Rihanna was born as Robyn Rihanna Fenty on February 20, 1988 in Saint Michael, Barbados. She is the eldest of three children born to Monica Fenty, an accountant, and Ronald Fenty, a warehouse supervisor.
She dealt with difficult problems while she was growing up. Her parents had marital issues due to her father's addictions. She suffered terrible headaches, but didn't tell anyone. She said, "I never expressed how I felt, I always kept it in. I would go to school ... you would never know there was something wrong with me."
As a teenager, Rihanna turned to singing to deal with her troubles. At 15, she formed a girl group with two classmates. They performed for Evan Rodgers, a music producer who was visiting Barbados with his wife. Eventually, Rihanna moved to America with Rogers and his wife to pursue her music career. She recalls, ""When I left Barbados, I didn't look back. I wanted to do what I had to do, even if it meant moving to America."
In 2005, she had an audition with Def Jam Records and its president, Jay-Z. She was very scared. She remembers, "I remember staring into everybody's eyes in the room while I was singing, and at that point, I was fearless," she said. "But the minute I stopped singing, I was like, 'Oh my God, Jay-Z is sitting right in front of me.'" Jay-Z was amazed by her talent, and eight months later, Rihanna release her first single "Pon De Replay." This song was a commercial success and found its way to the top of charts around the world. Rihanna continued to produce music.
As of 2018, she has released eight albums. Many of her songs are ranked as the best-selling singles of all time. She has thirty-one #1 singles on the Billboard 100. Rihanna is the most streamed female artist on Spotify and has won nine Grammy Awards, twelve American Music Awards and twelve Billboard Music Awards. She has been on the Forbes powerful celebrity list and Times most influential people list.
Rihanna has pursued other goals besides music. She has starred in movies and music videos, winning 28 awards and earning 72 nominations. She has a clear interest in the fashion industry. In 2011, she had a partnership with Armani and then went on to collaborate with other fashion houses like Dior and Stance. In 2015, Rihanna was chosen as the new face of Dior, making her the first black woman to hold this role.
In 2014, she was named creative director of Puma and debuted many differerent lines and items. This career move was very successful. Vogue writes about Rihanna's accomplishments, saying "Sometimes when a famous person tries his or her hand at another discipline, the results can be uneven. And yet there are those special cases when making the switch leads to a good surprise. Judging by the collection she showed today, we can add Rihanna to that list."
In 2017, Rihanna launched Fenty Beauty, a makeup line that stressed inclusion, as seen in its expansive foundation line. Time Magazine called Fenty Beauty one of the "The 25 Best Inventions of 2017."
She has also has many philanthropic causes. She founded the Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) in 2012, in honor of her grandparents, Clara and Lionel Braithwaite. This foundation funds medical and educational programs, raising millions of dollar. In 2017, Rihanna was named Harvard University's "Humanitarian of the Year." President Barack Obama commented on Rihanna's work, saying "You've become a powerful force in the fight to give people dignity."
As a teenager, Rihanna turned to singing to deal with her troubles. At 15, she formed a girl group with two classmates. They performed for Evan Rodgers, a music producer who was visiting Barbados with his wife. Eventually, Rihanna moved to America with Rogers and his wife to pursue her music career. She recalls, ""When I left Barbados, I didn't look back. I wanted to do what I had to do, even if it meant moving to America."
In 2005, she had an audition with Def Jam Records and its president, Jay-Z. She was very scared. She remembers, "I remember staring into everybody's eyes in the room while I was singing, and at that point, I was fearless," she said. "But the minute I stopped singing, I was like, 'Oh my God, Jay-Z is sitting right in front of me.'" Jay-Z was amazed by her talent, and eight months later, Rihanna release her first single "Pon De Replay." This song was a commercial success and found its way to the top of charts around the world. Rihanna continued to produce music.
As of 2018, she has released eight albums. Many of her songs are ranked as the best-selling singles of all time. She has thirty-one #1 singles on the Billboard 100. Rihanna is the most streamed female artist on Spotify and has won nine Grammy Awards, twelve American Music Awards and twelve Billboard Music Awards. She has been on the Forbes powerful celebrity list and Times most influential people list.
Rihanna has pursued other goals besides music. She has starred in movies and music videos, winning 28 awards and earning 72 nominations. She has a clear interest in the fashion industry. In 2011, she had a partnership with Armani and then went on to collaborate with other fashion houses like Dior and Stance. In 2015, Rihanna was chosen as the new face of Dior, making her the first black woman to hold this role.
In 2014, she was named creative director of Puma and debuted many differerent lines and items. This career move was very successful. Vogue writes about Rihanna's accomplishments, saying "Sometimes when a famous person tries his or her hand at another discipline, the results can be uneven. And yet there are those special cases when making the switch leads to a good surprise. Judging by the collection she showed today, we can add Rihanna to that list."
In 2017, Rihanna launched Fenty Beauty, a makeup line that stressed inclusion, as seen in its expansive foundation line. Time Magazine called Fenty Beauty one of the "The 25 Best Inventions of 2017."
She has also has many philanthropic causes. She founded the Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) in 2012, in honor of her grandparents, Clara and Lionel Braithwaite. This foundation funds medical and educational programs, raising millions of dollar. In 2017, Rihanna was named Harvard University's "Humanitarian of the Year." President Barack Obama commented on Rihanna's work, saying "You've become a powerful force in the fight to give people dignity."
