Rihanna

**Rihanna** (/riˈænə/ ree-AN-ə; born **Robyn Rihanna Fenty** on February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian-born American pop and R&B singer, recording artist, businesswoman and actress. She has amassed a total of four Grammy Awards, four American Music Awards, and eighteen Billboard Music Awards.

## Biography

Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, the daughter of accountant Monica (née Braithwaite) and warehouse supervisor Ronald Fenty. , 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.

Rihanna moved to the US in 2005 when she signed with Def Jam Recordings. Her initial demo was shipped out to Def Jam Recordings, where Jay Brown, an A&R executive at the record label, was one of the first to hear the demo. Brown played the demo tape for rapper Jay-Z, who had recently been appointed as president and CEO of Def Jam.She earned significant recognition following the release of her first two studio albums, *Music of the Sun* (2005) and *A Girl like Me* (2006), both of which were influenced by Caribbean music and peaked within the top ten of the US *Billboard* 200 chart. Rihanna's third studio album, *Good Girl Gone Bad* (2007), incorporated more elements of dance-pop and catapulted her to greater stardom, establishing her status as a sex symbol and a leading figure in the music industry. Its international chart-topping single "Umbrella" earned Rihanna her first Grammy Award, winning Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

Rihanna extended her fusion of pop, dance, and R&B on her next four studio albums, *Rated R* (2009), *Loud* (2010), *Talk That Talk* (2011), and the Grammy Award-winning *Unapologetic* (2012). All four releases incorporated experimentation of various musical styles and consolidated Rihanna's international chart success, *Unapologetic* being her first number-one album in the US. The records spawned a string of chart-topping singles, including "Rude Boy", "Only Girl (In the World)", "What's My Name?", "S&M", "We Found Love", "Diamonds", and "Stay". Her eighth studio album, *Anti* (2016), showcased her control over artistic creativity after her departure from Def Jam. It became her second US number-one album and featured the chart-topping single "Work". Besides solo materials, Rihanna has collaborated with recording artists such as Drake, Eminem, and Calvin Harris.

Having sold over 250 million records, Rihanna is one of the world's best-selling music artists. She has earned 14 number-one singles, 31 top-ten singles in the US, and 30 top-ten entries in the UK. Her accolades include nine Grammy Awards, 13 American Music Awards, 12 *Billboard* Music Awards, and six *Guinness World Records*. *Forbes* ranked her among the top ten highest-paid celebrities in 2012 and 2014, and *Time* named her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2012 and 2018. Alongside a successful music career, Rihanna is well known for her involvement in humanitarian causes, entrepreneurial ventures, and the fashion industry. She is the founder of the nonprofit organization Clara Lionel Foundation, cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty, and fashion house Fenty under LVMH. In 2018, the Government of Barbados appointed her as an ambassador with duties promoting education, tourism and investment.

## Personal life

In 2007, Rihanna began dating fellow singer Chris Brown. On February 8, 2009, Rihanna's scheduled performance at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards was canceled. Reports surfaced that Brown had physically assaulted her. On March 5, 2009, Brown was arrested, charged with assault on suspicion of making criminal threats.

Rihanna dated R&B/pop singer Drake on-and-off from 2009 to 2016. In a January 2013 interview with Rolling Stone, Rihanna confirmed that she had rekindled her relationship with R&B singer 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. Rihanna began a relationship with Saudi businessman Hassan Jameel in 2017. The couple reportedly split in January 2020.

In mid 2020, Rihanna began spending a lot of time with rapper A$AP Rocky. The two soon began dating, and in 2022 welcomed their first child, a son. In 2023, the two announced they were expecting their second child together.

## References

1. ↑ Rihanna profile at CelebHeights.com]
2. ↑ Rihanna shows AJ Hammer how to pronounce her name.. *HLN*. Retrieved on May 2, 2017.
3. ↑ "Happy Birthday To A Real BOSS," See Who's Wishing Rihanna's A Happy 29th Birthday. BET.com (February 20, 2017). Retrieved on May 13, 2020.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Spivey, Lisa (January 2007). Los Angeles Sentinel. Retrieved on May 14, 2020. ISSN# 0890-4340.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Rihanna: Biography — Part 1 & 2", *People*, Meredith Corporation. Retrieved on May 13, 2020.
6. ↑ Watson, Margeaux. "Caribbean Queen: Rihanna", *Entertainment Weekly*, June 22, 2007. Retrieved on November 27, 2008.
7. ↑ Clark, Noelene. "Rihanna's secret family: two half-sisters, a half-brother — and two nieces", *Los Angeles Times*, April 18, 2011. Retrieved on July 21, 2011.
8. ↑ THE ISLAND DEF JAM MUSIC GROUP APPOINTS SHAWN "JAY-Z" CARTER TO PRESIDENT & CEO, DEF JAM RECORDINGS. Universal Music Group (December 8, 2004). Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved on February 22, 2015.
9. ↑ Swash, Rosie. ""Grammys 2009: Rihanna cancels appearance after boyfriend Chris Brown arrested"", The Guardian (www.guardian.com), February 9, 2009. Retrieved on May 13, 2020.
10. ↑ Friedman, Roger. ""Chaos in Chris Brown-Rihanna Mess"", Fox News Channel.
11. ↑ Penrose, Nerisha (May 3, 2018). A Timeline of Rihanna & Drake's Complicated Relationship. *Billboard*. Retrieved on June 6, 2019.
12. ↑ "Rihanna breaks silence over Chris Brown: 'if it's a mistake, it's my mistake'", *The Telegraph*, January 30, 2013. Retrieved on January 31, 2013.
13. ↑ "Judge Seeks More Review of Chris Brown's Probation", *New York Times*, September 24, 2012. Retrieved on October 6, 2012.
14. ↑ Rihanna And Chris Brown's Road To Friendship. MTV (October 5, 2012). Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved on October 6, 2012.
15. ↑ Chris Brown Loves Both Rihanna And Karreuche Tran. MTV (October 5, 2012). Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved on October 6, 2012.
16. ↑ Ravitz, Justin (May 6, 2013). Chris Brown Confirms Rihanna Breakup: "I Can't Focus on Wife-ing" Her. *Us Weekly*. Retrieved on May 6, 2013.
17. ↑ A Complete Timeline of Rihanna and Hassan Jameel's Romance (February 1, 2018). Retrieved on May 4, 2018.
18. ↑ Rihanna on Body Image, Turning 30, and Staying Real—No Matter What. Retrieved on May 4, 2018.
19. ↑ Boucher, Ashley (January 22, 2020). Rihanna and Billionaire Boyfriend Hassan Jameel Split After Nearly 3 Years of Dating. People. Retrieved on January 25, 2020.

## External links

* Rihanna links at FreeOnes
* Rihanna at Babepedia
* Rihanna article at *Wikipedia*
* Rihanna at models.com
* Rihanna Nude in Lui Magazine 2014
* outtakes
* Ultimate Rihanna fansite containg many photo galleries and other resources
* Official VEVO channel on YouTube