Robyn Rihanna Fenty (born February 20, 1988), who performs under the mononym Rihanna), is a Barbadian singer, model, and beauty queen. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna relocated to the United States at the age of sixteen to pursue a recording career, under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers. She subsequently signed a contract with Def Jam Recordings after auditioning for then-label head Jay-Z.

In 2005, Rihanna released her debut studio album, Music of the Sun, which peaked within the top ten of the Billboard 200 and features the Billboard Hot 100 hit single “Pon de Replay”. Less than a year later, she released her second studio album, A Girl Like Me, peaking within the top five of the Billboard albums chart and produced her first number one single, “SOS”. Rihanna’s third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), peaking at number two on the Billboard 200, released three US number one hit singles—”Umbrella”, “Take a Bow”, and “Disturbia”, and the worldwide hit “Don’t Stop the Music”. The album was nominated for nine Grammy Awards, winning Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Umbrella”, which features Jay-Z.

Rihanna had sold over twelve million albums worldwide and has received several accolades, including the 2007 World Music Awards for World’s Best-Selling Pop Female Artist and Female Entertainer of the Year, as well as the 2008 American Music Awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist and Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist. She also serves as one of Barbados’ cultural ambassadors.