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).
Fly
Rihanna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To conquer, to thrive
I came to win (J.R.), to survive
To prosper, to rise
To fly
To fly
Uh, yo, yo
Maybe that'd kinda make the pain go away
Tryna forgive you for abandoning me
Prayin', but I think I'm still an angel away
Angel away, yeah, strange in a way
Maybe that is why I chase strangers away
They got they guns out aiming at me
But I become Neo when they aiming at me
Me, me, me against them
Me against enemies, me against friends
Somehow they both seem to become one
A sea full of sharks and they all smell blood
They start coming and I start rising
Must be surprising, I'm just surmising
I win, thrive, soar, higher
Higher, higher, more fire
I came to win, to fight
To conquer, to thrive
I came to win, to survive
To prosper, to rise
To fly
To fly
Uh, yo, yo
Everybody wanna try to box me in
Suffocatin' every time it locks me in
Paintin' they own pictures, then they crop me in
But I will remain where the top begins
'Cause I am not a word, I am not a line
I am not a girl that can ever be defined
I am not fly, I am levitation
I represent an entire generation
I hear the criticism loud and clear
That is how I know that the time is near
See we become alive in a time of fear
And I ain't got no motherfuckin' time to spare
Cry my eyes out for days upon days
Such a heavy burden placed upon me
But when you go hard, your nays become yays
Yankee Stadium with Jay's and Kanye's
I came to win, to fight
To conquer, to thrive
I came to win, to survive
To prosper, to rise
To fly
To fly
Get ready for it
Get ready for it
Get ready for it
I came to win
Get ready for it
Get ready for it
Get ready for it
I came to win, to fight
To conquer, to thrive
I came to win, to survive
To prosper, to rise
To fly
To fly
The lyrics of the song "Fly" by Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, and Metafisix are about being resilient and overcoming obstacles. The song starts with the declaration of the singer's intentions to win and conquer, to thrive and to survive, and to prosper and rise. The lyrics suggest that the singer is ready to face any challenges that come her way with determination and the will to succeed. The chorus "To fly, to fly" emphasizes that the singer aims to soar high and achieve her goals.
The first verse sung by Nicki Minaj describes the pain she is feeling over an abandonment, and how she is praying to forgive and move on. She feels like an angel who is lost, yet people seem to chase her away, and she is left to fight her battles alone. The verse suggests that despite the struggles and obstacles, Nicki Minaj is determined to rise above everything and emerge victorious, becoming stronger with each challenge she faces.
The second verse sung by Rihanna talks about how people try to bring her down and box her in, but she refuses to be defined by others. She embraces her power, representing a generation that refuses to be held back. She acknowledges the criticism but refuses to let it stop her from achieving her dreams. The verse suggests that no matter how hard things get, Rihanna is ready to go the distance to make her mark in the world.
Overall, the song "Fly" is a powerful anthem about resilience, determination, and the power of staying strong even in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
I came to win, to fight
I am determined to win and fight my way to success
To conquer, to thrive
I want to overcome challenges to prosper and succeed
I came to win (J.R.), to survive
I am ready to win and keep surviving against all odds
To prosper, to rise
My goal is to flourish and climb higher in life
To fly
Ultimately, I want to soar towards my dreams and goals
Uh, yo, yo
As a rapper, I'm about to drop some heavy bars
I wish today it will rain all day
Perhaps if it rained all day, the pain in my heart would go away
Maybe that'd kinda make the pain go away
Rain symbolizes a cleansing and a new beginning for me, which could help heal my pain
Tryna forgive you for abandoning me
I'm struggling to forgive you for leaving me behind
Prayin', but I think I'm still an angel away
I pray to find peace, but I'm not quite there yet
Angel away, yeah, strange in a way
I feel distant and disconnected from my spiritual side
Maybe that is why I chase strangers away
I tend to push people away, perhaps because I don't feel like I deserve love and support
They got they guns out aiming at me
People are trying to bring me down and hurt me
But I become Neo when they aiming at me
Like the character Neo in The Matrix, I can dodge obstacles and challenges, no matter how big or small
Me, me, me against them
I'm in this fight alone, against all odds
Me against enemies, me against friends
Even those who claim to be my allies can also turn against me
Somehow they both seem to become one
Enemies and friends become indistinguishable in difficult times
A sea full of sharks and they all smell blood
I'm in a treacherous situation where everyone is out to get me and tear me down
They start coming and I start rising
As the challenges arise, I also become stronger and more determined
Must be surprising, I'm just surmising
Others may be surprised by my resilience, but it's just my way of analyzing the situation
I win, thrive, soar, higher
Despite the odds stacked against me, I strive to win, grow, and reach for the top
Higher, higher, more fire
The more I push myself, the greater the flames of passion and determination become
Everybody wanna try to box me in
People try to limit me and put me in a box
Suffocatin' every time it locks me in
I feel suffocated and trapped every time they try to contain me
Paintin' they own pictures, then they crop me in
Others try to create their own narrative of who I am, and they try to fit me in that picture
But I will remain where the top begins
Despite their attempts to bring me down, I will always stay where success begins
'Cause I am not a word, I am not a line
I am more than just words and a single line in a song
I am not a girl that can ever be defined
I refuse to let society define me based on my gender, race, or background
I am not fly, I am levitation
I am not just a trendy pop culture icon; I am transcendent
I represent an entire generation
My music and message speaks for a whole generation of people with shared experiences and hopes
I hear the criticism loud and clear
I'm aware of the negative feedback and critique directed towards me and my work
That is how I know that the time is near
However, I see this as a sign that I'm about to reach a new level of success
See we become alive in a time of fear
In a time of uncertainty and fear, my music becomes a source of inspiration and hope for myself and other people
And I ain't got no motherfuckin' time to spare
I'm too focused on my goals to let negativity and setbacks slow me down
Cry my eyes out for days upon days
I sometimes cry and struggle with the burdens and hardships that come with my success
Such a heavy burden placed upon me
I have to carry the weight of my career and the expectations that come with it
But when you go hard, your nays become yays
When I work hard enough and prove everyone wrong, the doubters turn into supporters
Yankee Stadium with Jay's and Kanye's
My success will reach new heights and I'll perform at the biggest venues with the biggest names in the industry
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jonathan Rotem, Onika Maraj, Kevin Hissink, William Jordan, Clem Penton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kam3175
"Cause I am not a word, I am not a line
I am not a girl that can ever be defined
I am not fly, I am levitation
I represent an entire generation
I hear the criticism loud and clear
That is how I know that the time is near
So we become alive in a time of fear
And I ain't got no motherfucking time to spare
Cry my eyes out for days upon days
Such a heavy burden placed upon me" Nicki words moved me. I don't think people understand how deep and beautiful those lyrics really are. This is why I love Nicki so much.😭❤
@Carlos-tx4ym
March 2024, anyone?
@laurendiaz1266
YOOOOOO
@JohnPumani
Yes I am here 😊
@RomaneHitchings-tp2xg
Women are GOAT
@augustineaugustine9518
😊❤yeah
@cryptonardun8908
Suppp
@Boycrazy013
Please give us another Rihanna x Nicki Minaj collab before they both retire 😭🙏🏾
@cynerahpinklover8684
Queen Mel I feel you girl I wish that to
@davidvg946
They have another for Riri's album named Rainig men
@daisydemonic9359
Their'll never retire