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).
Suicide
Rihanna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
everything is restless in my heart
i hate the way this feels
suddenly i'm scared to be apart
the days are dark when you're not around
the air is getting hard to breathe
i wish that you would just put me down
i wish that i could go to sleep
loving you is suicide
i don't know should go or should i stay
i'm tryna to keep myself alive
knowing there's a chance it's all too late
but i heard you say you loved me
that's the part i can't forget
and i wish that you come save me
cos i'm standing over the edge
i should let you go
tell myself the things i need to hear
but my brain is wired wrong
that's why i'm loving you when you're not here
feels like i drown in your every word
and every breath that's in between
somehow you got me where it really hurts
it's killing every part of me
loving you is suicide
i don't know should go or should i stay
i'm tryna to keep myself alive
knowing there's a chance it's all too late
but i heard you say you loved me
that's the part i can't forget
and i wish that you come save me
boy cos i'm standing over the edge
loving you is suicide
and my world's about to break
and i... had as much as i can take
and love is a long way down
loving you is suicide
and it's getting harder everyday
i'm tryna to keep myself alive
knowing there's a chance it's all too late
and i'm way past every moment
but i'm still determined to fight
and i know it's taking all my strength
to keep these emotions alive
loving you is suicide
The lyrics of Rihanna's song Suicide depict the battle of emotions within oneself when trapped in a toxic and abusive relationship. The singer is torn between loving her partner and wanting to save herself from the detrimental effects of their love. Everywhere may be still but the everything in the singer's heart is restless, and she hates the way she feels. She longs to be with her partner even while acknowledging the negative implications of being around them. She wishes her partner would "put her down" or kill her, and she wishes she could go to sleep and not wake up.
The singer goes on to explain that her love for her partner is causing her harm, and it feels like suicide. However, she is conflicted between staying and leaving. The chorus keeps repeating that loving you is suicide repetitively, which indicates the severity of the matter. She is struggling to keep herself together but is unsure if it is too late to save herself. The part she cannot forget is that her partner did express love for her at some point, and she wishes he could come save her as she currently stands over the edge.
In conclusion, the song portrays a strong message of the vicious cycle of toxic relationships and the battle that occurs within. The lyrics depict how abuse can trap people into feeling like there is no way out, and seeking love from someone who can harm us in detrimental ways can lead us to put ourselves in harm's way.
Line by Line Meaning
Everywhere is still
The world is quiet and motionless.
everything is restless in my heart
Despite the calm exterior, my emotions are in turmoil.
i hate the way this feels
I despise the pain and confusion this situation brings me.
suddenly i'm scared to be apart
The thought of being away from you terrifies me.
the days are dark when you're not around
My world loses its brightness and color when you're not here.
the air is getting hard to breathe
I feel suffocated and overwhelmed by my emotions.
i wish that you would just put me down
I want you to end my pain and make the decision to leave me.
i wish that i could go to sleep
I want to escape reality and its hardships by falling into a dreamless sleep.
loving you is suicide
The intensity and pain of my love for you is slowly killing me.
i don't know should go or should i stay
I'm unsure of whether it's better to stay and suffer, or to leave and let go.
i'm tryna to keep myself alive
I'm struggling to stay alive despite the pain and agony of my love for you.
knowing there's a chance it's all too late
I know that things might never change, and my love for you may be futile.
but i heard you say you loved me
Your love is the one thing that keeps me hanging on and hoping for a better future.
that's the part i can't forget
Your words of love and affection are etched into my mind and heart.
and i wish that you come save me
I'm desperately hoping that you can be my savior and rescue me from my pain.
cos i'm standing over the edge
I feel like I'm teetering on the brink of collapse and despair.
i should let you go
I know it would be best for me to move on and leave you behind.
tell myself the things i need to hear
I should convince myself of the reasons why I need to let go of you.
but my brain is wired wrong
My emotions and love for you are conflicting with what's logical and healthy for me.
that's why i'm loving you when you're not here
Even when you're absent, my love for you persists and overwhelms me.
feels like i drown in your every word
Your words and actions suffocate me and make me feel helpless and powerless.
and every breath that's in between
Even the smallest things about you can trigger strong emotions in me.
somehow you got me where it really hurts
You've touched my emotions and vulnerabilities in a profound way that I can't resist.
it's killing every part of me
My love for you is slowly destroying me from the inside out.
and my world's about to break
I feel like I'm reaching my breaking point, and I don't know how much more I can take.
and i... had as much as i can take
I'm at my limit, and I can't bear the pain and agony of my love for you anymore.
and love is a long way down
The depths and complexities of love are daunting and difficult to navigate.
and it's getting harder everyday
The longer I stay in this situation, the more difficult it becomes to bear.
i'm tryna to keep myself alive
I'm still fighting to stay alive despite the challenges and obstacles I face.
and i'm way past every moment
I've experienced so much pain and hurt that I feel like I'm beyond repair or redemption.
but i'm still determined to fight
Despite everything, I refuse to give up on myself and on the possibility of finding happiness and peace.
and i know it's taking all my strength
The fight to stay alive and to let go of my love for you is draining and exhausting.
Contributed by Stella M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
katie.0brixn
Dear grandad,
I'm sorry I didn't get to say goodbye.
I'm sorry I barely ever visit your grave.
I'm sorry I never went to your funeral, dad didn't let me...
I still kept your photo under my pillow...
I still hug that book you gave me as a present every day 😢
I hope you liked those candles we lit near your gravestone...
We have a candle for Xmas this year to remember you..
I love you so much and I miss you...
Its getting harder every day trying to live without you.
Please...please come back to me 😭😭
Lots of love,
Your granddaughter 😭
creepy bean
I am too ugly.
I am too skinny.
I shouldn't be mourned on.
I have hobbies,
I have interests,
I have feelings.
But they are all gone.
I love making art.
I make realistic art.
The brush is my blade,
The canvas is my body.
The blood is realistic,
Don't you think?
Are you proud of me finally?
Am I talented now?
Or am I still a mess?
Mum, I was always the one to say I love you first.
If I die,
My hobbies,
My interests,
My family,
And me will be gone.
Really I am doing people a favour,
Since you all hate me.
People say you will miss me,
But if you will miss me,
Why don't you care?
Emily Kemp
Hey my name is Emily and I am 11 years old...turning 12 in October this year
I know I am only young...but I do know things from right to wrong...
Message for ppl who think they aren't beautiful enough, smart enough, strong enough:
trust me, I know how u feel I am going though the same thing right now...
I know what ur thinking 'how would she help us she is going though this 2?' but I believe that everyone in this world deserves to life a good life...of course life will never be perfect but just listen to what I have to say...
you are beautiful as much as u don't think u r...u r beautiful...I wouldn't be giving up my time to write this comment if I *thought that u weren't beautiful
ur strong...
ur good enough...
u r...u know that u r...u just have to believe me...*
message for those who r bullied:
hey there, u know what don't worry about those bullies! u r beautiful just the way u r...*they r just jealous of ur awesomness and ur beauty...
they r jealous of ur talent...
if u r thinking right now 'I don't believe...u ur lieing'*
listen...
U matter, Ur opinions matter, Ur feeling matter, Ur thoughts matter,Ur dreams matter, Ur life matters,U r special, U r beautiful, U r talented, U r valuable,U r wonderful, respected,U r cared about, u r strong,Ur a good person, u r loved,U will succend, reach out, hold on overcome, U mean something...U DESERVE to LIVE...
remember:
if ppl talk behind ur back, that where they belong behind u (:
message to those who bully other ppl:
a poem for u...
*Are ur jokes still funny now?The shovels, the trips, the sadistic grins...U stole everything from her/him...ur words tore
her/him fragile being to shreds... coz of you, she lost her soul...she lost her heart...she lost her will...she lost her joy...you
killed her, in every way but Physical...R u happy now?*
ur beautiful remember that (:
I think that u r amazing and awesome, that counts for something
-Emily
brynnesteck
I have depression and my parents tell me I should listen to happier songs but it's harder to listen to happy songs when you are so depressed. 😢
NeverSuicidalRefusingtoclosethebook
I know what you mean.
Think you
True 😢
Slow mo-tune ~ Alyxo
Happy songs doesn't solve depression,you forget it temporarily as you're happy
bambi
💀
thalia givens
why don't people ever understand that depression isn't something that disappears overnight, nor is it something that you can control all the time. Meds? after your body is used to them it is useless and if you get another prescription, the cycle just repeats. why do people say "Why are you so depressed when you have nothing to be depressed about and have everything in the world?" Depression isn't only causes by traumatic or bad experiences. it can be caused by your own insecurities or thoughts like this said in sensitively when they don't even know what's going on. Why do people think that oh, promise you just won't do it or your so stupid for being depressed and immediately peg you as crazy or being overdramatic? if they promise and end up accidently breaking it, it just makes it twice as hard to keep going. and those insults of Oh your just craxy, overdramatic, etc. it's not that we are, it's just how our mind is making us feel and think and we can't stop it. these insensitive words and phrases just make it harder for us to progress and improve. It's like the minute they see you're broken, they make you a black sheep and do whatever they can to either get rid of you or fake a smile and pretend to be happy instead of getting help. Do they think we like being this way? feeling like we are nothing, not good enough, useless, or broken? We dont, but we try to make you feel happy and not make you worry. I'm tired of this and tired of pretending. I want it to change
Hayleigh Bearse
My mom doesn't understand that I just can't live anymore I just want the pain to go away
Anita Lynn
Thank you for putting it so poignantly. Hang in there!
OH FRICK I DIED
wait meds dont work after time? i just started taking them and its working fine right now, does it stop working? :(
Dennis Alford
Whoes with all of us love peace unity