Robyn Rihanna Fenty is a Barbadian singer, songwriter, businesswoman, and actress. An influential figure in popular culture, she is known for her multifaceted career, artistic reinventions, and eclectic fashion style.
With estimated sales exceeding 250 million records, Rihanna is one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
real name: Robyn Rihanna Fenty
labels: Roc Nation, Def Jam Recordings, Westbury Road Entertainment
genres: pop music, dancehall, contemporary R&B, electronic dance music, adult contemporary music
influenced by: Madonna, Mariah Carey
awards: Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance, Icon Award, Grammy Award for Best Progressive R&B Album, Humanitarian of the Year, Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording, Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance, Grammy Award for Best Rap Song, Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance
plays: voice
member of: Artists Stand Up to Cancer
Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.
Robyn Rihanna Fenty was born in Saint Michael, Barbados, on February 20, 1988. She is the daughter of Monica (née Braithwaite), an Afro-Guyanese accountant, and Ronald Fenty, a Barbadian warehouse supervisor of African, Irish, English, and Scottish descent. Rihanna has two younger brothers, Rorrey and Rajad Fenty, as well as two half-sisters and a half-brother from her father's previous relationships. She was raised in a three-bedroom bungalow in Bridgetown and helped her father sell clothes at a street stall. Her childhood was affected by her father's alcoholism and crack cocaine addiction, which strained her parents' marriage. Rihanna has spoken about witnessing her father physically abuse her mother, describing her as "one of the...
In 2003, Rihanna formed a music trio with two classmates in Barbados. Unnamed and without original material, the girl group auditioned for American producer Evan Rogers, who recalled that "the minute Rihanna walked into the room, it was like the other two girls didn't exist". The trio went on to perform a cover of Destiny's Child's "Emotion". Impressed, Rogers arranged a second meeting with Rihanna and her mother—this time without the other two girls—and later invited them to his hometown in Connecticut to record demo tapes for record label submissions. Rihanna's demo tape included "Pon de Replay" and "The Last Time". In 2005, she became the first artist to sign with Syndicated Rhythm Productions, the production company founded by Rogers...
Rihanna has identified Madonna as her idol and primary inspiration. She expressed her aspiration to become the "Black Madonna" and commended her talent for continually reinventing herself throughout her career. Rihanna praised Madonna's ability to change her fashion and music repeatedly, while remaining a "real force in entertainment". She also named Mariah Carey as a major influence on her music and career and recalled performing her 1993 song "Hero" at her high school talent show. Rihanna also said that Carey's "Vision of Love" (1990) was the song that inspired her to pursue a career in music. After moving to the US, she was exposed to a wide range of musical genres, which she said had a profound effect on her. Rihanna identified...
Are you them, or do you know them? The mail slot is open.
"Needed Me" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna from her eighth album, Anti (2016). It was written by Rihanna, Brittany Hazard, Charles Hinshaw, Derrus Rachel, the producer DJ Mustard, and the co-producers Twice as Nice and Frank Dukes.
Roc Nation and Westbury Road sent "Needed Me" to US urban contemporary radio on March 30, 2016, together with "Kiss It Better". Afterwards, Def Jam sent "Needed Me" to contemporary hit radio.
On September 15, 2014, American producer DJ Mustard confirmed that he and Rihanna had collaborated on a song for her eighth album, Anti: "We haven't got our club record just yet but we have a ballad that I really like and that she likes too." DJ Mustard worked on fifty songs in an attempt for them to be included on Anti, "Needed Me" was one of the last songs that he worked on. Speaking about the writing and production process Mustard stated "I was at the studio and I was like "I don’t want to go, I don’t feel like going, I’ve done so many songs, she's not going to like it’... The next day they told me she liked it. It was great that I had a team (Twice as Nice) that could take me and actually get it done because if it wasn't for them I...
On March 29, via her official Twitter account Rihanna confirmed that "Needed Me" alongside "Kiss It Better" would be released as follow-up singles. They impacted radio on March 30, 2016. She also revealed the artwork for both singles, with "Needed Me" showing Rihanna wearing a giant pair of jeans. Initially served to urban stations, following the single's success, Rihanna's former label, Def Jam (with whom she parted ways in 2014), confirmed they would be pushing the song to pop radio. On May 31, 2016, Rihanna released five official dance remixes for the song: R3hab remix, Salva remix, W&W remix, Attlas remix and Cosmic Dawn Club Mix.
"Needed Me" is a "mellowish" dubstep-flavored electro-R&B song with "trippy, trappy production", and a length of three minutes and five seconds. The song is written in the key of G minor with a tempo of 111 beats per minute. Rihanna's vocals span from F3 to C5 in the song. Her vocals throughout the verses consist of tuplets. Instrumentally, "Needed Me" features "heavy bass triggers", a "pulpy, throbbing beat" and a "buzzing, grinding bassline." It starts with Mustard's signature line "Mustard on the beat", before transforming into a "swirling, airy, atmospheric production" with "distorted, high-pitched vocal sample." Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph described the track as a downtempo song with synthetic sounds, elements of electro,...
David Sackllah of Consequence of Sound considered it the best song on the album, calling it "the ultimate kiss-off to an ex" and "masterful." Idolator's Bianca Gracie praised the song for being an "addictive track [that] has all the potential to become every female's anthem." Considering an album highlight, Jon Caramanica of The New York Times explained that "Rihanna has always shined when at her most assertive," and praised her singing for being "reserved and cool." Safy-Hallan Farah and Eve Barlow, writers of Spin, were positive towards the song, with Farah considering it an obvious highlight and Barlow regarding it as an "upgraded 'Rated R'-era swag." Patrick Ryan of USA Today praised the song's lyrics and Rihanna's attitude, stating...
"Love on the Brain" is a song by the Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on 27 September 2016 by Westbury Road and Roc Nation as the fourth single from her eighth album, Anti (2016).
Written by Joseph Angel and producer Fred Ball, "Love on the Brain" is a 1950s-and-1960s-inspired doo-wop and soul ballad. The production incorporates an orchestra consisting of guitar arpeggio, organ, and syncopated strings.
"Love on the Brain" was the first song commissioned for Rihanna's album Anti. Written by Norwegian songwriter and producer Fred Ball, American songwriter Joseph Angel and Rihanna in late 2013, inspiration for the song came from Prince and Al Green. Ball recalled, "We wanted it to have that juxtaposition of an old school soul feel with modern lyrics. That's why Amy Winehouse was never pastiche or retro even though her music has an old soul sound." Rihanna worked closely alongside Ball and Angel throughout the writing process, contributing lyrics and creative direction as a lead songwriter to help shape the song’s final sound and identity.
"Love on the Brain" is a mid-tempo '50s and '60s inspired doo-wop and soul ballad, with a "rock edge". Its instrumentation consists of a "guitar arpeggio," "swirling organ", a "simple chord progression", syncopated strings, and "a wave of an orchestra". Written in the key of G major, it has a tempo of 57 beats per minute in compound quadruple (128) time. The song follows a chord progression of G–Am–Em–D, and Rihanna's vocals span from D3 to G5.
"Love on the Brain" was highly acclaimed by music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic picked it as a highlight from the album, noting that Rihanna's "voice is hoarse and ravaged, yet she's also controlled and precise, knowing how to hone these imperfections so her performance echoes classic soul while feeling fresh". Julianne Escobedo Shepherd of Billboard deemed it "a doo-wop powerhouse sung in a Prince-adjacent falsetto — and is proof Rihanna’s been working with some primo vocal coaches". Idolator's Bianca Gracie also complimented her vocals, writing that the "rough-edged, soulful ballad finds Rih at her vocal best". Patrick Ryan of USA Today called the song an "easy highlight," noting the "cozy doo-wop nostalgia". Emily Mackay...
On 19 May 2016, "Love on the Brain" was featured on the season 12 finale of long-running ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy. It charted at the top of the Top TV Songs Chart, powered by 40,000 Shazam tags. Furthermore, according to Nielsen Music, 45,000 downloads and 8.1 million US streams were made in the same month. American singer Kelly Clarkson performed the song during a Facebook live session on 26 August 2016. Danish singer MØ covered "Love on the Brain" on the BBC Radio 1Xtra's Live Lounge segment. British girl band Little Mix covered the song on iHeartRadio's Honda Stage. British soap actress Jane Danson also performed to the song in February 2019 on ITV show Dancing on Ice. This performance made the single re-enter the UK iTunes...
"Pour It Up" is a song by the Barbadian singer Rihanna from her seventh album, Unapologetic (2012). It was serviced to urban radio stations in the United States on January 8, 2013, as the second US single, and third overall single from the album.
It was later also sent to contemporary hit radio radios in the country. Written by Rock City with Rihanna and producers Mike Will Made It and JBo, it is a club, trap, and R&B song with a minimal hip-hop beat.
"Pour It Up" was written by Michael Williams, Justin Garner, Theron Thomas and Timothy Thomas (Planet VI). Rihanna is an additional cowriter of the song. It was produced by Williams under his stage name Mike Will Made It, while being co-produced by JBo of Eardrummer Ent. Williams stated in an interview with MTV News that he had produced multiple records for Rihanna for Unapologetic. He submitted three tracks in total, with "Pour It Up" making the track list. "Pour It Up" was released to urban radio in the United States on January 8, 2013, as the second single in the country following Unapologetic's lead single, "Diamonds". Over three months later, following the success of the song on the format, it was sent to contemporary hit radio on...
"Pour It Up" is a club, trap and R&B song, with a minimal hip hop beat. Lyrically, it finds Rihanna turning a strip-club anthem into a declaration of independence, pulling out her dollar bills at the strip club, getting drunk, and bragging loudly. A part of the song hears Rihanna bragging about how she is rich and can pay for a $100 valet service and a night at the strip club. "All I see is signs, all I see is dollar signs", she declares. "Throw it up / throw it up / watch it all fall out / Pour it up / Pour it up / That's how we ball out", she chants over a "hypnotic" beat and "handclaps". Rihanna's vocals span from the low note of F♯3 to the high note of A4.
"Pour It Up" received mixed reviews from music critics. Andy Kellman of AllMusic called it "convincing", writing that "she's at her best when she's flaunting". Kellman also noted that "Pour It Up" is "a characteristically chilly and booming Mike Will collaboration", also praising "Rihanna's trash talk", writing that "it's something else". Jon Caramanica of The New York Times commented that, "it sounds like a track the ambient-goth outfit Salem might make for a strip club." Alex Macpherson of Fact wrote that on 'Pour It Up', "Rihanna goes through mere scornful contempt and terrifies with her blank, relentless focus." Caryn Ganz of Spin called it "moody and murky". Andrew Hampp of Billboard named it "an irresistible, Mike WiLL-produced...
The official music video for "Pour It Up" was filmed in May 2013. In September 2013, the director Vincent Haycock, tweeted that he was no longer involved with the project due to "creative differences", Rihanna later replied to him by stating: "Just take your name off the check while u at it! Whatever your issue is leave my fans out of it". That same month, Rihanna posted new behind the scenes pictures from the shoot and stated that the video would be released in October 2013. The video was released on her official YouTube channel October 2, 2013, but became unlisted 30 minutes after release. It was later uploaded on Rihanna's official VEVO account. The visual features Rihanna starring as a stripper writhing around and grinding on a giant...
"Stay" is a song by the Barbadian singer Rihanna featuring American singer Mikky Ekko recorded for Rihanna's seventh album, Unapologetic (2012). It was released as the second single from the album on December 13, 2012.
"Stay" was co-written by Ekko and Justin Parker. The song's lyrics speak of temptation and the inability to resist true love.
Rihanna began working on the new sound for her seventh studio album in March 2012, even though she had not yet begun recording. During the production of the album, several musicians and producers were recruited including American singer Mikky Ekko and producer Justin Parker. According to Ekko, the production of the album was massive: "Their pace is insane. They had the studios we were working in booked out for three months, on a cycle. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before." "Stay" was written and produced by Parker, Ekko and Elof Loelv. Initially, when they wrote the song, Ekko didn't like it because of its vulnerability; however, collaborators convinced him to listen to "Stay" again. After another listen, he understood that...
"Stay" is a pop and R&B ballad that consists of piano and bass guitar instrumentation. It is written in the key of C major, having the chord progression of C-Dm-Am-F. The song has a moderate tempo of 112 beats per minute. Rihanna's vocal range in the song ranges from the low note of A3 to the high note of E5. Greg Kot for the Chicago Tribune described the song as being "stripped-bare". The lyrics revolve around "failing to resist true love", according to Dan Martin for NME, as Rihanna sings "Funny, you're the broken one/ But I'm the only one who needed saving." According to Jocelyn Vena for MTV, Rihanna "punctuates the emotions of the track" on the lyric "It's not much of a life you're living/ It's not just something you take [it's]...
"Stay" received favorable reviews from music critics. Jon Dolan for Rolling Stone was complimentary of Rihanna's execution of the song, writing that she performs it "within an inch of its life" and "pleads at the piano." Dolan continued to state that it is "stark" and "shadowy" which is "confrontationally honest." Dan Martin for NME described "Stay" as Unapologetic's highlight, writing that it is a "gorgeous piano ballad." Martin continued to write that the song "puts a vulnerable spin on the Brown situation, repeating another theme of the album", a reference to her relationship with Chris Brown. Smokey Fontaine for The Huffington Post also praised "Stay", placing emphasis on Rihanna's vocal performance. He wrote that "Three years ago, no...
The music video for "Stay" was directed by Sophie Muller. On February 10, 2013, whilst walking the red carpet of the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, Rihanna held an interview with Ryan Seacrest who officially revealed that the music video would premiere on E! News the following day. Rihanna described the production saying, "The video was really, really simple. I pretty much stayed put in a bathtub, and we shot it really tight, really close. There's Mikky Ekko in the video as well. This is the first time I've ever collaborated with him, so I'm excited about that because he's actually the one who wrote the song and I kinda just fell in love with it so much and in love with the tone of his voice and we wanna keep him a part of it, so you'll see...