Biography
Robyn Rihanna Fenty, known by her stage name Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist, actress, and fashion designer. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, her career began when she met record producer Evan Rogers through mutual friends in late 2003 and recorded demo tapes under Rogers' guidance. Her demo tape was sent to several record labels and she subsequently signed a contract with Def Jam Recordings after auditioning for its president, rapper Jay-Z. Rihanna's debut and second studio albums, Music of the Sun and A Girl Like Me, peaked in the top ten on the Billboard 200 chart. Both albums incorporated elements of pop, reggae, dancehall, and R&B, which spawned the Billboard Hot 100 top two hit single "Pon de Replay" and her first Hot 100 number-one "SOS". Her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad was a major breakthrough in her career that brought her to widespread prominence. Singles included the worldwide chart-topping lead single "Umbrella" and "Don't Stop the Music". The album's Reloaded version additionally spawned the worldwide number one hits "Take a Bow" and "Disturbia". The record was nominated for nine Grammy Awards, winning Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Umbrella" and is Rihanna's best-selling album in the US to date. She later branched out into dubstep, dance-pop, hip-hop, and house music, with the albums Rated R, Loud, Talk That Talk, and her first Billboard 200 number one album Unapologetic.