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).
My Name Is Rihanna
Rihanna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm a soldier true and true, I know I make it true the storm...
I really want you to realise, I really want you to put me on...
I've been searching for some fire to let me be all I can be...
Music is my inspiration it's the only thing I need...
New on the streets, my name's Rihanna...
So I tryed my best en prayed to god my dreams will all turn real... Cauze there is a fire burning in my heart I hope you all can feel.
To my music I be faithful you know I give my all and all...
True the good times and the bad times and the winter spring and fall...
New on the streets, my name's Rihanna...
Rihanna... my name is Rihanna yeah...
The lyrics of Rihanna's song My Name Is Rihanna seem to be an introduction to herself as an artist. The first line literally says she is new on the streets, introducing herself to the music industry. She also mentions that she is a soldier true and true, implying that she is a fighter and is determined to make it. Rihanna then emphasizes that she wants people to realize and recognize her talents and put her on the map.
She then talks about how she has been searching for fire, perhaps referring to that creative spark that ignites her passion for music, and music itself has been her inspiration. She explains how she has prayed for her dreams to come true and how there is a fire burning inside her. This fire could be interpreted as her drive and passion for her craft. Rihanna's faithfulness to her music is also mentioned, saying that she gives her all in every season, whether the good or the bad.
Overall, the lyrics convey Rihanna's determination and passion for music. She is asking people to recognize her talents and give her a chance to show what she can do. It is a simple but effective manifesto from a new artist on the scene.
Line by Line Meaning
New on the streets, my name's Rihanna...
I'm new to this industry and my name is Rihanna.
I'm a soldier true and true, I know I make it true the storm...
I am a fighter and I won't let anything stop me from succeeding.
I really want you to realise, I really want you to put me on...
I hope that you can see my potential and give me a chance to show what I can do.
I've been searching for some fire to let me be all I can be...
I have been looking for inspiration to help me reach my full potential.
Music is my inspiration it's the only thing I need...
Music is the driving force behind my passion and creativity.
So I tryed my best en prayed to god my dreams will all turn real... Cauze there is a fire burning in my heart I hope you all can feel.
I work hard and pray that my dreams will come true, because I have a burning passion inside me that I hope others can see and feel.
To my music I be faithful you know I give my all and all...
I am loyal to my music and I always give it my all, even in difficult times.
True the good times and the bad times and the winter spring and fall...
I am committed to my music through all seasons and all ups and downs.
Rihanna... my name is Rihanna yeah...
I want everyone to know my name and to recognize me as an artist – my name is Rihanna.
Contributed by Adrian G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@LUCAS-ox7rb
Rihanna+Drake= Hit
Rihanna+Eminem= Hit
Rihanna+Calvin Harris= Hit
Rihanna+Nicky Minaj= Hit
Rihanna+Shakira= Hit
Rihanna+Kanye West= Hit
Rihanna+Jay-Z= Hit
Rihanna+Chris Brown= Hit
Rihanna+Ne-Yo= Hit
Rihanna+Justin Timberlake= Hit
Rihanna+Maroon 5= Hit
Rihanna+David Guetta= Hit
Rihanna+Britney Spears= Hit
Rihanna+Coldplay= Hit
Rihanna+Mikky Ekko= Hit
Rihanna+DJ Khalid= Hit
Rihanna+T.I= Hit
Rihanna+Kendrick Lamar= Hit
Rihanna is queen of the music
@shamzzz2911
The people who's music I grew up with:
Nicky Minaj
Chris Brown
Rihanna
Katy Perry
Justin Bieber
Usher
Ariana Grande
Jennifer Lopez
Bruno Mars
Rita Ora
T.I.
Charlie Puth
Taylor Swift
Beyonce
One Direction
NeYo
Justin Timberlake
Ellie Goulding
Selena Gomez
Ludacris
Trey Songz
Lady Gaga
❤️❤️❤️
@user-uq9gx5ij4g
2024 anyone?
@naveenjarover8172
Yeah definitely it's me first time
@AK.UK1
Yes
@omolusimercy6943
Yeah ✌🏽
@dieelittt672
Here
@infotube6241
Yes
@Sainihargun
Im gonna cry why can’t we turn back time
@ashantivirtue8593
I’m crying for this exact reason rn 😭😭😭😭😭
@jilolz
yep 100%
@lorisol8132
I feel you... 😢💖