Robyn Rihanna Fenty (born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer and songwriter. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, she first entered the music industry by recording demo tapes under the direction of record producer Evan Rogers in 2003. She ultimately signed a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings after auditioning for its then-president, hip hop producer and rapper Jay Z. Rihanna's first two studio albums Music of the Sun (2005) and A Girl like Me (2006) charted on the top 10 of the U.S. Billboard 200 and respectively produced the singles "Pon de Replay" and "SOS".
She assumed creative control of her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad (2007) and became a household name following the release of its international successful lead single "Umbrella". She followed it with five Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) platinum-certified albums, including the Grammy Award winning Unapologetic (2012) and her second Billboard 200 number-one album Anti (2016). Many of her songs rank among the world's best-selling singles of all time, including the singles "Umbrella", "Take a Bow", "Disturbia", "Only Girl (In the World)", "S&M", "We Found Love", "Diamonds", and "Stay" in which she is the lead artist, and her collaborations "Live Your Life" (with T.I.), "Love the Way You Lie" and "The Monster" (both with Eminem).
Aside from music, Rihanna is known for her involvement in humanitarian causes, entrepreneurial ventures, and the fashion industry. She is the founder of the nonprofit organization Clara Lionel Foundation, cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty, and fashion house Fenty under LVMH; she is the first black woman to head a luxury brand for LVMH. Rihanna has also ventured into acting, appearing in major roles in Battleship (2012), Home (2015), Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017), and Ocean's 8 (2018). She was appointed as an ambassador of education, tourism, and investment by the Government of Barbados in 2018 and was declared a National Hero of Barbados on the first day of the country's parliamentary republic in 2021, entitling her to the style of "The Right Excellent" for life.
