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).
Russian Roulette
Rihanna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take a breath, take it deep
Calm yourself, he says to me
If you play, you play for keeps
Take the gun and count to three
I'm sweating now, moving slow
No time to think, my turn to go
And you can see my heart beating
You can see it through my chest
Said I'm terrified but I'm not leaving
I know that I must pass this test
So just pull the trigger (trigger, trigger, trigger)
Say a prayer, to yourself
He says, "Close your eyes
Sometimes it helps"
And then I get, a scary thought
That he's here, means he's never lost
And you can see my heart beating
Oh, you can see it through my chest
Said I'm terrified but I'm not leaving
Know that I must pass this test
So just pull the trigger
As my life flashes before my eyes
I'm wondering will I ever see another sunrise?
So many won't get the chance to say goodbye
But it's too late to think of the value of my life
And you can see my heart beating
Ohh-oh, you can see it through my chestSaid I'm terrified but I'm not leaving, no
Know that I must pass this test
And you can see my heart beating
Oh, you can see it through my chest
I'm terrified but I'm not leaving, no
Know that I must pass this test
So just pull the trigger (trigger, trigger, trigger)
The lyrics to Rihanna’s “Russian Roulette” explore themes of fear, uncertainty, and testing oneself in a high-stakes situation. The song opens with the singer being instructed by her partner to take a deep breath, calm down, and prepare to play this dangerous and deadly game. She is told that if she chooses to play, she is playing to win everything and to take the gun and count to three. Despite professing her fear and terror, the singer takes the gun and is instructed to say a prayer, with the hopes of making herself feel calmer. As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the partner is not simply a lover or romantic interest but may be seen as a metaphor for the greater forces in our lives that push us to our limits.
It ultimately boils down to the test of life and whether one is willing to take a risk to succeed. The singer knows full well that there are high stakes and a high price to pay, with her life literally hanging in the balance. She is terrified, but she understands that she must rise to this challenge and face it head-on. The urgency and anxiety of the song are amplified by the repetition of the phrase “just pull the trigger,” which calls on the singer to be decisive and take charge of her own fate. The song ends with riotous beats and swirling, frantic sounds as the singer faces her moment of truth, showcasing her determination to live and survive, no matter what the stakes.
Line by Line Meaning
Take a breath, take it deep
He's telling her to calm down.
Calm yourself, he says to me
He's giving her instructions on how to handle the situation.
If you play, you play for keeps
He's warning her that this is serious and she needs to be fully committed.
Take the gun and count to three
She's been given the gun and needs to prepare herself.
I'm sweating now, moving slow
She's scared and her body is reacting to the stress.
No time to think, my turn to go
This is it. She has to play the game now.
And you can see my heart beating
She's so scared that her heart is visible.
You can see it through my chest
Her fear is so strong that it's physically affecting her body.
Say a prayer, to yourself
She's looking for any way to calm herself down.
He says, close your eyes
He's trying to help her focus and eliminate distractions.
Sometimes it helps
He's acknowledging that this is a difficult situation and they need to use any tricks they can to get through it.
And then I get, a scary thought
Her mind is racing and she's having trouble staying calm.
That he's here, means he's never lost
She's scared of the person she's playing with because they seem very experienced.
As my life flashes before my eyes
She's realizing how dangerous this situation is and how she might not make it out alive.
I'm wondering will I ever see another sunrise?
She's questioning whether or not she'll survive this game.
So many won't get the chance to say goodbye
She's acknowledging that this is a life or death situation and many people have died playing this game before her.
But it's too late to think of the value of my life
She's realizing too late that maybe this game wasn't worth risking her life over.
I'm terrified but I'm not leaving, no
She's come this far and knows she needs to see it through.
Know that I must pass this test
She knows the stakes and needs to prove to herself (and maybe others) that she's strong enough to handle this situation.
So just pull the trigger (trigger, trigger, trigger)
She's reached the moment of truth and needs to either take the risk or pass on the game altogether.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Charles Harmon, Shaffer Smith
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Phyx1us
LYRICS
[Verse 1]
Take a breath, take it deep
"Calm yourself," he says to me
If you play, you play for keeps
Take the gun and count to three
I’m sweating now, moving slow
No time to think, my turn to go
[Chorus]
And you can see my heart beating
You can see it through my chest
Said I’m terrified, but I’m not leaving
I know that I must pass this test
So just pull the trigger (Trigger, trigger, trigger)
[Verse 2]
Say a prayer to yourself
He says, "Close your eyes
Sometimes it helps"
And then I get a scary thought
That he’s here, means he’s never lost
[Chorus]
And you can see my heart beating
Oh, you can see it through my chest
Said I’m terrified, but I’m not leaving
Know that I must pass this test
So just pull the trigger
[Bridge]
As my life flashes before my eyes
I’m wondering, will I ever see another sunrise?
So many won’t get the chance to say goodbye
But it’s too late to think of the value of my life
[Chorus]
And you can see my heart beating
Ouh-oh, you can see it through my chest
Said I’m terrified but I’m not leaving, no
Know that I must pass this test
You can see my heart beating
Oh, you can see it through my chest
I’m terrified but I’m not leaving, no, no
Know that I must pass this test
So just pull the trigger (Trigger, trigger, trigger)
@charlesclimineda8080
Is it me or her songs really never get old?
@BabyBlue1978.
Charles Climineda Nope its not you
@marlenelopez6421
Charles Climineda
except for work i used to love it now its so annoying
@charlesclimineda8080
marlene lopez lol you probably heard it to much
@eses1546
Charles Climineda haha good one
@randyflash2510
U know what is funny? When u never feel that certain songs get old... it means certain times that you are getting old, old people love to stick with what they grew up with... not to be disrespectful, it was just kinda funny to me
@chasitynicole6294
Once I listen to one Rihanna song, I gotta listen to all of them. Her music is great.
@zacharryrully8881
me too
@King-zs3xu
🔥🔥🔥
@wolfBC
same Riiiii Riiii and Lana del rey, gotta do it for em both