Rihanna: Snapshot
- Name
- Rihanna
- Birth Date
- February 20, 1988
- Birth Place
- St. Michael, Barbados
While denying a rumored affair with her mentor, Rihanna released two hit albums in eight months with such memorable dance tracks as "Pon De Replay" and "S.O.S." But it wasn't until she chopped her hair and released 2007's Good Girl Gone Bad, that she bypassed the comparisons. As her summer anthem, "Umbrella," topped the Billboard charts in 2007, the glowing singer became the latest face of CoverGirl, landed a spot on PEOPLE's Most Beautiful list, and won her first Grammy Award for her breakout hit.
People Hot List - Which Stars Have the Most Buzz?
The Hot List shows the most buzzed about celebs of the moment as measured by reader activity on People.com
Rihanna: Five Fun Facts
- After signing to Jay-Z's Def Jam Records in 2004, Rihanna was excited to meet one of her idols. "[Beyoncé] wrote me a note that said, 'When you get onstage, just let loose. Have fun. You're in control,'" she told Rolling Stone.
- Rihanna made a cameo appearance in the 2006 cheerleading romp, Bring It On: All or Nothing, which starred Hayden Panettiere.
- Rihanna was inspired by Brandy's 2004 album, Afrodisiac, when she worked on her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad. "When I was in the studio that was the album that I listened to all the time and I really admired that every song was a great song," Rihanna told Entertainment Weekly.
- Rihanna was presented with the 2007 Venus Breeze "Celebrity Legs of a Goddess" award by Gillette. She insured her legs for $1 million and told PEOPLE they were her main focus when exercising.
- Rihanna's summer anthem, "Umbrella," which took the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2007, set a record for single-day digital downloads.
Rihanna: Biography 
- 2004
Auditioning for Jay-Z
Rihanna's demo makes its way to Def Jam and the budding star is invited to audition for rapper turned Def Jam president Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter. "I was in the lobby just shaking," Rihanna, who sings Whitney Houston's "For the Love of You," tells Rolling Stone. "I signed her in one day," Jay-Z adds. "It took me two minutes to see she was a star."
- 2006
A New Disc Among Rumors
Eight months after the release of her debut album, Rihanna releases her sophomore album, A Girl Like Me. The album boasts Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers "S.O.S." and "Unfaithful," and earns her four Billboard Music Awards, including Female Artist of the Year. But the success is paired with gossip that Rihanna is romantically involved with her mentor Jay-Z, who is dating pop star Beyoncé. "At first I was like, 'Ha ha, it's funny,'" Rihanna tells the AP. "Now I just ignore it and I'm numb to it...You cannot stop people from saying what they want to say."
- 2007
An Edgier Look & Sound
Rihanna follows the likes of Janet Jackson and Christina Aguilera when she sheds her innocent image for an edgier look and sound. She releases the single, "Umbrella," which reaches the top spot on Billboard's Hot 100 in June and kicks off her upcoming third album, Good Girl Gone Bad. "It shows such growth for her as an artist," Jay-Z tells the AP." "If you listen to the lyrics to that song, you know the depth and how far she's come."
Photo Credits
Top Left: Roberto d'Este
BIOGRAPHY (top to bottom): Marion Curtis/Startraks; Jen Lowery/Startraks; Courtesy of Island Def Jam
