Early Life
Robyn Rihanna Fenty was born on February 20, 1988, in Saint Michael, Barbados. Her mother is Monica Braithwaite, a retired Afro-Guyanese accountant, and her father is Ronald Fenty, a warehouse supervisor of Barbadian and Irish descent. Rihanna has two brothers, Rorrey and Rajad Fenty, and two half-sisters and a half-brother from her father's side, each born to different mothers from his previous relationships. She grew up in a three-bedroom bungalow in Bridgetown and sold clothes with her father in a stall on the street. Rihanna's childhood was deeply affected by her father's addiction to crack cocaine, alcohol, and marijuana, and her parents' turbulent marriage ended when she was 14. Rihanna grew up listening to reggae music and began singing at around the age of seven. She attended Charles F. Broome Memorial Primary School and Combermere High School, where she formed a musical trio with two of her classmates. Rihanna was an army cadet in a sub-military programme; the singer-songwriter Shontelle was her drill sergeant. Although she initially wanted to graduate from high school, she chose to pursue a musical career instead.
Personal life
On February 8, Rihanna's scheduled performance at the 51st Grammy Awards was cancelled. Reports later surfaced regarding an altercation with then-boyfriend, singer Chris Brown, who was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats. On March 5, 2009, Brown was charged with assault and making criminal threats. Due to a leaked photograph from the Los Angeles Police Department obtained by TMZ.com—which revealed that Rihanna had sustained visible injuries—an organization known as STOParazzi proposed "Rihanna's Law," which, if enacted, would "deter employees of law enforcement agencies from releasing photos or information that exploits crime victims." Gil Kaufman of VH1 reported the "nonstop coverage of the Rihanna/Brown case has brought up a number of issues regarding the privacy of alleged victims of domestic violence, including the decision by almost all major news outlets to divulge the identity of the victim—which is not typically done in domestic-violence cases" and discussed the controversial distribution of the leaked photograph. Rihanna was subpoenaed to testify during a preliminary hearing in Los Angeles on June 22, 2009. On June 22, 2009, Brown pled guilty to felony assault. Brown received five years probation and was ordered to stay fifty yards (48 meters) away from Rihanna, unless at public events, which then would be reduced to ten yards (nine meters). In February 2011, at the request of Brown's lawyer and with Rihanna's consent, Judge Patricia Schnegg modified with the restraining order to a "level one order," which allows the singers to appear at awards shows together in the future. From December 2010 to 2011, Rihanna dated Los Angeles Dodgers baseball star Matt Kemp. Canadian rapper Drake has also admitted to dating the singer.
In a January 2013 interview with Rolling Stone, Rihanna confirmed that she had rekindled her relationship with Chris Brown, though he remained under probation for the 2009 domestic violence incident. The confirmation followed persistent media speculation throughout 2012 regarding the pair's reunion. In a May 2013 interview, Brown stated that he and Rihanna had broken up again.
Robyn Rihanna Fenty known by her stage name Rihanna is a Barbadian recording artist, actress, and fashion designer. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, she met record producer Evan Rogers in late 2003, and the next year moved to the US to pursue a music career. She began recording demo tapes under Rogers' guidance, and signed a contract with Def Jam Recordings after auditioning for its president, rapper Jay-Z.
Rihanna's debut album, Music of the Sun (2005), featuring the Billboard Hot 100 top three hit single "Pon de Replay", peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200 chart. Her second album, A Girl Like Me (2006), peaked at number five in the US, and included her first Hot 100 number one single, "SOS". Her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), spawned the international hits "Umbrella", "Don't Stop the Music", "Take a Bow", and "Disturbia". The album was nominated for nine Grammy Awards, winning Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Umbrella". Her fourth album, Rated R (2009), produced the top ten singles "Russian Roulette" and "Hard", plus the number one hit "Rude Boy". Her fifth, Loud (2010), spawned the number one hits "Only Girl (In the World)", "What's My Name?", and "S&M". Her sixth album, Talk That Talk (2011), included the worldwide chart topper "We Found Love" and the top five single "Where Have You Been". Rihanna's seventh album, Unapologetic (2012), became her first number one album on the Billboard 200 and generated her twelfth Hot 100 number one song "Diamonds" and the top five hit "Stay". In addition to her solo work, Rihanna has collaborated with numerous other artists, including being featured on the worldwide hits "Live Your Life" (with T.I.) and "Love the Way You Lie" (with Eminem).
Rihanna's work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including six Grammy Awards,[A] five American Music Awards, 22 Billboard Music Awards, and two BRIT Awards. She has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, which makes her one of the best-selling artists of all time. She has achieved twelve number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the youngest solo artist to achieve the feat. Billboard named her the Digital Songs Artist of the 2000s decade, ranking her seventeenth overall. In 2012, Forbes named her as the fourth most powerful celebrity of 2012, with earnings of $53 million between May 2011 and May 2012. The same year, TIME named Rihanna one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.
Filmography
Rihanna videography
Bring It On: All or Nothing (2006)
Battleship (2012)
This Is the End (2013)
Home (2014)
Legacy and influence
Rihanna performing during the Loud Tour
Rihanna's first albums established her as a "Pop/R&B Princess" by music critics; Nick Levine of Digital Spy described her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded, as the closest thing to a Thriller that 2007/8 is likely to produce. Her single "Umbrella", famous for its "ella ella" hook, is considered by Rolling Stone to be one of the 500 greatest songs of all time and received critical acclaim. The music video for "We Found Love" was well received; winning the Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video and MTV's Video of the Year. Many critics including Rolling Stone compared it to Danny Boyle's Trainspotting. Time Magazine included Rihanna on its 100 Most Influential People in 2012, with fashion designer Stella McCartney writing, "She's one of the coolest, hottest, most talented, most liked, most listened to, most followed, most impressive artists at work today, but she does it in her own stride. She works hard, very hard. The following month, Forbes ranked Rihanna fourth on their Most Powerful Celebrity 100 list, with earnings of $53 million between May 2011 and May 2012. On March 29, 2013, she was also named the most influential artist in the UK.
Rihanna has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In the United States, Rihanna has sold over 9.8 million albums, while Nielsen SoundScan ranked her as the best-selling digital artist in the country, breaking a Guinness World Record for digital single sales of over 58 million as of 2012. She has released six Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified platinum and multi-platinum albums in the United States. Her collaboration with Eminem, "Love the Way You Lie", together with "Umbrella", "Disturbia", "Only Girl (In the World)", "We Found Love", and "Diamonds", are some of the best-selling singles of all time worldwide. The singer has accumulated twelve number one singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, tied with Madonna and The Supremes for fourth place, as the artists with the fifth-most number ones in the chart's history. She has been named the top Pop Songs chart artist of the past twenty years by Billboard; she ranks first with most entries (36), most top tens (23), and most number ones (10). As of June 2012, Rihanna has sold over 14 million singles and six million albums in the United Kingdom. She is the tenth best-selling and the second best-selling female singles artist in the country, only behind Madonna.
Rihanna has directly influenced artists such as Justin Bieber, Ellie Goulding, Demi Lovato, and Willow Smith. Rihanna has an honorary title of Ambassador for Culture and Youth in Barbados. Additionally, Rihanna has become a dominating figure in social media and internet streaming. She is the most popular person on the social network Facebook, has the fourth most followers on Twitter, and is the most-viewed and subscribed recording artist on YouTube. On March 7, 2013, Spotify announced that Rihanna is the most streamed artist worldwide.
Rihanna's debut album, Music of the Sun (2005), featuring the Billboard Hot 100 top three hit single "Pon de Replay", peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200 chart. Her second album, A Girl Like Me (2006), peaked at number five in the US, and included her first Hot 100 number one single, "SOS". Her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), spawned the international hits "Umbrella", "Don't Stop the Music", "Take a Bow", and "Disturbia". The album was nominated for nine Grammy Awards, winning Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Umbrella". Her fourth album, Rated R (2009), produced the top ten singles "Russian Roulette" and "Hard", plus the number one hit "Rude Boy". Her fifth, Loud (2010), spawned the number one hits "Only Girl (In the World)", "What's My Name?", and "S&M". Her sixth album, Talk That Talk (2011), included the worldwide chart topper "We Found Love" and the top five single "Where Have You Been". Rihanna's seventh album, Unapologetic (2012), became her first number one album on the Billboard 200 and generated her twelfth Hot 100 number one song "Diamonds" and the top five hit "Stay". In addition to her solo work, Rihanna has collaborated with numerous other artists, including being featured on the worldwide hits "Live Your Life" (with T.I.) and "Love the Way You Lie" (with Eminem).
Rihanna's work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including six Grammy Awards,[A] five American Music Awards, 22 Billboard Music Awards, and two BRIT Awards. She has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, which makes her one of the best-selling artists of all time. She has achieved twelve number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the youngest solo artist to achieve the feat. Billboard named her the Digital Songs Artist of the 2000s decade, ranking her seventeenth overall. In 2012, Forbes named her as the fourth most powerful celebrity of 2012, with earnings of $53 million between May 2011 and May 2012. The same year, TIME named Rihanna one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.
Filmography
Rihanna videography
Bring It On: All or Nothing (2006)
Battleship (2012)
This Is the End (2013)
Home (2014)
Legacy and influence
Rihanna performing during the Loud Tour
Rihanna's first albums established her as a "Pop/R&B Princess" by music critics; Nick Levine of Digital Spy described her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded, as the closest thing to a Thriller that 2007/8 is likely to produce. Her single "Umbrella", famous for its "ella ella" hook, is considered by Rolling Stone to be one of the 500 greatest songs of all time and received critical acclaim. The music video for "We Found Love" was well received; winning the Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video and MTV's Video of the Year. Many critics including Rolling Stone compared it to Danny Boyle's Trainspotting. Time Magazine included Rihanna on its 100 Most Influential People in 2012, with fashion designer Stella McCartney writing, "She's one of the coolest, hottest, most talented, most liked, most listened to, most followed, most impressive artists at work today, but she does it in her own stride. She works hard, very hard. The following month, Forbes ranked Rihanna fourth on their Most Powerful Celebrity 100 list, with earnings of $53 million between May 2011 and May 2012. On March 29, 2013, she was also named the most influential artist in the UK.
Rihanna has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In the United States, Rihanna has sold over 9.8 million albums, while Nielsen SoundScan ranked her as the best-selling digital artist in the country, breaking a Guinness World Record for digital single sales of over 58 million as of 2012. She has released six Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified platinum and multi-platinum albums in the United States. Her collaboration with Eminem, "Love the Way You Lie", together with "Umbrella", "Disturbia", "Only Girl (In the World)", "We Found Love", and "Diamonds", are some of the best-selling singles of all time worldwide. The singer has accumulated twelve number one singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, tied with Madonna and The Supremes for fourth place, as the artists with the fifth-most number ones in the chart's history. She has been named the top Pop Songs chart artist of the past twenty years by Billboard; she ranks first with most entries (36), most top tens (23), and most number ones (10). As of June 2012, Rihanna has sold over 14 million singles and six million albums in the United Kingdom. She is the tenth best-selling and the second best-selling female singles artist in the country, only behind Madonna.
Rihanna has directly influenced artists such as Justin Bieber, Ellie Goulding, Demi Lovato, and Willow Smith. Rihanna has an honorary title of Ambassador for Culture and Youth in Barbados. Additionally, Rihanna has become a dominating figure in social media and internet streaming. She is the most popular person on the social network Facebook, has the fourth most followers on Twitter, and is the most-viewed and subscribed recording artist on YouTube. On March 7, 2013, Spotify announced that Rihanna is the most streamed artist worldwide.
Source: Wikipedia and TMZ
