Rihanna

The staggering statistics alone make it clear that Barbados-born Rihanna is one of the biggest stars to emerge from the American music world in recent decades. She has sold some 250 million albums and scored 14 number-one hits. These numbers are only expected to rise. Robyn Rihanna Fenty, the singer, actress, and businesswoman born on February 20, 1988, is also a widely admired role model. Raised under difficult circumstances, she fought her way to the top through enormous talent and perseverance.

As a child, Rihanna grew up in an environment where she faced violence, alcoholism, and drug abuse. Nothing suggested she was destined to become a megastar. Yet, from an early age, she set her sights on a life in music, partly inspired by greats like Madonna, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Bob Marley, and Janet Jackson. In 2005, one of her demos found its way to rapper Jay-Z, who signed her to the Def Jam label. Preceded by the hit "Pon The Replay," her debut album, Music Of The Sun, was released that same year. Rihanna immediately established herself as a singer who employed a refreshing mix of styles, including pop, R&B, dance, and reggae.

Her debut album was followed by a successful follow-up album: A Girl Like Me (2006), Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), Rated R (2009), Loud (2010), Talk That Talk (2011), Unapologetic (2012), and the unconventional Anti (2016). She scored worldwide hits with songs like SOS, Unfaithful, Umbrella (featuring Jay-Z), Don't Stop The Music, Take A Bow, Rude Boy, and Only Girl (In The World). Throughout her now long career, she has also collaborated with a diverse range of artists, including Timbaland, Sean Garrett, Kanye West, Drake, Coldplay, and Shakira. The multifaceted phenomenon Rihanna has also found success with business ventures, from exclusive fragrances and fashion to high-end music streaming services. She has also appeared in films such as Battleship (2012), This Is the End (2013), Home (2015), Ocean's 8 (2018), and Guava Island (2019). The follow-up to 2016's Anti seems to be ready. According to the singer herself, she's returning to her reggae roots.