Claim: Rihanna is one of the best-selling artists of the 21st century.

Robyn Rihanna Fenty -LRB- -LSB- riˈænə -RSB- born February 20 , 1988 -RRB- is a Barbadian singer , songwriter , and actress . Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown , she first entered the music industry by recording demo tapes under the direction of record producer Evan Rogers in 2003 . She ultimately signed a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings after auditioning for its then-president , hip hop producer and rapper Jay Z . In 2005 , Rihanna rose to fame with the release of her debut studio album Music of the Sun and its follow-up A Girl like Me -LRB- 2006 -RRB- , which charted on the top 10 of the US Billboard 200 and respectively produced the singles `` Pon de Replay '' and `` SOS '' .   She assumed creative control for her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad -LRB- 2007 -RRB- and adopted a public image as a sex symbol while reinventing her music . Its successful lead single `` Umbrella '' became an international breakthrough in her career , as she won her first Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration with Jay Z in 2008 . After releasing four consecutive platinum studio albums , including the Grammy Award winner Unapologetic -LRB- 2012 -RRB- , she was recognized as a pop icon . Her eighth studio album Anti -LRB- 2016 -RRB- and its lead single `` Work '' reached number-one on the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 . Many of her songs rank among the world 's best-selling singles of all time , including the singles `` Umbrella '' , `` Take a Bow '' , `` Disturbia '' , `` Only Girl -LRB- In the World -RRB- '' , `` S&M '' , `` We Found Love '' , `` Diamonds '' , and `` Stay '' in which she is the lead artist , and her collaborations `` Live Your Life '' -LRB- with T.I. -RRB- , `` Love the Way You Lie '' and `` The Monster '' -LRB- both with Eminem -RRB- .   With sales exceeding 230 million records worldwide , Rihanna is one of the best-selling artists of all time . Rihanna is the youngest and fastest solo artist to earn fourteen number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 , and was named the Digital Songs Artist of the 2000s decade and the top Hot 100 artist of the 2010s decade by Billboard . Among numerous awards and accolades , Rihanna has won eight Grammy Awards , twelve American Music Awards , twelve Billboard Music Awards and the inaugural Icon Award at the American Music Awards of 2013 . Widely recognized for frequently reinventing her style , she received the Fashion Icon lifetime achievement award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2014 . Forbes ranked Rihanna the fourth most powerful celebrity of 2012 , and was named one of Times `` 100 Most Influential People in the World '' later that year .