Birthday: February 20, 1988
Birthplace: Saint Michael's, Barbados
Zodiac Sign: Pisces
If you haven't heard of this Barbadian beauty by now, you've been living under a rock. Find out about the girl who brought you hits like "Umbrella," and "FourFiveSeconds." Get the goods on Rihanna right here.
Caribbean Childhood
The daughter of a Barbadian father and a Guyanese mother, Rihanna grew up as Robyn Rihanna Fenty in Saint Michael, Barbados. Despite her simple upbringing, she already showed signs of promise - Rihanna attended Combermere High School where she won both the talent and beauty contests in 2004. She loved to sing for her family and friends but never really thought a career in the music industry would be possible for a small town girl like herself.
Rihanna was born and raised in Barbados
Opportunity Knocks
When a friend introduced Rihanna to a vacationing American music producer, Evan Rogers (who has worked with Christina Aguilera, *NSYNC, and Jessica Simpson), and his Barbadian wife, Jackie, her life changed forever. Evan Rogers, along with his business partner Carl Sturken, helped Rihanna produce a demo album (which included the song Pon De Replay) and sent it off to various record labels. Rihanna moved to New York to be closer to the action - and then crossed her fingers that someone would sign her.
A Star is Born
When Jay-Z got his hands on Rihanna's demo, he knew he'd found a star. He convinced Rihanna to sign to his label, Def Jam Recordings, in a meeting that dragged on until 4:30AM. The six-album deal led to the release of her debut CD, Music of the Sun, in August 2005. Her follow-up album, A Girl Like Me, was released in April 2006 and quickly achieved gold status. Rihanna became a superstar with her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad that featured the massive summer hit, "Umbrella." The original album and the Reloaded version have produced 9 singles, most of which were Top 40 hits. Rihanna was here to stay!
Rihanna shines bright like a diamond!
Music to Movies
If there's one thing no one can say about Rihanna, it's that she's lazy! After releasing Good Girl Gone Bad, she went on to put out four more albums between 2009 and 2012: Rated R, Loud, Talk That Talk and Unapologetic. But that's not all - Rihanna also took the plunge into acting when she signed on to star in the game-to-movie adaptation of Battleship in 2012 as officer Cora Raikes.
Did You Know?
- Rihanna's fave singers include Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Madonna.
- Rihanna lived with Evan and Jackie Rogers - the people who discovered her in Barbados.
- Rihanna has a cameo in Bring It On III.
- Rihanna has toured with Gwen Stefani.
- Rihanna took vocal lessons from R&B singer/songwriter Ne-Yo.
- She has dated rapper Drake and Dodgers player Matt Kemp.
- She created the Believe Foundation to help terminally ill children.
- By 2015 Rihanna had won a total of 8 Grammys.
- She is an Ambassador or Youth and Culture for Barbados.
Rihanna Says...
"I want to give people a taste of the Caribbean, and show them the fun side of me."
Have Your Say
What do you think of Rihanna? Let us know in the comments section below!
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