihanna, John Hill and Cirkut, while production of the song was handled by Dr. Luke and Cirkut...
" was released as the second single on November 11, 2011 and a music video for the song is planned to be shot in London before the end of 2011. Rihanna will appear in the 2012 film Battleship
Battleship (film)
Battleship is an upcoming 2012 science fiction naval war film based on the game of the same name. The film is being directed by Peter Berg and will be released by Universal Pictures...
, which is based on the game of the same name
Battleship (game)
The game Battleship is a guessing game played by two people. It is known throughout the world as a pencil and paper game which predates World War I. It was published by Milton Bradley Company in 1931 as the pad-and-pencil game "Broadsides, the Game of Naval Strategy".-Description:The game is...
. On November 30, 2011, Rihanna received seven Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominations; Album of the Year
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
and Best Pop Vocal Album
Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality pop music albums...
for Loud, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
The Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs on which rappers and singers collaborate...
for "What's My Name?" and "All of the Lights", Song of the Year
Grammy Award for Song of the Year
The Song of the Year is one of the four most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony, if not in all of the American music industry. It has been awarded since 1959 and unlike the Record of the Year award, which goes to the performer and production team of a single song, Song of the Year...
and Best Rap Song
Grammy Award for Best Rap Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song was first awarded in 2004. It is a songwriting award given to all who wrote the lyrics and music of the song. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works released in the previous year...
for "All of the Lights" at the 54th Grammy Awards
54th Grammy Awards
The 54th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on February 12, 2012, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It will be broadcasted on CBS. Nominations were announced on November 30, 2011 on prime-time television as part of "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live! – Countdown to Music's Biggest Night", a...
.
Music
Volume 65 of the Contemporary Black Biography book series notes that "Rihanna is the rare rhythm and blues (R&B) diva to emerge from the CaribbeanCaribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
world." Becoming an international sensation, Rihanna is known for blending R&B with Caribbean music
Caribbean music
The music of the Caribbean is a diverse grouping of musical genres. They are each syntheses of African, European, Indian and native influences, largely created by descendants of African slaves...
, such as reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
. At the time of her debut, reviewers referred to her as a "bubblegum
Bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers, often using unknown singers.Bubblegum's classic period ran from 1967 to 1972...
queen" and her music to "teen pop
Teen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards teenagers. Teen pop copies genres and styles such as pop, dance, R&B, hip hop, country and rock....
." Larry Meyler of The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
stated that "Rihanna going bad is very good" and that she had "[shaken] off any 'teen pop' image as she rocked the stage." While performing at the Ottawa Bluesfest
Ottawa Bluesfest
The Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest is an annual outdoor music festival that takes place each July in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. While ostensibly focused on blues, the festival has increasingly showcased mainstream pop and rock acts in recent years...
, Denis Armstrong of Canadian Online Explorer
Canadian Online Explorer
Canadian Online Explorer is a bilingual online news and information site from Canada.A subsidiary of Quebecor Media, Canoe.ca is a leading local and national interactive media provider of news, entertainment and services, helping to inform and connect Canadians...
commented on her performance saying "her show was a Disney-esque choreographed fantasy of non-stop hip-swivelling, sassy attitude and personal endearments and a string of funky, sugar-free hits."
Rihanna was originally marketed as a reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
singer since she burst into the music scene in 2005, with a styles of pop, R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
and dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
. Her music include various styles of musical genres, including contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
, dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
and the Caribbean music
Caribbean music
The music of the Caribbean is a diverse grouping of musical genres. They are each syntheses of African, European, Indian and native influences, largely created by descendants of African slaves...
styles of reggae and dancehall. With the release of Music of the Sun
Music of the Sun
Music of the Sun is the debut album of Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna, released August 26, 2005 on Def Jam Recordings. Rihanna worked with several producers for the album, mainly Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers who produced and penned most of the tracks on the album. It features guest contributions by...
and its lead single "Pon de Replay
Pon de Replay
"Pon de Replay" is a song recorded by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her debut studio album Music of the Sun . The song was made available to download via iTunes on August 26, 2005, released as the album's lead single. The song was written and produced by Carl Sturken, Evan Rogers and...
", Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic described Rihanna's musical style as "synthesize Caribbean rhythms and beats with standard-issue urban dance-pop: Caribbean-inflected urban, if you will." Rihanna is described as utilizing "dancehall-lite beats and a reggae vocal cadence." NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
describes the singer as a "heady mix of dancehall, reggae and contemporary R&B." Barry Walters of Rolling Stone considers Rihanna's A Girl Like Me to be "lightweight dancehall and R&B jams." After the release of Good Girl Gone Bad, Allmusic's Andy Kellman credits Rihanna to be "as pop as pop gets." Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times described her hit "Umbrella
Umbrella (song)
"Umbrella" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna, featuring a rap verse by Jay-Z. The song was written by The-Dream, Christopher Stewart, Kuk Harrell and Jay-Z, and was produced by Stewart and The-Dream for Rihanna's third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad...
" as a lightweight pop confection with a heavy hip-hop backbeat, a breezy love song enriched by those unexpectedly goth-sounding keyboards and by the incongruous hint of anguish in Rihanna’s girlish voice.
Her debut album featured production from pop veterans Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken who first discovered her. Sturken and Rogers have collaborated with Rihanna many times, including with her debut single "Pon de Replay", which helped launch her career with the tradition of reggae and dance pop and collaborated on her second album. Rihanna then enlisted into the pop and contemporary R&B working with music producer Stargate
Stargate
Stargate is a adventure military science fiction franchise, initially conceived by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin. The first film in the franchise was simply titled Stargate. It was originally released on October 28, 1994, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Carolco, and became a hit, grossing nearly...
and singer-songwriter Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. , better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. Beginning his career as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario...
on "Unfaithful
Unfaithful (song)
"Unfaithful" is a ballad written by Ne-Yo, Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen for R&B singer Rihanna's second album, A Girl like Me. It was produced by Stargate and released as the album's second single in mid-2006. The music also featured, with Tamil lyrics, as the song, "Unakenna Naan" in...
" and sampling the key section, bass line, and drum beat from Soft Cell
Soft Cell
Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. They consist of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The duo is most widely known for their 1981 worldwide hit version of "Tainted Love" and platinum debut Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret...
's 1981 single "Tainted Love
Tainted Love
"Tainted Love" is a song composed by Ed Cobb, formerly of The Four Preps, which was originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1965. It attained worldwide fame after being covered by Soft Cell in 1981, reaching number one in the UK Singles Chart, and has since been covered by numerous groups and...
" on "SOS
SOS (Rihanna song)
"SOS" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna from her second studio album, A Girl like Me. The song was produced by J. R. Rotem and written by Rotem and Evan "Kidd" Bogart. It was released as the lead single from the album...
". With songs like "Kisses Don't Lie" and "Shut Up and Drive
Shut Up and Drive (Rihanna song)
"Shut Up and Drive" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad . Released as album's second single, the song was solicited to the US radios on June 12, 2007 and was physically released on August 27, 2007 in the United Kingdom...
", her music style became more rock-oriented. Unlike Music of the Sun or A Girl Like Me, her third album contained a more dance-pop sound and less of the dancehall, reggae and ballad styles of her previous albums. She has included various styles of music from uptempo pop-reggae with "Pon De Replay", to an 80s
1980s in music
For music from a year in the 1980s, go to 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89For a history of music in all times, see Timeline of musical events....
new wave fueled club banger "SOS" to the whiff of gothic horror in a love song "Unfaithful
Unfaithful (song)
"Unfaithful" is a ballad written by Ne-Yo, Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen for R&B singer Rihanna's second album, A Girl like Me. It was produced by Stargate and released as the album's second single in mid-2006. The music also featured, with Tamil lyrics, as the song, "Unakenna Naan" in...
". Most of her love subject ballads contain a mid-tempo pop sound, with an R&B influences that uses of a gently strummed acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
with the production of Stargate and the songs written by Ne-Yo. Some of her up-tempo dance-pop songs include production from Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart
Christopher Stewart (music producer)
Christopher "Tricky" Stewart is an American songwriter, music producer, music publisher, executive producer, recording industry executive and recording studio owner. In a career spanning 16 years, Stewart, at the helm of his company RedZone Entertainment, is responsible for over 25 million...
and J. R. Rotem. She has also sampled songs from other artist like Soft Cell's "Tainted Love
Tainted Love
"Tainted Love" is a song composed by Ed Cobb, formerly of The Four Preps, which was originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1965. It attained worldwide fame after being covered by Soft Cell in 1981, reaching number one in the UK Singles Chart, and has since been covered by numerous groups and...
" on "SOS", New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
's "Blue Monday
Blue Monday (New Order song)
"Blue Monday" is a single released in 1983 by British band New Order, and later remixed in 1988 and 1995. The song has been widely remixed and covered since its original release, and became a popular anthem in the dance club scene.-Background:...
" on "Shut Up and Drive" and '70s original song "Soul Makossa
Soul Makossa
"Soul Makossa" is a 1972 single by Cameroonian makossa saxophonist Manu Dibango. It is often cited as one of the first disco records. In 1972 David Mancuso found a copy in a Brooklyn West Indian record store and often played it at his Loft parties. The response was so positive that the few copies...
" of Manu Dibango
Manu Dibango
-External links:*...
with a part of the chorus from Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" is a song by American songwriter and recording artist Michael Jackson. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was released on May 8, 1983, by Epic Records as the fourth single from Jackson's sixth studio album Thriller in 1982. It is the first song on Thriller...
" on "Don't Stop the Music
Don't Stop the Music (Rihanna song)
"Don't Stop the Music" is a dance-pop song performed by Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna from her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad. It was the third single from the album in most of Europe, the second single in Germany and Spain and the fourth single in the rest of the world...
".
Influences
Rihanna has named MadonnaMadonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
as her idol and biggest influence, and said she wants to be the "black Madonna". She said: "I think that Madonna was a great inspiration for me, especially on my earlier work. If I had to examine her evolution through time, I think she reinvented her clothing style and music with success every single time. And at the same time remained a real force in entertainment in the whole world." Rihanna also cited Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
as her influence and idol. She said "I looked up to [Mariah] a lot and I still do. I admire her as an artist, and to [compete with her] was a moment I will never forget for the rest of my life. Of Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
, Rihanna has commented that "[s]he was one of the first female pop icons that I could relate to ... She was so vibrant, she had so much energy. She still has power. I’ve seen her on stage, and she can stand there for 20 minutes and have the whole arena scream at her. You have to love Janet." Beyoncé
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
has been named as a major influence, citing that she was inspired to start her career after watching Knowles on television as part of a Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
performance. Her other musical influences include Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
, (for whom she built a shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
in her Los Angeles home) Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
, Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
, Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
, Brandy
Brandy Norwood
Brandy Rayana Norwood , known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and dancer. In 2009, she introduced her rap alter-ego Bran'Nu....
and Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Renée Stefani is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani is the lead vocalist for the rock and ska band No Doubt. Stefani recorded her first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004. The album was inspired by music of the 1980s, and was a success with sales of over...
. Her friend and former Island Def Jam record label artist Fefe Dobson
Fefe Dobson
Felicia Lily "Fefe" Dobson is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Her self-titled debut album earned her two Juno Award nominations. Her second album, Sunday Love, was not released and she was terminated from her recording company...
was someone that she admired and looked up to, having a fellow artist writing, singing, and performing the music she truly loves.
Rihanna's music contains strong influences of Caribbean music
Caribbean music
The music of the Caribbean is a diverse grouping of musical genres. They are each syntheses of African, European, Indian and native influences, largely created by descendants of African slaves...
which include reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
. The video for "Rude Boy" was inspired by her Caribbean roots. In an interview, she stated that while growing up in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
she grew up listening to reggae music and when she came to the United States she was exposed to many different types of music. During the Good Girl Gone Bad Tour, she did a cover to "Is This Love
Is This Love (Bob Marley song)
"Is This Love" is a song by Bob Marley & The Wailers, released on his 1978 album Kaya. The song became one of the best known Marley songs and was part of the Legend compilation...
" which paid tribute to Marley; she would later do a cover song to Bob Marley & The Wailers
Bob Marley & The Wailers
Bob Marley & The Wailers were a Jamaican reggae, ska and rocksteady band formed by Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer in 1963. Additional members were Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, Cherry Smith and Aston and Carlton Barrett...
' "Redemption Song". Rihanna commented that Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
and vintage clothing
Vintage clothing
Vintage clothing is a generic term for new or second hand garments originating from a previous era. The phrase is also used in connection with a retail outlet, e.g...
served for visual inspiration for the music video "Hate That I Love You
Hate That I Love You
"Hate That I Love You" is a song by Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna, released as the third single from her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad on August 21, 2007. It features R&B singer Ne-Yo, who had worked with Rihanna previously, contributing to her 2006 hit "Unfaithful". The song was produced...
" and "Rehab
Rehab (Rihanna song)
"Rehab" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, released as the eighth and final single from her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad . Def Jam Recordings released the song to contemporary hit radio in the United States on October 6, 2008...
"; in contrast, the "dark, creepy" scenes of "Disturbia" have drawn comparison to Michael Jackson's Thriller. The music video ranked number five on the "Top Five Most Paranoid Music Videos" published by MTV Buzzworthy. Jon Bream of the Star Tribune
Star Tribune
The Star Tribune is the largest newspaper in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is published seven days each week in an edition for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. A statewide version is also available across Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota. The...
commented "[i]n the tradition of Madonna and Janet Jackson, Rihanna has become the video vixen of the '00s ... Rihanna has perfected the pout, the long-legged strut and trend-setting hairdos that keep women and men alike checking her out on YouTube." George Epaminondas of InStyle considers Rihanna's music videos to be "cinematic" due to her "blend of lush island rhythms and swinging pop and ... mischievous sensuality."
Public image
New YorkNew York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine described Rihanna's early look as that of a cookie-cutter teen queen while stating that she has the ability to shift looks dramatically and with great ease. This was underscored when in March 2011 American Chronicle writer Arturo Tora termed her “Rihannaissance Woman.” Around the time of the release of her second album, many critics felt that Rihanna's sound and musical material were too similar to those of Beyoncé
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
. Negative reviews appeared, in which her music, music videos, performances and her image were compared to those of Beyoncé, which garnered Rihanna much criticism. Some media even claimed that Jay-Z fashioned her to be a replica of Beyoncé. During the release of her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad
Good Girl Gone Bad
Good Girl Gone Bad is the third studio album by Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna, released May 30, 2007, on Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions for the album took place during October 2006 to April 2007 at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles. Rihanna worked with producers Christopher "Tricky"...
, she adopted a more sexual image. Sonya Magett of Black Voices reported that Rihanna's style has become quite risqué since she burst onto the scene four years ago. After revealing a new image while headlining her first tour, she was likely to be criticized for her tight leather outfit during each show. A review in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
compared Rihanna's stage wardrobe styling to that of Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
. He described her outfit as "a vision of Ann Summers
Ann Summers
Ann Summers is a United Kingdom-based retailer specialising in sex toys and lingerie, with over 140 high street stores in the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands and Spain. In 2000, Ann Summers acquired the Knickerbox brand, a label with an emphasis on more comfortable and feminine underwear, while...
couture in thigh-high boots and a few scraps of black PVC." Stuart Derdeyn of The Province
The Province
The Province is a daily, tabloid format newspaper published in British Columbia by Postmedia. It has been a daily newspaper since 1898.According to a recent NADbank survey, The Provinces average weekday readership was 520,100, making it British Columbia's most read newspaper...
commented that "even with the whole haute couture B&D clearly firing on all points, she's still got a ways to go to become the new Janet Jackson."
Rihanna has appeared on Maxim
Maxim (magazine)
Maxim is an international men's magazine based in the United Kingdom and known for its pictorials featuring popular actresses, singers, and female models, sometimes pictured dressed, often pictured scantily dressed but not fully nude....
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
's 10 Best Dressed Stars of 2008, and ranked seventeenth on Glamour
Glamour (magazine)
Glamour is a women's magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. Founded in 1939 in the United States, it was originally called Glamour of Hollywood....
magazine's list of the 50 Most Glamorous Women in 2009. Tracey Lomrantz of Glamour commented, "If style risks could be measured in miles, Rihanna would have criss-crossed the globe a thousand times over already." Rihanna was also declared as Woman of the Year 2009 by Glamour. In June 2007, Gillette named her the Venus Breeze's Celebrity Legs of a Goddess. In October 2011, Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
declared Rihanna as the Sexiest Woman Alive. Rihanna has four wax figure
Wax figure
A wax sculpture is a sculpture made in wax. Often these are effigies, usually of a notable individual, but there are also death masks and scenes with many figures, mostly in relief....
s of herself at Madame Tussauds Wax Museums in Washington D.C., Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Rihanna's tattoo
Tattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
s include a music note tattoo on her ankle, a Pisces sign behind her right ear, a Sanskrit prayer going down her hip, a star in her left ear, the word love on her left middle finger, an Arabic phrase meaning "Freedom in Christ" on her ribcage area, a trail of stars going down the back of her neck, a skull with a pink hair bow, the phrase "shhh..." on her right index finger
Index finger
The index finger, , is the first finger and the second digit of a human hand. It is located between the first and third digits, between the thumb and the middle finger...
, the date 11.4.86 in Roman numerals
Roman numerals
The numeral system of ancient Rome, or Roman numerals, uses combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet to signify values. The numbers 1 to 10 can be expressed in Roman numerals as:...
on top of her left shoulder, a henna-style dragon claw including hibiscus flowers, a handgun under her right armpit, a six-word phrase on her chest, and the phrase "rebelle fleur" on her neck, which means "rebel/rebellious flower" in French. Her gun tattoo was planned to be just below her shoulders but was ultimately located on her ribcage. In answer to criticism for her violence-themed tattoo, Keith "Bang Bang" McCurdy, her tattoo artist, was quick to explain his opinion that the image simply "represents strength and power". Her thirteenth tattoo which she had was on her chest and reads, "Never a failure, always a lesson". She had it tattoed backwards, McCurdy says, because she wanted to be able to read it in the mirror. When he asked why she wanted it, she said that it was her "motto in life for everything".
Other ventures
In October 2005, Rihanna struck her first endorsement deal with Secret Body Spray for them to sponsor her first tour, Rihanna's Secret Body Spray Tour In 2006, Rihanna participated in several endorsement deals, including NikeNike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
sportswear for the launch of her "SOS" and J. C. Penney
J. C. Penney
-External links:*...
. That same year, she received an endorsement deal from Clinique
Clinique
Clinique is a manufacturer of skincare, cosmetics, toiletries and fragrances, owned by the Estée Lauder Corporation.- History :In 1967, American Vogue magazine published an article called “Can Great Skin Be Created?”, written by beauty editor Carol Phillips with Dr. Norman Orentreich, discussing...
to promote their Happy fragrance. She recorded a song written by Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. , better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. Beginning his career as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario...
entitled "Just Be Happy" as part of the deal to promote their Happy fragrance. Rihanna also recorded a song called "Winning Women" with Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente Scherzinger is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer, model, and actress. Scherzinger is perhaps best known for being the lead vocalist of the Pussycat Dolls....
for Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
's female deodorant Secret. In 2007, Rihanna signed with CoverGirl and became a celebrity spokesperson which included appearances on TV commercials and in the Barbados Tourism Authority's tourism commercials.
In December 2008, Rihanna contracted with Gucci
Gucci
The House of Gucci, better known simply as Gucci , is an Italian fashion and leather goods label, part of the Gucci Group, which is owned by French company PPR...
to appear in their ads for the Tattoo Heart Collection, a special-edition line. In the Gucci handbag ad, Rihanna is seen hanging from a giant hoop, scantily clad in a barely-there white bodysuit and wearing an oversized white Gucci purse. The success of her single, "Umbrella
Umbrella (song)
"Umbrella" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna, featuring a rap verse by Jay-Z. The song was written by The-Dream, Christopher Stewart, Kuk Harrell and Jay-Z, and was produced by Stewart and The-Dream for Rihanna's third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad...
" earned her an endorsement deal with Totes
Totes
Totes»ISOTONER is an international umbrella, footwear, and cold weather accessory supplier. The company is based in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Totes is the largest supplier of umbrellas in the world with divisions in the United States, Canada, UK, and France...
. Her handlers pitched her hit "Umbrella" to Totes and the song became the soundtrack for commercials in which she starred. On April 8, 2009, it was announced that Rihanna inked a fragrance deal with Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
’s licensing company Iconic Fragrances. The fragrance is named Reb'l Fleur
Reb'l Fleur
Reb'l Fleur is the first woman's fragrance by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released in the United States on January 25, 2011, and in the United Kingdom on August 19, 2011.- Information :...
and was released in 2011. Rihanna was working with her artistic director for Rated R
Rated R (Rihanna album)
Rated R is the fourth studio album by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, first released November 20, 2009, on Def Jam Recordings. The album is a musical distance from her previous effort Good Girl Gone Bad , which contained up-tempo and ballad-oriented songs, and it heavily incorporated pop and...
, Simon Henwood, on the book Rihanna
Rihanna (book)
Rihanna is a coffee table book by Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna, in collaboration with artistic director Simon Henwood. It was released on October 19, 2010.-History:...
. It was released on September 14, 2010. In August 2010 Rihanna began appearing in an Australian television advert for Optus
Optus
SingTel Optus Pty Limited is the second largest telecommunications company in Australia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Telecommunications...
, a position previously held by Pink
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
. In May 2011, Rihanna became a spokeswoman for the German skincare brand Nivea
Nivea
Nivea is a global skin- and body-care brand that is owned by the German company Beiersdorf. The company was founded on March 28 1882 by pharmacist Carl Paul Beiersdorf. In 1900, the new owner Oskar Troplowitz developed a water-in-oil emulsion as a skin cream with Eucerit, the first stable emulsion...
. Rihanna's song "California King Bed
California King Bed
"California King Bed" is a song performed by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna from her fifth studio album, Loud . The song was released as the album's fifth single on May 13, 2011 through Def Jam. The song was written by Andrew Harr, Jermaine Jackson, Priscilla Renea and Alex Delicata, and was...
" was featured as a part of Nivea's "100 Years of Skincare" commercial campaign.
Philanthropy
Rihanna created her Believe Foundation in 2006 to help terminally ill children. Rihanna explained her reasons for starting the foundation saying, "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." Rihanna is also heavily involved in the marketing of her native country of BarbadosBarbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. She began by including the flag
Flag of Barbados
The national flag of Barbados was officially adopted on 30 November 1966, the island's first Independence Day. It consists of a triband of two bands of ultramarine separated by a golden middle band. A black trident-head is centred within the golden band...
and broken trident
Trident
A trident , also called a trishul or leister or gig, is a three-pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and was also a military weapon. Tridents are featured widely in mythical, historical and modern culture. The major Hindu god, Shiva the Destroyer and the sea god Poseidon or Neptune are...
in many of her videos, shooting her album packaging for A Girl Like Me there. In September 2007, she became the official face of tourism for Barbados, being included in many of their ad campaigns. She holds the honorary title of Ambassador for Culture and Youth in Barbados. She additionally was honored by the Prime Minister David Thompson
David Thompson (Barbadian politician)
David John Howard Thompson, QC, MP was the sixth Prime Minister of Barbados from January 2008 until his death from pancreatic cancer on 23 October 2010....
, who presented her with several gifts at a national concert on February 20, 2008, in Barbados, called "Rihanna Day". In February 2008, Rihanna thanked and honoured her country during the acceptance speech for her win of "Best Rap/Sung Collaboration" at the Grammy Awards. Although Rihanna is heavily involved in the promotion of her country and works with the government in Barbados to do so, she is often criticized by other Barbadians for everything from her music to her successes and for wearing "skimpy clothes". Rihanna, speaking on one incident, said, "I went to the beach and I had on a one-piece swimsuit with jeans [...] They took the picture and they made it look like a top that was really revealing... There were [...] radio programmes about it. It was a big deal for, like, three weeks straight – talking about I'm not setting a good example." Rihanna states she was bullied at school. "Having lighter skin wasn’t a problem in my household, but it was when I went to school – which really confused me at first. The harassment continued to my very last day of elementary school."
Rihanna has performed a number of concerts to raise funds for both charities and the Foundation and is a 2008 Cartier
Cartier SA
Cartier S.A., commonly known as Cartier , is a French luxury jeweler and watch manufacturer. The corporation carries the name of the Cartier family of jewellers whose control ended in 1964 and who were known for numerous pieces including the "Bestiary" , the diamond necklace created for Bhupinder...
Love Charity Bracelet Ambassador. She performed at Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
’s Raising Malawi
Raising Malawi
Raising Malawi is a charity non-profit organization that was founded by Madonna and Michael Berg in 2006. It is dedicated to helping with the extreme poverty and hardship endured by Malawi's one million orphans.-Mission statement:-Charity fundraiser:...
fundraiser on February 6, 2008, in New York City. After becoming an honorary cultural ambassador for Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, Rihanna became involved with DKMS, an international donor network based in Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
, Germany, to try to find a donor for Lisa Gershowitz Flynn. The Manhattan attorney had been diagnosed in November with acute myelogenous leukemia. In January 2008, Rihanna contributed in the fight against AIDS when she visited the H&M
H&M
H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Swedish retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children....
in New York to support Fashion Against AIDS by presenting her t-shirt design and signing autographs for a limited time with slogans like "Believe" and "Stop and Think." The collection features t-shirts and hoodies designed by Rihanna, Timbaland and other well-known designers, musicians and artists. The line, called Fashion Against AIDS, was launched in February 2008 to raise awareness of the disease among teens and spread awareness about HIV/AIDS. In August 2008, Rihanna and other pop, rock, R&B and country singers such as Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...
, Ciara
Ciara
Ciara Princess Harris , known mononymously as Ciara, is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, actress and fashion model. Born in Austin, Texas, she traveled around the world during her childhood, only to land in Atlanta, Georgia where she met music producer, Jazze Pha...
, Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
, Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....
, Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
, Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
, and Fergie recorded the charity single, "Just Stand Up!
Just Stand Up!
"Just Stand Up!" is a song performed by an all-star charity supergroup of pop, R&B, rock, country artists during the live version during the telethon "Stand Up to Cancer"...
", the theme song to the anti-cancer campaign Stand Up to Cancer
Stand Up To Cancer
Stand Up To Cancer is a charitable program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation established by media, entertainment and philanthropic leaders who have been affected by cancer. SU2C aims to raise significant funds for translational cancer research through online and televised efforts...
and its theme song. The singers performed the song live on September 5, 2008. Rihanna was also selected as the spokesmodel for Gucci’s first United Nations Children's Fund
United Nations Children's Fund
United Nations Children's Fund was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946, to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II...
ad campaign. She appeared in the fashion house’s Tattoo Heart campaign, which premiered in December 2008. Rihanna was photographed in series of special edition print ads with United Nations Children's Fund items, twenty-five percent of sales will benefit the children’s charity.
On November 19, 2008, Rihanna was enlisted by Gucci
Gucci
The House of Gucci, better known simply as Gucci , is an Italian fashion and leather goods label, part of the Gucci Group, which is owned by French company PPR...
's Frida Giannini
Giannini
Giannini is a traditional fine musical instruments maker in Brazil.Founded in 1900 by Tranquillo Giannini, an Italian immigrant with enormous luthier talents. Their first industrial plant was locatet at Av...
along with Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
to light the United Nations Children's Fund Christmas snowflake in New York City at the Grand Army Plaza. In 2008, she became the global representative and the face of the 4th annual Gucci Campaign to Benefit United Nations Children's Fund. The campaign aimed to raise funds for children in Africa through the sale of its Tattoo Heart collection of bags, which launched worldwide on November 19, 2008. Rihanna has been a part of many benefit concerts to help raise money for various illnesses, such as cancer for Hope Rocks. Rihanna performed on January 20, 2009, at the Recording Industry Association of America's Presidential Inauguration Charity Ball to raise money for the world largest anti-hunger organization. On April 2, 2009, Rihanna visited the NYU Medical Center to help look for another bone marrow donor for a young girl named Jasmina Anema. Rihanna first learned about Anema's plight in February 2009, when she saw the moving video Anema's best friend, Isabelle Huurman, and her mother, Karen Detrick, made appealing for donors to save Anema. Rihanna honored Anema's best friend, Isabella, for her efforts for trying to save her best friend at a DKMS Gala on May 7, 2009. Jasmina Anema eventually received her transplant on June 11, 2009, but died on January 27, 2010. In September 2009, Rihanna performed at Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
's "Answer the Call" concert, which paid tribute to the police officers and firefighters who died on the September 11 attacks.
In February 2011, Rihanna was scheduled to perform at a charity concert for the Women's Cancer Research Fund, but was forced to pull out at the last minute, due to bronchitis
Bronchitis
Acute bronchitis is an inflammation of the large bronchi in the lungs that is usually caused by viruses or bacteria and may last several days or weeks. Characteristic symptoms include cough, sputum production, and shortness of breath and wheezing related to the obstruction of the inflamed airways...
.
Discography
- Music of the SunMusic of the SunMusic of the Sun is the debut album of Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna, released August 26, 2005 on Def Jam Recordings. Rihanna worked with several producers for the album, mainly Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers who produced and penned most of the tracks on the album. It features guest contributions by...
(2005) - A Girl Like MeA Girl Like Me (Rihanna album)A Girl like Me is the second studio album by Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna. It was released through Def Jam Recordings on April 19, 2006 in Japan, on April 24 in the United Kingdom, and on April 25 in the United States. For the production of the album, Rihanna worked with Evan Rogers, Carl Sturken,...
(2006) - Good Girl Gone BadGood Girl Gone BadGood Girl Gone Bad is the third studio album by Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna, released May 30, 2007, on Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions for the album took place during October 2006 to April 2007 at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles. Rihanna worked with producers Christopher "Tricky"...
(2007) - Rated RRated R (Rihanna album)Rated R is the fourth studio album by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, first released November 20, 2009, on Def Jam Recordings. The album is a musical distance from her previous effort Good Girl Gone Bad , which contained up-tempo and ballad-oriented songs, and it heavily incorporated pop and...
(2009) - LoudLoud (Rihanna album)Loud is the fifth studio album by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, first released on November 12, 2010 by Def Jam Recordings. The album was recorded between February and August 2010, predominantly during Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth Tour and filming for her first feature film Battleship...
(2010) - Talk That TalkTalk That TalkTalk That Talk is the sixth studio album by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna and was released on November 18, 2011, through Def Jam Recordings. The lead single from the album, "We Found Love" featuring Calvin Harris, premiered on Capital FM radio on September 22, 2011, and was released on iTunes...
(2011)
See also
- Culture of BarbadosCulture of BarbadosThe culture of Barbados is a blend of West African and British cultures present in Barbados. The Bajan, or Barbadian dialect is an iconic part of the culture. But English is still the official language, reflecting centuries of British rule....
- Music of BarbadosMusic of BarbadosThe music of Barbados includes distinctive national styles of folk and popular music, including elements of Western classical and religious music...
- List of artists who reached number one in the United States
- List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna
- List of best-selling music artists
- List of number-one hits (United States)
- List of Rihanna songs
- List of Rihanna tours
External links
- Rihanna at Island Def Jam Music Group
- Rihanna's Believe Foundation