Biography

Robyn Rihanna Fenty (/riˈænə/ ree-AN-ə; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman and actress. She is noted as the best-selling female recording artist of the 21st century by Guinness World Records and the highest-certified female digital single artist by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). As of 2024, Rihanna is the third wealthiest musician in the world. She has seven U.S. diamond-certified singles and 14 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. The recipient of various accolades, Rihanna is among the best-selling recording artists of all time, with sales estimated at 250 million units globally.

Rihanna signed with Def Jam Recordings in 2005. She found mainstream recognition after releasing her first two studio albums, Music of the Sun (2005) and A Girl Like Me (2006). Both were influenced by Caribbean music, and the albums peaked within the top ten on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. Her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), incorporated dance-pop elements, establishing her status as a pop icon. Its lead single, “Umbrella”, peaked atop the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and won her first Grammy Award.

Rihanna continued to blend pop, dance and influences in her subsequent albums, Rated R (2009), Loud (2010), Talk That Talk (2011), and Unapologetic (2012)—the latter of which topped the Billboard 200. The albums spawned the Billboard Hot 100-number one singles “Rude Boy”, “Only Girl (In the World)”, “What’s My Name?”, “S&M”, “We Found Love”, and “Diamonds”. Her eighth album, Anti (2016), showcased new creative control following her departure from Def Jam in favour of Jay-Z’s label, Roc Nation. Becoming her second U.S. number-one album, it was supported by the chart-topping single “Work”.

Aside from music, Rihanna is recognized for her humanitarian involvement, entrepreneurship, and influence in the fashion industry. She established the Clara Lionel Foundation, cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty, and fashion house Fenty under LVMH, becoming the first black woman to lead a luxury brand for LVMH. Rihanna has acted in major roles in Battleship (2012), Home (2015), Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017), and Ocean’s 8 (2018). In 2018, the Government of Barbados appointed her as an ambassador and declared a National Hero of Barbados in 2021.

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