Rihanna

Actress

Biography

Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known by her stage name Rihanna is a Barbadian singer, actress, and fashion designer. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, her career began when she met record producer Evan Rogers through mutual friends in late 2003 and recorded demo tapes under Rogers's guidance.  Her tape was sent to several record labels, and she subsequently signed a contract with Def Jam Recordings after auditioning for its then-president, hip-hop producer and rapper Jay-Z. Both her debut album, Music of the Sun (2005) and its follow-up A Girl Like Me (2006) peaked in the top ten on the US Billboard 200 chart. The albums spawned the US Billboard Hot 100 top two hit single "Pon de Replay" and her first Hot 100 number-one on the chart, "SOS". Her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), and its chart-topping lead single "Umbrella" were major breakthroughs in her career that brought her to widespread prominence. The album and its 2008 Reloaded version further produced the worldwide hit singles "Don't Stop the Music", "Take a Bow", and "Disturbia". The record was nominated for nine Grammy Awards, winning Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Umbrella".  Following a highly publicized altercation with then-boyfriend, entertainer Chris Brown, she released her fourth studio album, Rated R, in November 2009. It was followed by three more albums: Loud (2010), Talk That Talk (2011), and her first Billboard 200 number one album Unapologetic (2012). That same year, she appeared in her first theatrical feature film, Battleship. She has sold more than 50 million albums and 190 million singles worldwide, making her one of the best-selling artists of all time. Many of her songs rank among the world's best-selling singles of all time, such as "Umbrella", "Take a Bow", "Disturbia", "Only Girl (In the World)", "S&M", "We Found Love", "Diamonds" and "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.), "Run This Town" (with Jay-Z and Kanye West), "Love the Way You Lie" and "The Monster" (both with Eminem). She has achieved thirteen number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the youngest and fastest solo artist to achieve the feat. Billboard named her the Digital Songs Artist of the 2000s decade and the top Hot 100 artist of the 2010s decade. Rihanna is known for frequently reinventing her style and image, most notably since Good Girl Gone Bad. Her work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including seven Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, 22 Billboard Music Awards, and two BRIT Awards. In 2012, Forbes ranked her the fourth most powerful celebrity of the year, 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. At the American Music Awards of 2013, she received the first ever Icon Award. On June 2, 2014, Rihanna received the Fashion Icon lifetime achievement award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).