She has attained fourteen Billboard Hot 100 number ones thus far and is the second Barbadian artist to win a Grammy Award. She is also a cultural ambassador for Barbados. In 2021 Rihanna was named a "National Hero" in her home country, earning her the title "The Right Excellent."
Rihanna was born in Saint Michael, Barbados to Ronald Fenty, a warehouse supervisor, and Monica Fenty, an accountant. Her mother, a native of Guyana, is Afro-Guyanese and her father is Bajan and Irish. She is the oldest of three siblings; two younger brothers, Rorrey and Rajad Fenty. She began singing at around the age of seven. Her childhood was deeply affected by her father's addiction to crack cocaine and parent's rocky marriage, which ended when she was fourteen years old. Rihanna 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 at the age of fifteen. In 2004 she won the Miss Combermere Beauty Pageant. She was an army cadet in a sub-military programme that trained with the military of Barbados and Shontelle was her drill sergeant.
At the age of 15, she formed a girl group with two of her classmates. In 2003, friends introduced Rihanna and her two bandmates to record producer Evan Rogers, who was vacationing in Barbados with his wife. The group auditioned for Rogers, who said that "the minute Rihanna walked into the room, it was like the other two girls didn't exist." While auditioning for Rogers, Rihanna sang Destiny's Child's cover of "Emotion". Over the next year, Rihanna and her mom shuttled back and forth to Rogers home in Stamford, Connecticut. Then, shortly after turning 16, she relocated in the United States and moved in with Rogers and his wife. Carl Sturken helped Rihanna record a four-song demo, which included the ballad "The Last Time," a cover of Whitney Houston’s hit "For the Love of You" and what would become her first hit, "Pon de Replay" to send to various recording companies. It took a year to record the demos, because she was going to school and would only record during summer and Christmas school breaks. Rihanna's demo made its way to Def Jam, which invited her to audition for the label's then-president, Jay-Z, who quickly signed her.
Rihanna broke into the recording industry in 2005 with the release of her debut album Music of the Sun, which features the number 2 hit single "Pon de Replay". Less than a year later, Rihanna released album artist=Rihanna]A Girl Like Me and earned her first number-one single, "SOS, which sampled the popular 80s track "Tainted Love". "Unfaithful" was also released and was fairly successful.
Rihanna released her third album Good Girl Gone Bad in June 2007. Prior to the release of the album, she spent the week of the Grammys writing songs for the album with Ne-Yo. She adopted a more sexual image while recording the album, eventually dying her hair black and cutting it short. Rihanna worked with Timbaland and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, as well as previous musical collaborators such as Stargate, Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers to re-imagine her album compositions with uptempo dance tracks. 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 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.
It yielded eight hit singles - "Umbrella" "Shut Up and Drive", "Don't Stop The Music" "Hate That I Love You" "Rehab" "Disturbia" "Take A Bow" "If I Never See Your Face Again" - all singles reaching the top twenty 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. In 2008, "Umbrella" earned Rihanna and Jay-Z a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in addition to receiving nominations for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It managed to stay at number one in the United Kingdom for 10 weeks, the longest time spent by a female and in the 21st century, on this chart.
"Umbrella" has also been recognised in various forms of accolades by the music press. The song is listed number three on the 100 Best Songs of 2007, published by the music magazine Rolling Stone. Time magazine also listed the song number three on their Top 10 Songs of 2007. The song is listed number one on Entertainment Weekly magazine's list of the 10 Best Singles of 2007, while topping the magazine's poll for the best single of 2007. Blender magazine awarded the song Song of the Year in their Readers' Poll 2007. The music press has considered "Umbrella" as 2007's Song of the Summer, while The New York Times writer Kelefa Sanneh regarded it as "arguably 2007's signature slow jam".
In August 2009, Rihanna collaborated with Jay-Z and Kanye West on "Run This Town." The song peaked at number two on Billboard Hot 100 and also reached the top ten in five other countries. She appeared on the cover of Vogue Italia for the September 2009 Issue. The shoot was influenced by Rihanna's hair, which she had cut for the shoot into a mohawk-like style. The style of the shoot was Extreme Couture and very dark, and in one shot she appeared semi-nude. Rihanna performed "Run This Town" along with Jay-Z and West for the "Answer the Call" concert at Madison Square Garden in September 2009, making it her first musical performance since the altercation with Brown. The trio also performed "Run This Town," on the premiere of The Jay Leno Show on September 14, 2009.
In November of 2009, Rated R was released in the wake of a physical altercation with romantic interest Chris Brown, who pled guilty to felony assault. The album's lead single, "Russian Roulette" -- written with Ne-Yo - was one of the year's most controversial singles. The album also includes collaborations with Tricky, The-Dream, Stargate, and SRP.
One year later, Rihanna released her fifth studio album called Loud. It's lead single, "Only Girl (In the World)", reached number one in more than ten countries. The song also won a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording.
Talk That Talk was released one year after Loud. With the song "We Found Love", 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 her eleventh number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100. "You Da One" became the second single from the album but was not as successful as "We Found Love". The third single from the album, "Talk That Talk" featuring Jay-Z, was announced on Rihanna's Twitter. The fourth single, "Where Have You Been", peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100.
On February 20, 2012, Rihanna and Chris Brown released 2 remixes, one featuring the "Talk That Talk" album track "Birthday Cake" and the other featuring Chris Brown's "Turn Up The Music"
In April 2012, the singer appeared in the movie "Battleship", which is based on the game of the same name.
Rihanna's seventh album Unapologetic was released on November 19, 2012; it was preceded by the lead single Diamonds, which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 becoming Rihanna's twelfth number one single on the chart and tying her with Madonna and The Supremes for the fourth-most number ones in the chart's history.
On January 28, 2016, Rihanna released her eighth studio album ANTI exclusively through streaming service Tidal. The album peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200, becoming Rihanna's second number one and eighth top ten album on the chart. The album was supported by the release of four singles including the lead single "Work" featuring Drake, which topped the Billboard Hot 100. Further platinum singles "Needed Me" and "Love on the Brain" both peaked inside the top ten of the Hot 100. In 2016, Rihanna was featured on several singles. The first collaboration was Calvin Harris' "This Is What You Came For," which reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two in the United Kingdom. Rihanna was also featured on Drake's "Too Good" from his album Views and Mike Will Made It's single, "Nothing Is Promised". On June 27, 2016, Rihanna released "Sledgehammer", the lead single from the Star Trek Beyond soundtrack. On August 28, Rihanna was honored with the MTV Video Vanguard Award at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards. Rihanna was elected artist of the decade of 2010 by Pitchfork, Insider, Lofficiel among other major music magazines.
In October 2022, Rihanna released "Lift Me Up" from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, marking her first solo single since 2016's "Love On The Brain". It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 in the UK. The song was nominated for a Golden Globe and Academy Award, making it Rihanna's first nomination in both awards. On February 12, 2023, she performed at the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show, marking her first performance since the 2018 Grammy Awards. Her Halftime show became the second most watched Halftime show of all time with 118.7 million viewers, just after Lady Gaga’s (117.5 million), but behind Katy Perry’s (121 million).
16. Sex With Me
Rihanna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All this hard work, no vacation
Stay up off my Instagram, pure temptation
Hit a switch on a fake nigga, like a station
Sex with me, so amazing
Sex with me, so amazing
Vodka and water, and a lemon
Oh-na-na-na-na
Five fingers on it (five fingers)
Hit it like you own it, I'ma hit it like I'm on it
Straight shots of the blue dot
(Shots, shots, shots, shots)
Baby, I'ma pick your poison
Ooh-wee, ah-yeah, you gon' need it
I'm off that la-la
I'ma get it wet like Jacuzzi
And sex with me, so amazing
All this hard work, no vacation
Stay up off my Instagram, pure temptation
Sex with me, sex with me, sex with me
So amazing, so amazing
You know I got the sauce (sauce), you know I'm saucy
And it's always wet, a bitch never ever had to use lip gloss on it
I'ma need you deeper than six, it's not a coffin
When I'm making love, tryna get nasty
Wrap up your drugs, come make me happy
Sex with me is amazing, with her it'll feel alright
The sex doesn't get any better, make it long, let it be all night
I know, I know, I make it hard to let go
Tonight, all night, I'm Monroe
Even if I'm alone
Sex with me, so amazing
All this hard work, no vacation
Stay up off my Instagram, pure temptation
Hit a switch on a fake nigga like a station
Sex with me so amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing
Sex with me, so amazing
The lyrics "Sex with me, so amazing" may seem like a simple phrase that repeats throughout the song, but there is a deeper meaning behind it. Rihanna is confident in her sexual prowess and is expressing the idea that sex with her is not just good, but outstanding. In a way, she's boasting about her abilities in the bedroom.
The first verse talks about how Rihanna has been working hard and hasn't taken a vacation. This could be a metaphor for her life in general as a successful celebrity. She's acknowledging that she's been working hard and deserves to let loose and have some fun. However, she's also calling out the temptation of social media and the constant access people have to her personal life. She wants to keep that aspect separate from her sexual encounters.
The second verse talks about her preferences when it comes to drinks and the idea of taking shots. She's giving instructions on how she likes her vodka with water and lemon, and also mentioning some other unnamed things she enjoys. In the last line, she's comparing sex with her to a Jacuzzi, which can be seen as a metaphor for how steamy and relaxing it can be.
Overall, "Sex with Me" is a song that celebrates a woman's sexual confidence and highlights the pleasures of sex.
Line by Line Meaning
Sex with me, so amazing
Having sex with me is an amazing experience
All this hard work, no vacation
I've been working hard and haven't taken any breaks
Stay up off my Instagram, pure temptation
Don't follow me on Instagram, you'll be tempted by me
Hit a switch on a fake nigga, like a station
Cut off a fake person from my life, like changing a radio station
Vodka and water, and a lemon
I drink vodka with water and lemon, and a few other things I can't mention
And a few other things I can not mention
I also mix my vodka with some other secret ingredients
Oh-na-na-na-na
A vocalization that doesn't carry any specific meaning
Five fingers on it (five fingers)
I'm touching myself with my hand (masturbating)
Hit it like you own it, I'ma hit it like I'm on it
Pretend like you own my body, I'll treat it like I'm enjoying it
Straight shots of the blue dot (Shots, shots, shots, shots)
Drink shots of Blue Curaçao, an alcoholic beverage
Baby, I'ma pick your poison
Let me know what alcohol you want to drink
Ooh-wee, ah-yeah, you gon' need it
You're going to need a drink tonight
I'm off that la-la
I'm on some sort of drug (marijuana, possibly)
I'ma get it wet like Jacuzzi
I'll make you wet, like the jets in a hot tub
You know I got the sauce (sauce), you know I'm saucy
I have style and confidence, I'm alluring
And it's always wet, a bitch never ever had to use lip gloss on it
My vagina is always wet, I never have to use lubrication
I'ma need you deeper than six, it's not a coffin
I want you to penetrate me deeply, but not to a dangerous extent
When I'm making love, tryna get nasty
I'm trying to spice things up when I have sex
Wrap up your drugs, come make me happy
Store your drugs safely, and come have sex with me
Sex with me is amazing, with her it'll feel alright
Sex with me is incredible, with another person it'll be just okay
The sex doesn't get any better, make it long, let it be all night
It won't get any better than sex with me, let's have long-lasting sex all night
I know, I know, I make it hard to let go
I'm aware that I'm irresistible and people have a hard time leaving me
Tonight, all night, I'm Monroe
I'm like Marilyn Monroe tonight, all night
Even if I'm alone
Even if I'm single or by myself
Sex with me so amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing
Sex with me is an incredible and astonishing experience
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Adam King Feeney, Matthew Samuels, Anderson Hernandez, Robyn Fenty, Jahron Brathwaite, Chester Hansen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Children Of God
I love Rihanna, and I love this song. But the background singer sounds better than Rihanna does. I know Rihanna is moving around and dancing. But the background singer is killing it. I'm just saying!!!!!!
GORGEOUSBAEBEAUTY
Love this song and when she preform it live
Angélica Gonçalves Enedina
Rihanna agitando como sempre!eu L A treiz arco iriz authentica eh verdadeira
Busra Altun
fall in love 😍
Jana Marie
🌹🌹👑👑
Shayna Lyn
😍😍😍
Rey For Ever
I'm sure beyond amazing, just by the way she looks I can tell. Great video kinda give me blue balls since it's so short video but still cool. The girl singing on the back was so fun also
Pax Und
rihanna y love you
Angélica Gonçalves Enedina
Rihanna unica eh vibrante!eu L A treiz arco iriz authentica eh verdadeira
Martyna Rejman
1:20 💕💕💕