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).
Goodbye
Rihanna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feel your breath by my fingertips
No longer can I delay what is right
But this love, it wont give up without a fight
I'd write a note and tear it up
There are no words that could say enough
I know I'm gonna hurt you when I walk out that door
You taught me how to laugh
You taught me how to cry
When I gave up you even taught me how to try
There's one more thing to learn before I spread my wings and fly
You gonna have to teach me how to say
Goodbye, goodbye
Wish I could see your dreams tonight
Wish I could make them turn out right
Tempted to turn back for just one last kiss
But my heart tells me it's better just like this
So this is how the story ends
When love is gone, you can't pretend
No matter who else I give my heart to
There's a part of it that still belongs to you
You taught me how to laugh
You taught me how to cry
When I gave up you even taught me how to try
There's one more thing to learn before I spread my wings and fly
You're gonna have to teach me how to say
Goodbye, goodbye
You made me strong when I was weak
Gave my heart a voice to speak
You must've known this day will come
When the lessons are all done
All except for one, no
You taught me how to laugh
You taught me how to cry
When I gave up you even taught me how to try
There's one more thing to learn before I spread my wings and fly
You're gonna have to teach me how to say
Goodbye
Ooh-ooh
You're gonna have to teach me how to say
Goodbye
The lyrics to Rihanna's song "Goodbye" describe a bittersweet moment of ending a relationship. The singer admits that while it is the right thing to do, it doesn't mean it's easy. The opening lines, "I rest my hand across your lips, Feel your breath by my fingertips" convey a sense of intimacy and connection. However, the singer realizes that they can no longer delay the inevitable.
The lyrics reveal the internal struggle of the singer, torn between wanting to express their emotions and knowing that words won't be enough. The line, "I know I'm gonna hurt you when I walk out that door, But I swear it's gonna hurt me even more" conveys the pain and heartbreak of the decision to leave.
The chorus illuminates the lessons the singer has learned from the relationship. The person they were in love with taught them how to laugh, cry, and try even when they wanted to give up. There's a sense of gratitude for these lessons, but also an understanding that they must move on and learn how to say goodbye. It signifies the acceptance that although they are parting ways, a part of their heart will always belong to the person they are leaving.
Overall, "Goodbye" explores the complexity of ending a relationship, acknowledging the deep emotions involved and the lessons learned along the way.
Line by Line Meaning
I rest my hand across your lips
I place my hand gently over your mouth
Feel your breath by my fingertips
I sense the warmth of your breath with my fingers
No longer can I delay what is right
I can no longer postpone doing what is morally correct
But this love, it wont give up without a fight
However, this love will not surrender easily
I'd write a note and tear it up
I would write a letter and then destroy it
There are no words that could say enough
No words exist that could adequately express my feelings
I know I'm gonna hurt you when I walk out that door
I am aware that I will cause you pain when I leave
But I swear it's gonna hurt me even more
Yet I promise that the pain will be greater for me
You taught me how to laugh
You instructed me in the art of finding joy
You taught me how to cry
You educated me in the practice of shedding tears
When I gave up you even taught me how to try
Even in moments of despair, you showed me how to persevere
There's one more thing to learn before I spread my wings and fly
There is still one more lesson I must acquire before pursuing my aspirations
You gonna have to teach me how to say
You will need to instruct me on how to utter
Goodbye, goodbye
Farewell, farewell
Wish I could see your dreams tonight
I desire to witness your aspirations this very night
Wish I could make them turn out right
I wish I had the power to ensure their success
Tempted to turn back for just one last kiss
I am enticed to return for a final embrace
But my heart tells me it's better just like this
However, my heart tells me that it is preferable to remain as it is
So this is how the story ends
Thus, this is the conclusion of our narrative
When love is gone, you can't pretend
Once love fades away, pretending becomes impossible
No matter who else I give my heart to
Regardless of whomever I may entrust my heart with
There's a part of it that still belongs to you
A portion of it still remains your possession
You made me strong when I was weak
You empowered me when I lacked strength
Gave my heart a voice to speak
You provided my heart with the ability to express itself
You must've known this day will come
You must have been aware of the approaching day
When the lessons are all done
When all the teachings are complete
All except for one, no
With the exception of a single lesson, no
You're gonna have to teach me how to say
You will need to educate me on how to express
Goodbye, Ooh-ooh
Farewell, Ooh-ooh
You're gonna have to teach me how to say
You will need to instruct me on how to utter
Goodbye
Farewell
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
camilaabençoada
I risk my hand crush your lips
Feel your breath by my fingertips
No longer can I lay what is right
But this love it won't get appropriate without a
fight
I'd rather note and tear it up
There are no words that can say no
No I'm gonna hurt you and I'll walk out that door
But I swear it's gonna hurt me even more
[Chorus]
You taught me how to laugh
You taught me how to cry
When I gave up you even taught me how to try
There's one more thing to learn before I spread my
wings and fly
You gonna have to teach me how to say
Goodbye, goodbye
Wish I could see the dreams tonight
Wish I could name and turn them right
Tempted to turn back just one last kiss
But my heart tells me it's bad as just like this
camilaabençoada
So this is how the story ends
The love is gone we can't pretend
No matter who else I gave my heart to
There's a part of it that still belongs to you
[Chorus]
You taught me how to laugh
You taught me how to cry
When I gave up you even taught me how to try
There's one more thing to learn before I spread my
wings and fly
You gonna have to teach me how to say
Goodbye, goodbye
You made me stronger now honestly
Gave my heart and voice to speak
You must've known this day will come
But the lessons are all gone
All except for one, no
[Chorus]
You taught me how to laugh
You taught me how to cry
When I gave up you even taught me how to try
There's one more thing to learn before I spread my
wings and fly
You gonna have to teach me how to say
Goodbye, goodbye
You gonna have to teach me how to say
Goodbye
Natalie Costa
Umas das músicas mais linda da minha querida Rihanna.
Que voz, que letra. Perfeitaaaa♥️♥️
camilaabençoada
I risk my hand crush your lips
Feel your breath by my fingertips
No longer can I lay what is right
But this love it won't get appropriate without a
fight
I'd rather note and tear it up
There are no words that can say no
No I'm gonna hurt you and I'll walk out that door
But I swear it's gonna hurt me even more
[Chorus]
You taught me how to laugh
You taught me how to cry
When I gave up you even taught me how to try
There's one more thing to learn before I spread my
wings and fly
You gonna have to teach me how to say
Goodbye, goodbye
Wish I could see the dreams tonight
Wish I could name and turn them right
Tempted to turn back just one last kiss
But my heart tells me it's bad as just like this
camilaabençoada
So this is how the story ends
The love is gone we can't pretend
No matter who else I gave my heart to
There's a part of it that still belongs to you
[Chorus]
You taught me how to laugh
You taught me how to cry
When I gave up you even taught me how to try
There's one more thing to learn before I spread my
wings and fly
You gonna have to teach me how to say
Goodbye, goodbye
You made me stronger now honestly
Gave my heart and voice to speak
You must've known this day will come
But the lessons are all gone
All except for one, no
[Chorus]
You taught me how to laugh
You taught me how to cry
When I gave up you even taught me how to try
There's one more thing to learn before I spread my
wings and fly
You gonna have to teach me how to say
Goodbye, goodbye
You gonna have to teach me how to say
Goodbye
Doug Shaffer
Mais uma de muitas composições do Ne-Yo ❤️🎶🎼🔥como sempre a Rihanna mandando super bem, slk🔥
Jorge Vargas
Sério que foi o Ney???? 😱
Doug Shaffer
@Jorge Vargas sim, mano!
Jorge Vargas
@Doug Shaffer Grande de mais ele haha
Eric Elzea
I have to agree that this song should have been released. ❤❤❤❤❤
Amanda Smach
musica otima pra escutar no fim da tarde
Галина Киселёва
amazing song in the last notes she sang it so tenderly❤️❤️❤️