Rihanna

1988–2002: Early life Rihanna's parents' house in Bridgetown, just a few meters from the city's harbor Robyn Rihanna Fenty was born in Saint Michael, Barbados, on February 20, 1988. She is the daughter of Monica (née Braithwaite), an Afro-Guyanese accountant, and Ronald Fenty, a Barbadian warehouse supervisor of African, Irish, English, and Scottish descent. Rihanna has two younger brothers, Rorrey and Rajad Fenty, as well as two half-sisters and a half-brother from her father's previous relationships. She was raised in a three-bedroom bungalow in Bridgetown and helped her father sell clothes at a street stall. Her childhood was affected by her father's alcoholism and crack cocaine addiction, which strained her parents' marriage. Rihanna has spoken about witnessing her father physically abuse her mother, describing her as "one of the strongest women I know, if not the strongest". As a child, Rihanna suffered from intense headaches that required multiple CT scans, with doctors once suspecting a tumor. Her health began to improve after her parents divorced when she was 14. She attended Charles F. Broome Memorial Primary School and Combermere School. One of her teachers described her as a "well-behaved student" who avoided trouble. She showed an interest in singing, dancing, and poetry. Around this time, Rihanna began listening to reggae artists such as Sizzla and Damien Marley, as well as R&B musicians like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. At the age of 11, she became a cadet in Barbados's Cadet Corps, with future singer Shontelle as her drill sergeant. Though she initially planned to finish high school, she ultimately dropped out at age 16 to pursue a music career. 2003–2006: Career beginnings with Music of the Sun and A Girl Like Me In 2003, Rihanna formed a music trio with two classmates in Barbados. Unnamed and without original material, the girl group auditioned for American producer Evan Rogers, who recalled that "the minute Rihanna walked into the room, it was like the other two girls didn't exist". The trio went on to perform a cover of Destiny's Child's "Emotion". Impressed, Rogers arranged a second meeting with Rihanna and her mother—this time without the other two girls—and later invited them to his hometown in Connecticut to record demo tapes for record label submissions. Rihanna's demo tape included "Pon de Replay" and "The Last Time". In 2005, she became the first artist to sign with Syndicated Rhythm Productions, the production company founded by Rogers and Carl Sturken. Rihanna performing at the KIIS-FM Jingle Ball in 2005 Rihanna's demo was sent to rapper Jay-Z, who had just become the president and CEO of the record label Def Jam Recordings. Although Jay-Z initially thought "Pon de Replay" was too big for a new artist, he invited her to audition. In early 2005, she performed in New York City for Jay-Z and music executive Antonio "L.A." Reid, singing Whitney Houston's "For the Love of You" along with demo tracks "Pon de Replay" an

Music and voice Rihanna is a mezzo-soprano with a vocal range spanning from B2 to C♯6. She began vocal training during the recording of Good Girl Gone Bad (2007) under the guidance of Ne-Yo, who taught her breathing techniques and vocal delivery. Critics have highlighted her versatility across different projects: James Skinner of the BBC described her performance on "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" as "commanding, soulful and vulnerable", while Andy Gill of The Independent cited "California King Bed" as her strongest vocal performance. Billboard said that "Diamonds" showcased her "throatiest, most impassioned vocals", and Jon Caramanica of The New York Times wrote that her voice developed into "a weapon of emotional chill and strategic indifference". In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked her sixty-eighth on its list of the "200 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rihanna's music is primarily R&B and pop singer, and incorporates elements of various genres like dancehall, EDM, and adult contemporary. Her musical career has been marked by experimentation, and she has stated that her goal was "to make music that could be heard in parts of the world that I'd never been to". In Barbados, Rihanna drew early inspiration from reggae, soca, and hip-hop, and after relocating to the US, she was introduced to a wider variety of genres, including rock. Rihanna's early dancehall roots are evident on her first two albums, Music of the Sun (2005) and A Girl Like Me (2006). Music of the Sun demonstrates the influence of her Caribbean musical heritage; Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times called Rihanna "the latest singer to discover how versatile the genre's spring-loaded electronic rhythms can be". Aiming for artistic growth, A Girl Like Me expresses personal experiences that typical young adult women undergo, with ballads that were described as elegant and mature. Good Girl Gone Bad (2007) marked a departure from her Caribbean-influenced beginnings and is widely regarded as a turning point in her career, with uptempo dance-pop tracks like "Push Up on Me" and "Don't Stop the Music". The album's first half features strong 1980s pop influences, while the second half leans more toward traditional R&B. Rihanna's rock-imbued record Rated R (2009), released after the assault by her then-boyfriend, Chris Brown, had a much darker tone and was filled with various emotions she experienced since then. With the dance-pop set Loud (2010), she reflected on the fun she had while recording the album, incorporating ballads, party anthems, and empowering love songs. On Talk That Talk (2011), Rihanna expanded on her dance-pop style while adopting a more overtly sexual persona and incorporating elements of R&B, hip-hop, dancehall, and dubstep. Loud and Talk That Talk saw her explore sexuality in her work ("S&M" and "Birthday Cake") and return to her dancehall roots ("Man Down" and "Watch n' Learn"). Vulnerability is explored on the pop and synth-pop record Unapologetic (2012), which Vulture descr

Rihanna at the Australian premiere of Battleship in 2012 Rihanna has been described by the media as a pop and fashion icon, particularly since the release of Good Girl Gone Bad (2007). Known for her changing style and image, Rihanna's music and fashion choices have been closely followed by the media. In 2009, New York magazine described her early look as that of "a cookie-cutter teen queen" and praised her ability to shift appearances with ease. Around the time of her second album A Girl Like Me (2006), critics often compared her style and sound to that of Beyoncé. When asked about the comparisons, Rihanna told Look magazine that while she admired Beyoncé and felt honoured to be mentioned alongside her, they were different performers with their own approaches. Speaking later with Oprah on Next Chapter, she explained that Def Jam's early attempts to mold her into a "pop princess" made her feel boxed in, saying the label had a clear image for her without first allowing her to find her own identity. With the release of her third album Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), Rihanna abandoned her innocent image in favour of a sharper, edgier style. Her bob haircut, which became emblematic of the era, was inspired by Charlize Theron's look in the film Æon Flux (2005). Nico Amarca of Highsnobiety later observed that Rihanna had undergone "one of the most significant aesthetic metamorphoses the world ha[d] ever seen". Her appearance and fashion have changed repeatedly since then, and each shift has often become associated with her artistic identity. Rihanna has credited her mother as the earliest inspiration for her love of fashion, recalling how she admired her getting dressed as a child. She has said that her own approach to style is about taking risks and finding unusual silhouettes. Jess Cartner-Morley of The Guardian called her wardrobe "the most talked-about, influential and dissected in pop", stating that whatever she wears is quickly reproduced in mainstream fashion. Rihanna has been described by critics as having sex appeal. She is often labeled as a sex symbol, a label she has said is flattering but also uncomfortable. She has appeared on the cover of magazines such as Maxim, FHM, and Rolling Stone. In December 2012, Rihanna became the first woman featured on the cover of GQ's "Men of the Year" issue. She first attended the Met Gala in 2007 and has appeared several times since. Her 2015 appearance in a yellow Guo Pei gown drew massive attention online, generating over a billion impressions and inspiring a documentary, Yellow Is Forbidden (2018). Rihanna later co-chaired the 2018 gala, wearing Maison Margiela for the Heavenly Bodies theme. Through her fashion ventures, Rihanna has become one of the wealthiest musicians; in 2021, she became the richest female musician at the time, with a net worth of $1.7 billion. Forbes included her on its Celebrity 100 list in 2014, 2016, and 2017, and featured her on its list of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women of 2019. Ac

See also: List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna Waxwork of Rihanna at Madame Tussauds, London With estimated worldwide sales exceeding 250 million records as of 2023, Rihanna is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She has accumulated numerous awards and honours, including nine Grammy Awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards, and thirteen American Music Awards. She was presented with the American Music Awards' Icon Award in 2013 and the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards. In 2012, she set a Guinness World Record as the best-selling digital artist in the US. In July 2015, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced that Rihanna had surpassed 100 million gold and platinum song certifications. This made her the artist with the most digital single awards and the first performer to exceed RIAA's 100 million cumulative singles certification threshold. Rihanna has fourteen number-one singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, placing her third for the most chart-topping songs in its history. In August 2018, Billboard ranked Rihanna as the tenth-most successful Hot 100 artist of all time and it also named her the top Hot 100 artist of the 2010s. Rihanna has eight number-one singles on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, seven on the Airplay chart, and sixteen on the Rhythmic chart. In the US, Rihanna has sold more than ten million albums. She has also earned nine number-one songs on the UK Singles Chart and ranks second to the Beatles for the most million-selling singles in the country. She is the UK's third best-selling female artist of the 21st century, having sold seven million albums. Billboard named Rihanna the "Greatest Pop Star" of 2007 and 2012. The publication also ranked her at number three on its list of the "Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century" (2024) and number two on its "Top 100 Women Artists of the 21st Century" (2025). Rolling Stone included her single "Umbrella" in its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" and her album Anti amongst the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Time named her one of the most influential people in the world in 2012 and 2018. Her work has influenced artists such as Lorde, Sam Smith, Billie Eilish, Selena Gomez, Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding, Kim Petras, Marilyn Manson, Jessie J, SZA, Ayra Starr, and Demi Lovato. Several wax figures of Rihanna are found at Madame Tussauds Wax Museums in major cities around the world. She has been honoured with the title of Ambassador for Culture and Youth in Barbados. On February 22, 2008, Prime Minister David Thompson officially proclaimed "Rihanna Day" in Barbados, which—while not an official public holiday—is celebrated annually by locals in her honour. She was named "Humanitarian of the Year" by Harvard University's Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations in 2017. The Barbadian government appointed her as an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary on September 20, 2018, with the d

Rihanna has expanded into various business ventures and endorsements. In 2010, she featured in a Kodak advertisement alongside rapper Pitbull. That year, she released a photo book documenting the Last Girl on Earth tour, serving as a companion to her album Rated R (2009). In 2011, Rihanna was the face of Nivea and Vita Coco. Rihanna's first television program, Styled to Rock, premiered in the UK on Sky Living in August 2012. Over the ten-week series, she joined Nicola Roberts, Lysa Cooper, and Henry Holland to mentor emerging British designers on developing their clothing lines. The US adaptation of Styled to Rock debuted on Bravo in October 2013. In July 2013, Budweiser announced that Rihanna had joined their global Made For Music campaign, appearing alongside Jay-Z. Business ventures Rihanna's first fragrance, Reb'l Fleur, was released in January 2011. Rolling Stone deemed it a commercial success, projecting that it would generate US$80 million in retail sales by the end of the year. Her second fragrance, Rebelle, followed in December 2011. Director Anthony Mandler shot the promotional campaigns for both fragrances. In November 2012, she introduced her third fragrance, Nude. Her fourth women's scent, Rogue, debuted in September 2013; a men's version entitled Rogue Man launched in 2014. In 2013, Rihanna partnered with MAC Cosmetics to launch her own summer and fall makeup collections under the name RiRi Hearts MAC. In March 2015, Rihanna was announced as a co-owner of the music streaming platform Tidal, alongside several other artists. The service specializes in lossless audio and high-definition music videos. Including Beyoncé and Jay-Z, 16 artist stakeholders co-own Tidal, most of whom own a 3% equity stake. In 2016, it was confirmed that Rihanna would release her music through her own label, Westbury Road Entertainment, founded in 2005 and named after her childhood home in Barbados. In November 2015, Rihanna partnered with Benoit Demouy to launch Fr8me, a Los Angeles-based beauty and stylist agency supporting artists with commercial bookings, photo shoots, campaigns, and red-carpet appearances. She also established a photography agency, A Dog Ate My Homework, representing photographers Erik Asla and Deborah Anderson. Early in her career, Rihanna expressed a strong interest in fashion and a desire to pursue clothing design, calling the former her "defence mechanism". In November 2011, she launched her first fashion venture in collaboration with Armani. By February 2013, she debuted her first women's fashion collection at London Fashion Week for the British brand River Island, working closely with her personal stylist, Adam Selman. Together, they released three additional collections for the brand. Rihanna went on to collaborate with numerous fashion houses, including Dior, Stance, and Manolo Blahnik. In March 2015, she became the first Black woman to be named the new face of Dior. In 2014, Rihanna was named creative director of Puma's women's