Robyn Rihanna Fenty (born February 20, 1988), who performs under the mononym Rihanna is a Barbadian singer, model, and former beauty queen. She also serves as the cultural ambassador for Barbados. She is the first Barbadian artist to win a Grammy Award. Rihanna is currently signed to the Def Jam Recordings label. She has attained five Billboard Hot 100 number ones thus far ("SOS", "Umbrella", "Take a Bow", "Disturbia" and T.I.'s "Live Your Life").

Rihanna broke into the recording industry in 2005 with the release of her debut album, Music of the Sun, which features the hit single "Pon de Replay". Less than a year later, Rihanna released A Girl Like Me and earned her first number-one single, "SOS". In 2007, Rihanna released her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad. Along with the Reloaded edition, the album has yielded eight singles, including "Umbrella", "Don't Stop the Music", "Take a Bow" and "Disturbia".

Rihanna was born in Saint Michael, Barbados, to Ronald and Monica Fenty. She has two younger brothers, Rorrey and Rajad Fenty. Her mother, a native of Guyana, is Afro-Guyanese and her father is Afro-Barbadian and caucasian.

Rihanna attended Charles F. Broome Memorial School, a primary school in Barbados, and then the Combermere School, where she formed a musical trio with two of her classmates at the age of fifteen. In 2004, she won the Miss Combermere Beauty Pageant. She was an army cadet in a sub-military programme that trained with the military of Barbados and Shontelle was her drill sergeant.

In 2003, friends introduced Rihanna and her two bandmates to record producer Evan Rogers, who was vacationing in Barbados with his wife. The group auditioned for Rogers, who said that "the minute Rihanna walked into the room, it was like the other two girls didn't exist." She eventually moved to Connecticut to live with Rogers and his wife. Rogers, along with his partner, Carl Sturken, helped Rihanna record material in the U.S. to send to various recording companies. Rihanna's demo made its way to Def Jam, which invited her to audition for the label's then-President Jay-Z, who quickly signed her.

Rihanna's music has been described as a Reggae/R&B/Dancehall vibe. With the release of her debut album Music of the Sun and its lead single "Pon de Replay", Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic described Rihanna's musical style as "synthesize Caribbean rhythms and beats with standard-issue urban dance-pop: Caribbean-inflected urban, if you will." Rihanna is also described as utilizing "dancehall-lite beats and a reggae vocal cadence." NME describes the singer as a "heady mix of dancehall, reggae and R&B." Barry Walters of Rolling Stone considers Rihanna's A Girl Like Me to be "lightweight dancehall and R&B jams." After the release of Good Girl Gone Bad, Allmusic's Andy Kellman credits Rihanna to be "as pop as pop gets."

Rihanna cites Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, Fefe Dobson, Whitney Houston, Destiny's Child, Celine Dion, Brandy, and Gwen Stefani as musical influences.

Jon Bream of the Star Tribune commented "in the tradition of Madonna and Janet Jackson, Rihanna has become the video vixen of the '00s ... Rihanna has perfected the pout, the long-legged strut and trend-setting hairdos that keep women and men alike checking her out on YouTube." George Epaminondas of InStyle considers Rihanna's music videos to be "cinematic" due to her "blend of lush island rhythms and swinging pop and ... mischievous sensuality."Rihanna commented that Marilyn Monroe and vintage clothing served for visual inspiration for the music video "Hate That I Love You"; in contrast, the "dark, creepy" scenes of "Disturbia" have drawn comparison to Michael Jackson's Thriller

Rihanna created her Believe Foundation in 2006 to help terminally ill children. Rihanna has performed a number of concerts to raise funds for both charities and the Foundation. She is also a 2008 Cartier LOVECHARITY Bracelet Ambassador, performed at Madonna’s Raising Malawi fundraiser, and helped a woman find a bone marrow donor.

In September 2008, Rihanna joined other female pop, rock, R&B & country singers such as Carrie Underwood, Ciara, Beyoncé Knowles, Leona Lewis, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, and Fergie to record "Just Stand Up!", the theme song to the the anti-cancer campaign Stand Up to Cancer and its theme song.

Rihanna has teamed up with H&M and other celebrities like Timbaland and Good Charlotte for "Fashion against AIDS." The collection is designed to spread awareness about HIV/AIDS. It was released at H&M in early February 2008. She went on the Glow in the Dark Tour with Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, and N.E.R.D.

Rihanna was also selected as the spokesmodel for Gucci’s first UNICEF ad campaign. She will appear in the fashion house’s Tattoo Heart campaign, premiering in December. Rihanna will be photographed in series of special edition print ads with UNICEF items, twenty-five percent of sales will benefit the children’s charity.

In New York, Rihanna was then enlisted by Gucci's Frida Giannini along with Madonna to light the UNICEF Christmas snowflake. Rihanna, is now the face of the fourth annual Gucci Campaign to Benefit UNICEF, which aims to raise funds for children in Africa through the sale of its Tattoo Heart collection of bags.

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