Rihanna: Snapshot
- Name
- Rihanna
- Date of Birth
- 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 any comparisons. After her summer anthem, "Umbrella," topped the charts, Rihanna became a CoverGirl, won her first Grammy, and began dating singer Chris Brown.
But the fairy tale was shattered after Brown allegedly beat her in 2009, resulting in Brown being sentenced to five years probation and community labor.
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Rihanna: Video
Star Talk
The "Umbrella" singer – and VMA nominee – opens up about her celebrity crush (you'll never guess), her dream collaborators and more as she answers readers' burning questions
Rihanna: Five Fun Facts
- Rihanna is extremely proud of her booty. "I keep working at it as I want it to be perfect," she told the News of the World's Fabulous magazine. "It makes my clothes look good – and guys like it!"
- 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 Gilette. She insured her legs for $1 million and told PEOPLE they were her main focus when exercising.
Rihanna: Biography 
- 1988
Welcome, Robyn Rihanna
Monica, an accountant, and Ronald, a warehouse supervisor, welcome daughter Robyn Rihanna Fenton. Her childhood on the Caribbean island of Barbados is deeply affected by her father's addiction to crack cocaine and parent's rocky marriage, which ends when she's 14. The shy kid finds an outlet through singing.
- 2003
A Barbados Discovery
After forming a girl group with two classmates, Rihanna, 15, auditions for veteran producer Evan Rogers, who tells Entertainment Weekly, "The minute Rihanna walked into the room, it was like the other two girls didn't exist." She eventually moves to Connecticut to live with Rogers and his wife, while cutting a four-song demo. "When I left Barbados, I didn't look back," Rihanna adds. "I wanted to do what I had to do, even it meant moving to America."
- 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."
Photo Credits
Top Left: Roberto d'Este
BIOGRAPHY (top to bottom): Splash News Online; Slaven Vlasic/Abaca; Marion Curtis/Startraks
