Robyn Rihanna Fenty (born February 20, 1988), known by her stage name Rihanna (/riˈɑːnə/ ree-ah-nə or /riˈænə/ ree-an-ə, from the Welsh name Rhiannon[3]), 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 (2005) and A Girl Like Me (2006), 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 (2007) 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 (2008) 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 (2009), Loud (2010), Talk That Talk (2011), and her first Billboard 200 number one album Unapologetic (2012). She appeared in her first theatrical feature film Battleship in 2012. Her albums include the global hit singles, "Rude Boy", "What's My Name?", "S&M", "Where Have You Been" and "Stay", as well as some of the best-selling singles of all time, such as "Umbrella", "Disturbia", "Only Girl (In the World)", "We Found Love", and "Diamonds". In addition to her solo work, Rihanna has collaborated with numerous other artists, including being featured on the worldwide hits "Live Your Life" (with T.I.) and "Love the Way You Lie" (with Eminem).
Rihanna's work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including six Grammy Awards,[1] five American Music Awards, 22 Billboard Music Awards, and two BRIT Awards. She has sold over 30 million albums and 120 million singles worldwide,[4] which makes her one of the best-selling artists of all time.[5] She has achieved twelve number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the youngest solo artist to achieve the feat. Billboard named her the Digital Songs Artist of the 2000s decade, ranking her seventeenth overall.[6][7] In 2013, Billboard ranked Rihanna the top Hot 100 artist of the 2010s decade.[8] In 2012, Forbes ranked her the fourth most powerful celebrity of the year, with earnings of $53 million between May 2011 and May 2012. The same year, TIME named Rihanna one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.