Rihanna
Written by Debra Coco Slater
A star was born 28 years ago in Bridgetown, Barbados and she goes by the name of Robyn Rihanna Fenty aka Rhianna. At an early age, Rhiannastarted showing her family that she
loved to sing and entertain. Rhianna’s father Ronald Fenty is an Irish Barbadian and her mother Valerie Braithwaite, is of Afro-Guyanese decent. Rhianna was the oldest child and was raised with her two younger brothers named Rorrey and Rajad. She was discovered at an audition in Barbados when she was in a singing group with two friends. Upon sight, the producer who discovered her knew that she had talent.
Rhianna eventually moved to the United States and has taken the world by storm with just about anything that she sets her mind out to do. This singer/songwriter/business entrepreneur melts the hearts of many. Her sense of style and business moves only proves that she was born to sing and entertain us on a world-wide level. Is there anything that Rihanna can’t turn to gold? I don’t think so. Here’s why Rhianna spent most of her childhood days listening to her favorite artists which are Madonna, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson and Beyonce. In 2003, Rhianna received her lucky break as teen when she was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to audition for Evans Rogers who just happened to be on vacation on the island. Eventually Rogers helped Rhianna to connect with Jay Z (President of Def Jam at the time) who signed her to the label the first day he met the singer. She made many hit songs under this label such as “Pon de Replay,” an island-inspired dancehall tune, became a hit, followed by “SOS”, “Umbrella”, “Rude Boy”, “Only Girl (in the World)”, “We Found Love”, “Diamonds”, and many others.
She worked nonstop, releasing seven albums in eight years, and today, 10 years after her debut, she’s
accumulated 54 million album sales, 13 No. 1 singles, and 210 million downloaded tracks. She’s toured and performed live concerts for millions of people around the world. She’s got 7 billion video views on YouTube, 50.7 million followers on Twitter, 25.4 million on Instagram, and 81.7 million Fa0cebook fans. “(1. Rihanna in Cuba: The Cover Story). In 2010, Rhianna transitioned her music over from Def Jam to Roc Nation to work with Jay Z under his new situation. From the start, Rhianna’s career has always moved in a very positive direction. It is reported that Rhianna net worth today is over $165 million. For 2016, she came in #13 on Forbes List at $75 million from her music alone. After years of top selling album sales, tours, fragrances, and Fenty Fashion Line she has dominated markets across the board world- wide. “Rihanna is the “best selling digital artist of all time… with more than 100 million [Riaan] gold & platinum song certifications” and an eight-time Grammy award winner who also counts 14 billboard music awards among other countless music
accolades.” (2. Rhianna Bio). In 2015, she earned $48 million which ranked her as the 4 th Highest
Women in Music. What a great accomplishment to have under your belt at such a young age. Oh wait, I forgot to mention “She has been the face of Totes Umbrella (2007), Got Milk (2008), and G ucci Tattoo Heart Collection (2009) campaigns. Rihanna's celebrity endorsements also include Secret (2005), Nike (2006), JC Penney (2006), Clinique Happy (2006), and her debut celebrity fragrance with Par lux, Rebel Fleur, launched February 2011.” (3. Celebrity Fascination). After a successful partnership with Mac in 2014, after Rhianna collaborated with them by designing a collection, she was made the face of their Viva Glam campaign. Wow, kill them softly Rhianna!!!
Another great quality about Rhianna is her passion to give back and help others. Rhianna created two
different foundations to assist people in need and she also supports many charities and causes around
the globe. In 2006, she launched the Believe Foundation to raise funds for terminally ill children. She is dedicated to helping children by offering free concerts, appearances and meeting her fans. Her other venture the Clara Lionel Foundation was created in 2012 to benefit children across the world who are affected by poverty. The Clara Lionel Foundation is designed to assist with education, healthcare and offers scholarships for children. In 2016, Rhianna was appointed as the Global Ambassador to ensure better education for children in the world’s poorest countries. She teamed up with the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) to help increase support from policymakers and world leaders to improve the quality of education. Rhianna feels strongly about helping children. She believes that all children should have quality education. Outside of her amazing music career and business ventures, Rhianna has had very public and tumultuous relationships. Every time she takes a picture or steps out she is matched up with another person. She has reportedly dated Drake, Chris Brown, Shia LaBeouf (Actor), Matt Kemp (LA Dodgers baseball), Travis Scott (rapper), and Leonardo DeCaprio to name a few. There are several publications on the internet that match Rhianna up with as many as 25 rumored relationships. It seems as though this singer has no breaks between her personal life, album releases and tours. Her first public relationship announcement began with Jay Z in 2006 which brought this singer a lot of unwanted attention early on in her career. Rhianna is no stranger to tabloid scandals and rumors. Over the past few years, there have been reports of a feud between Drake and Chris over their love fame Rhianna. Chris Brown is allegedly very upset over Rihanna and Drake’s relationship. Hopefully, one day these two very talented singers can end their feud and make some great music together. Currently, Rhianna is single and enjoying it. So, let’s just sit back and watch the tabloids to see who she is going to be paired up with next.
In my opinion, Rhianna’s vision and brand are constantly evolving. Whether it is through her music,
charity work, or foundations she has plenty to offer us in many different ways. I appreciate the fact that she is using her voice and platform not only to entertain us but also as ray of hope to those who really need help. Even though she never graduated from school, she does recognize the importance creating a way for another young person to receive good education. We all know that each of us have different journeys through life but I found Rhianna’s story to be of great substance. She is still young so just imagine all of the great things to come that she has in store for us. I just hope she continues to keep seeking her balance and learning from her lessons in life. Before I go, don’t forget to check out her latest fashion collection with Stance and her Fenty Puma Fall Collection, along with, her latest music release Anti if you haven’t done so already; produced under Roc Nation. Currently she has a few international tour dates coming up for her Anti World tour so be on the lookout for that. Lastly, just continue to support this positive young woman. She is living life to the fullest and helping others along the way by sharing her gifts with the world. Go RI RI!!!! She is truly so Amazing…….
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