Rihanna's Birth and Early Life:
Rihanna Fenty was born in the Caribbean island nation of Barbados in 1988. She was discovered by producer Evan Rogers (known for work with Christina Aguilera, *NSYNC, Jessica Simpson, and others) when he and his Barbadian wife Jackie were visiting the island for Christmas 2003. Her obvious talent impressed Def Jam Records CEO Jay-Z enough for the label to sign her to a 6 album contract at the young age of 16.
Breakout Pop Star:
Def Jam released Rihanna's first single "Pon De Replay" to strong response from radio in June 2005. By mid-July "Pon De Replay" took up residence in the U.S. pop top 10. The debut album Music Of the Sun was released in August, 2005. "If It's Lovin' That You Want," a second single from Music of the Sun failed to reach the top 10, but Rihanna returned to the charts in early 2006 with the #1 smash "S.O.S. (Rescue Me)."
Rihanna's Continued Success:
Rihanna is one of the most consistent hitmakers in pop music. By mid 2008, she had released an impressive 8 top 10 pop singles in the US over just a 3-year period. Among these were 3 #1 smashes, "S.O.S.," "Umbrella,", and "Take a Bow." Among her most frequent collaborators are the production team Stargate and fellow DefJam artist Ne-Yo.
Album Reviews:
Rihanna was initially considered primarily a singles artist. However, the release of the album Good Girl Gone Bad proved that she was fully capable of putting together a collection of songs built around a definable persona.
Single Reviews:
- August 2005 - "Pon De Replay" - #2 Pop
- November 2005 - "If It's Lovin That You Want" - #15 Pop
- March 2006 - "S.O.S." - #1 Pop
- July 2006 - "Unfaithful" - #2 Pop
- March 2007 - "Umbrella" - #1 Pop
- June 2007 - "Shut Up and Drive" - #10 Pop
- August 2007 - "Hate That I Love You" - #7 Pop
- September 2007 - "Don't Stop the Music" - #2 Pop
- April 2008 - "Take a Bow" - #2 Pop
- June 2008 - "Disturbia" - #4 Pop
Rihanna Photos and Fun:
Check out an extensive gallery of photos throughout Rihanna's career and a quiz to check up on your own Rihanna knowledge.
