Rihanna 's Biography in Summary

Robyn Rihanna Fenty   (born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, fashion designer, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna was discovered by American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the United States to record demo tapes. After signing with Def Jam in 2005, she soon gained recognition with the release of her first two studio albums, Music of the Sun (2005) and A Girl Like Me (2006), both of which were influenced by Caribbean music and peaked within the top ten of the US Billboard 200 chart.

Rihanna's third album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), incorporated elements of dance-pop and established her status as a sex symbol in the music industry. The chart-topping single "Umbrella" earned Rihanna her first Grammy Award and catapulted her to global stardom. She continued to mix pop, dance, and R&B genres on her next studio albums, Rated R (2009), Loud (2010), Talk That Talk (2011), and Unapologetic (2012), the latter of which became her first Billboard 200 number one. The albums spawned a string of chart-topping singles, including "Rude Boy", "Only Girl (In the World)", "What's My Name?", "S&M", "We Found Love", "Where Have You Been" and "Diamonds". Her eighth album, Anti (2016), showcased a new creative control following her departure from Def Jam. It became her second US number one album and featured the chart-topping single "Work". During her musical career, Rihanna has collaborated with many artists, such as Drake, Eminem, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Adam Levine, Paul McCartney, Ne-Yo, and Shakira.

With sales of over 250 million records worldwide, Rihanna is the second-best-selling female music artist of all time. She has earned 14 number-ones and 31 top-ten singles in the US and 30 top-ten entries in the UK. Her accolades include nine Grammy Awards, 13 American Music Awards (including the Icon Award), 12 Billboard Music Awards, six Guinness World Records, and the NAACP's President's Award. Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2012 and 2018. Forbes ranked her among the top ten highest-paid celebrities in 2012 and 2014. As of 2021, she is the wealthiest female musician, with an estimated net worth of $1.7 billion.

Aside from music, Rihanna is known for her involvement in humanitarian causes, entrepreneurial ventures, and the fashion industry. She is the founder of the nonprofit organisation Clara Lionel Foundation, cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty, and fashion house Fenty under LVMH; she is the first black woman to head a luxury brand for LVMH. Rihanna has also ventured into acting, appearing in major roles in Battleship (2012), Home (2015), Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017), and Ocean's 8 (2018). She was appointed as an ambassador of education, tourism, and investment by the Government of Barbados in 2018, and was declared a National Hero of Barbados on the first day of the country's parliamentary republic in 2021, entitling her to the style of "The Right Excellent" for life.

Is there anyone who seems to have more fun with fame, fashion, and all the assorted trappings that come with being a celebrity in 2019 than Rihanna? Beloved Rih also happens to be the recipient of our illustrious first place award for best Met Gala meme of all time, for, of course, rocking her gold Guo Pei gown and its massive yellow, fur-lined cape with a 16-foot train (just imagine what she would have worn, had she been able to attend last year’s “Notes on Camp” Met Gala.) Between her critically lauded fashion lines, Fenty x Puma, Savage x Fenty and LVMH-partnered luxury brand Fenty, retaining her title as one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, and a slew of high-profile acting gigs, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better icon for our age than the Bad Gal herself. But you knew that. Here, 5 things about the star that you probably didn't know.

1. Like many who’ve come before her, Rihanna does not actually go by her given name. The 27-year-old Barbadian beauty was born Robyn Rihanna Fenty. Her middle name is Arabic and means “sweet basil.” With her family and close friends, she still goes by Robyn. “I get kind of numb to hearing Rihanna, Rihanna, Rihanna,” she has told Rolling Stone. “When I hear Robyn, I pay attention.” (Also: According to Rihanna’s Instagram, we may have been mispronouncing her stage name. Turns out, it’s Ri-Anna.)

Rihanna Welcomes First Baby with A$AP Rocky

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky first revealed their pregnancy news in January 

It's time for Rihanna to take a bow as a new mom!

The "Diamonds" singer, 34, and boyfriend A$AP Rocky welcomed their first baby, PEOPLE can confirm.

A source close to the couple says they are at home in Los Angeles with the baby.

"Rihanna is doing well. They are very excited to be parents. Rihanna is already a wonderful mom," says the source. 

The Grammy winner first revealed in January that she was expecting her first child with Rocky, 33. After she was photographed debuting her baby bump in New York City, a source told PEOPLE that Rihanna is "excited to be a mom" and "couldn't be happier."

CREDIT: RICH FURY/GETTY IMAGES FOR FENTY BEAUTY & FENTY SKIN

"Everything Rihanna does, she does it her own way on her own time table, and having a baby is no different," the source said, adding that Rihanna and Rocky were over the moon about their baby on the way. "They're just like any other pair of parents-to-be. Yes, they happen to be famous but they're just the cutest, giddiest young couple that's expecting kids."

A$AP Rocky and Rihanna

| CREDIT: JACOPO M. RAULE/GETTY

In a March interview with Elle, the Fenty Beauty founder opened up about her future life as a protective mom. 

The Anti artist said that, as a fan of The Real Housewives franchise, she thinks her parenting style will be similar to that of Real Housewives of New Jersey's Teresa Giudice.

"Teresa from Jersey does not play about her kids. She will flatten you about those kids. And that resonates with me a lot because I feel like that's the type of mom I'm going to be," Rihanna told the outlet. "Psycho about it."

Baby Vanished in 1980 and Her Parents Were Murdered. She Was Just Found Alive — But Questions Linger

The singer then quipped that she'll actually be "worse" than Giudice, adding, "You talk about my kids, it's over."

Throughout her pregnancy, Rihanna showcased iconic maternity styles that often put her bare baby on display.

CREDIT: MIKE COPPOLA/GETTY

During a Los Angeles Fenty Beauty event in February, the singer told PEOPLE that it's been "fun" but also "a challenge" to play with fashion while she's pregnant. "I like it. I'm enjoying it," she said at the time.

"I'm enjoying not having to worry about covering up my tummy," the "We Found Love" singer added. "If I feel a little chubby, it's like, whatever! It's a baby!"

The mom-to-be also opened up about how fashion and beauty helped her to feel confident.

"Right now, being pregnant, some days you just feel like, 'Ugh, I just want to lay here on this couch all day,' " she explained. "But when you put on a little face and a little lipstick, you transform.