Rihanna was born February 20, 1988, on the Caribbean island of Barbados, as Robyn Rihanna Fenty. At the age of 15, Rihanna received her big break when one of her friends introduced her to music producer Evan Rogers, who was vacationing in Barbados with his Bajan wife, Jackie. Rogers, along with his partner Carl Sturken, helped Rihanna record material in the U.S that was sent to various recording companies. One copy of Rihanna's work was sent to Jay-Z, who eventually signed her to his record label.

Rihanna's debut album Music of the Sun, which she co-wrote, was released in August 2005, led by the single 'Pon de Replay', which peaked at number two on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. The second single, 'If It's Lovin' That You Want', was less successful than its predecessor. The album itself peaked within the top ten in Canada, and the US, and within the top forty in the UK. It has received platinum certifications in several countries and a Gold certification in the US. To further promote the album, Rihanna toured with Gwen Stefani. The album itself sold almost half a million copies in the US and two million worldwide.

She released her second album, A Girl Like Me, in 2006 less than eight months after the release of her first album. The album debuted at number five in the US and six in the UK. Four singles were released from 'A Girl Like Me', with 'SOS' and 'Unfaithful' having the most success.

After her second album, she released her third album titled 'Good Girl Gone Bad'. The first single off that album 'Umbrella' became an extremely popular hit in the US and UK. The single topped number one in the US and UK. The song stayed number one in the UK for more then 10 weeks becoming the first single in over a decade to do so. Other hits from the album include 'Don't Stop the Music' and 'Shut Up and Drive'. Rihanna has since re-released the album to include a duet with Maroon 5 and hit single 'Take a Bow'.

Rihanna won four honors at the 2008 Billboard Music Awards including Female Artist of the Year beating Beyoncé and Mary J. Blige to the top honor, and performed at the 2008 Brit Awards with Klaxons, singing Umbrella.