Rihanna

With the global album release of Loud in November 2010, Rihanna continues her journey to dominate popular music and fashion worldwide. Loud’s first two singles, “What’s My Name” (featuring Drake) and “Only Girl (In the World),” were worldwide successes, both solid #1 chart-toppers in the U.S. and UK. “What’s My Name,” “Only Girl (In the World)” and “S&M” became Rihanna’s 8th, 9th, and 10th #1 Billboard Hot 100 hits, respectively. Rihanna now ranks as the only female artist of the past decade to chart ten #1’s on the Hot 100 as well as the youngest soloist to notch ten Hot 100 #1’s.

In the U.S., Loud debuted with the greatest first week sales of any Rihanna album to date, over 207,000 copies, earning RIAA platinum status by January. Loud sold over 6.2 million copies worldwide and hit #1 in six international territories – bringing Rihanna’s total album sales to more than 30 million. She has also logged a phenomenal 100 million digital song sales, a number that is still growing every day.

From her Caribbean roots to the top of the charts, the runways of Paris and Milan and some of the biggest stages in the world, the 23-year-old, Barbados-born beauty has already earned the coveted title of international superstar. In 2005, Def Jam released Rihanna's dynamic debut album, Music of the Sun, which garnered much attention due to the popularity of her highly addictive dancehall-flavored first single, “Pon de Replay.” A year later, she released her platinum-selling second album A Girl Like Me, featuring the #1 singles “SOS” and “Unfaithful.” From her breakthrough multi-platinum album A Girl Like Me to her ubiquitous global smash “Umbrella,” in just a few short years, Rihanna helped redefine the path of popular music for a new generation.

With two successful albums under her belt in just two years, Rihanna dropped her third album, the multi-platinum Good Girl Gone Bad, in 2007. Rated R was released worldwide in November 2009 and the first single, “Russian Roulette” made chart history for Rihanna – as her 12thBillboard Hot 100 career hit. The next single, “Rude Boy” (the fifth multi-platinum certified song of Rihanna’s career) hit #1 on a slew of charts – including Billboard’s Hot 100 and Hot 100 Airplay, and MediaBase’s Pop, Hot Dance Radio, Hot Dance Clubs, Rhythm, and Urban charts.

Rihanna's extensive accomplishments also include multiple #1 hits, a Grammy for Best Dance Recording for “Only Girl (In The World), ” a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Run This Town" and a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Umbrella" along with fourteen Grammy nominations, two MTV Video Music Awards, Favorite Pop/Rock & Soul/R&B Female Artist at the American Music Awards, and the European MOBO Award as Best International Act. In all, Rihanna is the recipient of three Grammy Awards, four American Music and World Music and BET Awards, five People’s Choice and Teen Choice Awards, MTV VMAs from every region, a BRIT Award for Best International Female Artist in 2011 and an amazing 18 Billboard Music Awards. Rihanna's impressive discography and a growing collection of the music industry's most cherished awards have proven that this is only the beginning. With her beauty, fashion and business sense to match, the Island girl turned international superstar will continue to rock the world for years to come. The journey continues!

Rihanna All Music Guide Biography
Rihanna established her dance-pop credentials in summer 2005 with her debut smash hit, "Pon de Replay," and continued to demonstrate hit potential in subsequent years (e.g., "S.O.S." in 2006; "Umbrella" in 2007; "Disturbia" in 2008). However, it was the singer's third album, Good Girl Gone Bad, that made her a full-fledged international pop star with a regular presence atop the charts. BornRobyn Rihanna Fenty on February 20, 1988, in Saint Michael, Barbados, she exhibited a certain star quality as a young child, often winning beauty and talent contests. Because she lived on the fairly remote island of Barbados in the West Indies, however, she never foresaw the sort of stardom she would later attain. That stardom came courtesy of a fateful meeting with Evan Rogers. The New Yorker was vacationing in Barbados with his wife, a native of the island, when he was introduced to Rihanna. Rogers had spent years producing pop hits for such superstars as *NSYNC, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Kelly Clarkson,Laura Pausini, and Rod Stewart, and he offered the talented Rihanna a chance to record. Along with Rogers' production partner, Carl Sturken (the other half of Syndicated Rhythm Productions), Rihanna recorded several demos that sparked the interest of the Carter Administration -- that is, the newly appointed Def Jampresident Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter. This led to an audition, and Rihanna both received and accepted an on-the-spot offer to sign with Def Jam. Come summer 2005, Def Jam rolled out "Pon de Replay," the lively leadoff single from Music of the Sun. Produced almost entirely by Rogers and Sturken, the song synthesized Caribbean rhythms with urban-pop songwriting. "Pon de Replay" caught fire almost immediately, climbing all the way to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and contesting the half-summer reign of Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" atop the chart. The debut album spawned one other hit, "If It's Lovin' That You Want," which also broke the Top 40. Rihanna's follow-up effort, A Girl Like Me, saw even greater success and spawned three sizable singles: a chart-topper ("S.O.S.") and two Top Ten hits ("Unfaithful," "Break It Off"). Rihanna's third album, 2007's Good Girl Gone Bad, continued her success while signaling a change of direction. Whereas her past two albums had been imbalanced -- often weighed down by faceless balladry and canned Caribbean-isms -- Good Girl Gone Badwas a first-rate dance-pop album, stacked with several chart-topping singles and boasting collaborations with Jay-Z, Ne-Yo, Timbaland, and StarGate. The lead single, "Umbrella," shot to number one, as did "Take a Bow" and "Disturbia." Its success turned Rihanna into one of the planet's biggest pop stars. Rated R was released in 2009 during the wake of a physical altercation with romantic interestChris Brown, who pleaded guilty to felony assault. The album's lead single, "Russian Roulette" -- written with Ne-Yo -- was one of the year's most controversial singles, and it set the tone for the singer's new, dark direction.Rated R peaked within the Top Five of the Billboard 200, while another one of its singles, "Rude Boy," topped the Hot 100. Rated R: Remixed was released in the spring of 2010 and featured ten tracks from the album revamped for the dancefloor by Chew Fu. Loud, Rihanna's fifth studio album, followed in November and was led by the StarGate-produced "Only Girl (In the World)." That song, as well as the follow-up singles "What's My Name?" and "S&M," all topped the Billboard Hot 100. In November 2011, shortly after Loud's "Cheers (Drink to That)" entered the Top Ten, the singer released Talk That Talk. The single "We Found Love" with Calvin Harris earned the top spot in the Hot 100, and the album peaked at number three. Unapologetic, Rihanna's seventh studio album, featured some of her brashest material and was led by "Diamonds" -- her 18th Top Ten single. Unapologetic became her first number one album, and eventually produced further Top Ten hits in "Stay" and "Jump." By the fall of 2013, another record had fallen: her feature on Eminem's "The Monster" helped it hit number one on the pop charts, tying her with Michael Jackson for the most chart-toppers in Billboard chart history. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi