'Rihanna' (
IPA pronunciation: )
[1] (born 'Robyn Rihanna Fenty' on
20 February 1988) is a
Barbadian singer,
[2]
Early life
Rihanna was born in
Saint Michael,
Barbados to Ronald and Monica Fenty. Her mother is of
Guyanese heritage
[3][4] and her father is of both
African and
European heritage.
[5] She has two younger brothers named Rorrey and Rajad. Rihanna went to Charles F. Broome Memorial School, a primary school in Barbados, and then on to one of Barbados' Grammar (older secondary) schools, the
Combermere School, where she formed a musical trio with two of her classmates. In 2004, she won the Miss Combermere Beauty Pageant and performed in the Colours of Combermere School Show, singing
Mariah Carey's "
Hero". At the age of 15, Rihanna received her big break when one of her friends introduced her to
music producer Evan Rogers, who was vacationing in Barbados with his wife. Rogers, along with his partner,
Carl Sturken, helped Rihanna record material in the U.S. which was sent to various recording companies. One copy of Rihanna's work was sent to
Jay-Z, who eventually signed her to
Def Jam Records. Rihanna cites
Alicia Keys,
Beyoncé Knowles and her
Caribbean background as major musical influences.
[6] Rihanna also stated in an interview that her friend and former Island Def Jam record label artist
Fefe Dobson was someone that she admired and looked up to, having a fellow artist writing, singing, and performing the music she truly loves.
[7][8][9]
She is currently living in
San Diego, California.
[10][11][12]
Music career
''Music of the Sun''
Main articles: Music of the Sun
Rihanna's
debut album ''
Music of the Sun'' was released
30 August,
2005 from which, further
singles were released, the first being "
Pon de Replay" which was released on
October 11,
2005 and reached position #2 in both the
U.S. Billboard Hot 100, the
UK Singles Chart due to considerable
airplay and gained several #1 positions in various
niche charts
[13][14] The single itself was written by Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers alongside Rihanna herself and described by
Rolling Stone magazine as a "poppy piece of dancehall reggae with slapping, syncopated beats recalling big-band jazz."
[15] However, despite Pon de Replay's commercial chart success, the album itself was rated 2½ out of 5 stars by Rolling Stone Magazine and described as lacking the replay value, ingenuity and rhythm of the single with "generic vocal hiccups and frills" of
US R&B inflecting upon her "caribbean charm".
[16] Since its release, the album reached the
top 10 in both US and
Canadian charts, gaining
gold certification from the
RIAA from selling 500,000 units and subsequent
platinum certifications for selling 2 million units in various other countries.
[17] To further promote the album, Rihanna toured as an opening act for American pop singer
Gwen Stefani.
The second single, "
If It's Lovin' That You Want", was considerably less successful than it's predecessor, peaking at position #36 on the U.S Billboard Hot 100 and position #11 in the UK. A third single, "
Let Me", was only released in
Japan, where it was a big hit, reaching #8 on the charts.
When asked about the nature of the album by AskMen Magazine about the album itself, Rihanna noted that it was released quickly after she was discovered in her home as a means of portraying her image as a girl from a small area who had moved to a large country in line with her debut, and that her second album was released somewhat shortly thereafter to illustrate that in her time in the country she had grown up quicky enough to release another album.
[18]
''A Girl Like Me''
Main articles: A Girl like Me (Rihanna album)
In 2006, Rihanna participated in several endorsement deals, including for
Nike and
J.C. Penney. She released her second album, ''
A Girl Like Me'', in April 2006, less than eight months after the release of her first album. The album debuted at number five in the U.S. and number four in the UK. The lead single, "
SOS", was used in her endorsement deal with Nike. The song became Rihanna's first number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; it also debuted at number one on the
Hot Digital Songs chart. "SOS" peaked at number one in Australia and number two in the UK. The second single, entitled "
Unfaithful", was written by R&B singer
Ne-Yo, and addresses the feelings of guilt that the protagonist of the song faces as she cheats on her boyfriend. The song became her third top ten hit in the U.S. and in the UK. The third single "
We Ride" wasn't as successful as her previous releases, failing to chart on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, however, it became her fifth UK top 20 single, where it peaked at number 17 on that chart and peaked number one on the U.S.
Hot Dance Club Play chart. Rihanna's fourth single from the album "
Break It Off" featuring
Sean Paul, had already climbed to number 45 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 based solely on airplay. It was released as a digital download on February 19, 2007, which made the song jump from number fifty-two to number ten and then eventually peak at number nine.
In total Rihanna has had 11 different number-ones on the ''Billboard'' charts and has had major success on the Hot Dance Club Play chart with four number-ones ("Pon De Replay", "SOS", "Unfaithful" and "We Ride"). When Rihanna received an endorsement deal from
Clinique, she recorded a song written by
Ne-Yo entitled "Just Be Happy" as part of the deal to promote their Happy fragrance. The song can be heard on her
Myspace page. Rihanna also recently recorded a song called "
Winning Women" with
Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger for P&G’s female deodorant
Secret.
Rihanna made her acting debut in a
cameo role in '', which was released on August 8, 2006; she also appeared on an episode of American
soap opera ''
All My Children'' and drama ''
Las Vegas''.
''Good Girl Gone Bad''
Main articles: Good Girl Gone Bad
Rihanna went into the studio in early 2007 with Ne-Yo,
Stargate, and
Timbaland among others to record her third album, ''
Good Girl Gone Bad''. The album was released on June 5, 2007. It features
Jay-Z and Ne-Yo as featured artists.
The first single, "
Umbrella", featuring
Jay-Z, was released on March 29, 2007, reaching number one in various countries, including the U.S.
"
Umbrella" was the #1 single in the UK for 10 consecutive weeks. It was the longest running #1 single since "
Wet Wet Wet's¹" single "
Love Is All Around", back in 1994, and the longest running #1 by a female artist since
Whitney Houston's "
I Will Always Love You", which also topped the chart for 10 weeks in 1992.
It was produced by
Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "
The-Dream" Nash. Then her second single, "
Shut Up and Drive", was sent to radio stations on June 5, has so far peaked at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100. Her club airplay single, "
Don't Stop The Music" was premiered on
BET's ''
106 & Park'' on July 20, 2007.
The third single
Hate That I Love You featuring
Ne-Yo was released on
August 21, and so far has peaked at #98 on the
Billboard Hot 100.
Rihanna worked with Timbaland on three songs in the album.
Justin Timberlake co-wrote and provides background vocals on "Rehab".
[19] In interviews, many have questioned the meaning and reasoning of the album title. The album title reflects the difference between the old and new Rihanna. "Bad means cool, bad means funky, bad means having an attitude, bad means being edgy. This album is definitely a great representation of who I am now, and where I am in my career," she says.
[20] Seven weeks after the album was released, it had gone gold in the United States and Platinum on the
United World Albums Chart.
Starting September 12, 2007, Rihanna will tour Canada in support of the album with several shows then crossing off to UK, it is called the
Good Girl Gone Bad Tour.
Accomplishments
On July 7, 2007, Rihanna performed at the
Japanese leg of
Live Earth in Tokyo.
Rihanna was recently named 2007 Venus Breeze 'Celebrity Legs of a Goddess' by
Gillette, and she insured her legs for $1,000,000. Ironically, she injured her feet sometime after she insured her legs.
[21]
Discography
Main articles: Rihanna discography
Albums
★ 2005: ''
Music of the Sun''
★ 2006: ''
A Girl Like Me''
★ 2007: ''
Good Girl Gone Bad''
Number-one singles
Airplays
★ 2007: "
Don't Stop the Music"
Tours
★ 2006: The Pussycat Dolls With Rihanna
★ 2007:
Good Girl Gone Bad Tour
Awards and nominations
Main articles: Rihanna Awards and Nominations
References
1. See inogolo:pronunciation of Rihanna.
2. AskMen Editors, et al., (2006)., "Rihanna was born in Barbados on February 20, 1988."
3. Rihanna: Brightest Star, allhiphop.com. September 2005
4. Interview with Rihanna. Morafire.com. Jan/Feb 2007.
5. Interview with Rihanna. Honoluluadvertiser.com. September 15 2006.
6. http://top40.about.com/od/artistsls/p/rihannap.htm
7. http://ahotmess.wordpress.com/2007/05/26/rihanna-performs-in-germany/
8. http://soundslam.com/articles/interviews/interviews.php?interviews=in050802rihann
9. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1982597/bio
10. Def Jam Records, et al. (2007). "Rihanna |Rihanna | Rihanna - Biography" Retrieved on 24 July, 2007 from http://www.rihannanow.com/ L.A. Design Studio, Def Jam Records
11. Def Jam Records, et al. (2007)., "If nothing else, it has been an eye[-]opening year for Barbados-born pop songstress [,] Rihanna.
12. AskMen Editors, et al., (2006). "AskMen.com - Rihanna Interview" Retrieved on 24 July, 2007 from http://uk.askmen.com/toys/interview_200/206_rihanna_interview.html IGN Entertainment: United States
13. Billboard.com editors, et al. (2007). "Billboard.com - Artist Chart History : Rihanna" Retrieved on July 31, 2007 from http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?JSESSIONID=SvDhGvgpzbQbQvLnzLtT6wt8wyT7fFlV9GLfLn2QWMFKvgcBCKtp!-1513679239&model.vnuArtistId=658897&model.vnuAlbumId=723346 Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
14. Billboard.com editors, et al. (2007), states that Rihanna achieved chart position #1 in both the "Hot Digital Songs" and "Dance Radio Airplay" charts, with the remix "Pon de Replay (Norty Cotto Remix)" gaining chart position #1 in the "Hot Dance Music/Club Play" charts.
15. Walters, Barry (September 8 2005). Music of the Sun Review. ''Rolling Stone''. Accessed August 18 2007.
16. [Walters, Barry. (2005)., -- "the rest of Music of the Sun lacks the single's immediacy and rhythmic ingenuity. Photogenic Rihanna suggests a young Mariah Carey minus the birdcalls, and the generic vocal hiccups and frills clearly learned from American R&B often overwhelm her Caribbean charm."]
17. Billboard.com editors, et al. (2007)
18. AskMen editors, et al. (2005), -- "I was just a little girl coming from Barbados into a big city and a big country, and doing all this promotion and it never stopped, I had to learn to fix a lot of stuff myself, but I feel like I've grown five years in just a year ... Music of the Sun was more like my introduction to the world: "Hey, I'm the girl from the Caribbean." This second album, this is a big step up from the first one. "
19. Rihanna Loses Good Girl Image, Thanks to Jay-Z, Justin, Timbaland, Ne-Yo
20. [1]
21. Rihanna's Legs on a Pedestal
External links
★
Rihannanow.com
★
Rihanna at
Def Jam.com
★
Rihanna's official Myspace page
★
★
Rihanna at
TV.com
★
★
Rihanna Stripped at Z100.com
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