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).
Toward the Sun
Rihanna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let the shadows fall behind you
Don't look back, just carry on
And the shadows will never find you
Turn your face towards the sun
Let the shadows fall behind you
Don't look back, just carry on
Lost in the rock and roll
Got lost in a promise of a love I never know
Shadows chase me far from home
I remember when my heart was filled with gold
And you know I've been burned
I've been burned I've been burned
You've seen me lose control
It's not worth it's not worth it's not worth
My soul
Turn your face towards the sun
Let the shadows fall behind you
Don't look back, just carry on
And the shadows will never find you
Lost my faith and trust
You and I know gold don't turn to rust
I still swear that we can reign
Like the kings and queens of better yesterdays
Don't you know I've been burned
I've been burned I've been burned
You've seen me lose control
It's not worth it's not worth it's not worth
My soul
Turn your face towards the sun
Let the shadows fall behind you
Don't look back, just carry on
And the shadows will never find you
Where you gonna go where you gonna go where you gonna run to
When you get to the edge of the night
Its time you face the sky
Turn your face towards the sun
Let the shadows fall behind you
Don't look back, just carry on
And the shadows will never find you
Turn your face towards the sun
Let the shadows fall behind you
Don't look back, just carry on
And the shadows will never find you
Turn your face towards the sun
Let the shadows fall behind you
In Rihanna's song Toward the Sun, the lyrics encourage listeners to turn their faces towards the sun and let go of the shadows behind them. The opening line, "Turn your face towards the sun," is a metaphor for focusing on positivity and moving forward, leaving negativity behind. The shadows in the lyrics represent past mistakes, anxieties, and uncertainties that can haunt us and prevent us from moving forward. The next line, "Let the shadows fall behind you," suggests that by not dwelling on the past, we're freed from the anxiety and troubles that come with it. The lyrics continue to encourage the listener to keep moving forward and not look back, assuring them that the shadows will never catch up.
The second half of the song seems to be more personal, as Rihanna sings about being lost in the "rock and roll" and making mistakes based on promises of love she never knew. She also sings about losing her faith and trust, but then promises that she and her partner can "reign like the kings and queens of better yesterdays." She emphasizes that it's not worth losing one's soul over something that doesn't matter in the end. The lyrics wrap up with Rihanna encouraging listeners to go toward the sky and embrace the sun, letting go of the shadows for good.
Overall, the lyrics of Toward the Sun are powerful and uplifting, reminding us to stay positive and always focus on moving forward. It's a great song to listen to when you need a boost of motivation or simply a reminder to let go of past mistakes and live in the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Turn your face towards the sun
Look up and focus on the good in your life
Let the shadows fall behind you
Forget the negative experiences and emotions in your past
Don't look back, just carry on
Move forward and don't dwell on the past
And the shadows will never find you
If you don't allow yourself to be consumed by negativity, it can't control you
Lost in the rock and roll
Caught up in a fast-paced, exciting lifestyle
Got lost in a promise of a love I never know
Got caught up in a relationship that ultimately let me down
Shadows chase me far from home
Negative emotions and experiences can follow you wherever you go
I remember when my heart was filled with gold
I remember a time when I was happy and innocent
And you know I've been burned
I've had negative experiences and been hurt before
You've seen me lose control
Others have witnessed me struggling with my emotions
It's not worth it's not worth it's not worth
It's not worth sacrificing my inner peace for external negativity
My soul
My overall well-being and happiness
Lost my faith and trust
Negative experiences have caused me to lose faith in others and trust in the world
You and I know gold don't turn to rust
We know that true value and worth cannot be tarnished or diminished by negativity
I still swear that we can reign
I still believe that things can get better and we can find happiness
Like the kings and queens of better yesterdays
Like those who have found happiness in their past
Where you gonna go where you gonna go where you gonna run to
When you're at your lowest point, where can you turn for help?
When you get to the edge of the night
When your problems feel overwhelming and insurmountable
Its time you face the sky
It's time to focus on the positive and believe in a better future
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: TIAGO MIGUEL AMARAL CARVALHO, GARY ANTHONY BAKER, ROBYN R. FENTY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Deadgays
i.... u know for some reason this song reminds me of zuko's redemption arc:
turn your face towards the sun - firebenders need the sun
Let the shadows fall behind you - shadows could be interpreted as his old life or ozai or both
Don't look back, just carry on - he has to move on from ozai/ when he finally joins the gang
And the shadows will never find you - again referencing his old life
Lost in the rock and roll - his life as a banished prince/ also his mixed feelings
Got lost in a promise of a love I'd never know - to bring the avatar back and regain his fathers 'love'
Shadows chased me far from home - could be metaphorical or literal/ azula and zhao chasing him
I remember when my heart was filled with gold - when he was still young and naïve/ also his eyes does not show the shadows of war
And you know
I've been burned, I've been burned, I've been burned - obvious, when ozai burn him but also small moments before
You've seen me lose control - his angry state chasing aang
It's not worth, it's not worth, it's not worth my soul - him realizing it was wrong
Lost my faith and trust - no longer trusting people around him/ uncle iroh (to some extent) , his crew on the wani, the gaang
You and I know gold don't turn to rust - could be a metaphor to his eyes ( again )
I still swear that we can reign
Like the kings and queens of better yesterdays - him coming back and changing the fire nation for the better
Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna run to, when you get to the edge of the night? - him coming back 'home' and realizing its not really home anymore
Its time you face the sky, - him facing ozai on the day of the black sun
i've probably been reading too much atla fics lol.
its just-
@DisneyFan08TaylorsVersion
The song: turn your face towards the sun
Me: MY EYES
@cheezy9888
you guys still feel pain?
@burksfamily8448
stop this song is end of the world vibes no jokes aloud
@Peanut.......
Rip eyes
@h0tt0pic_junki39
Its a figure of speech to say to people that are depressed
@cleoludenberd5068
That very true
@luznoceda811
"don't look back, just carry on and the shadows will never find you"
Preach sister ✊
@angeloosworld
Hi Luz, how’s it going with Amity? 😂😏
@kociara_29
🤗🤗🤗
@cottonkitty2528
Have you married amity yet luz?