Rihanna is the most-liked music artist on Facebook and the sixth most-followed artist on Twitter
New Delhi:
Back in 2006, Rihanna was the new young artist from Barbados who oozed a youthful Caribbean energy in all her songs. But what really made her the phenomenon we see now is her ability to constantly evolve and transform coupled with vast reserves of confidence and showmanship.
Robyn Rihanna Fenty was just 16 when she was signed by rap legend Jay Z's label Def Jam in 2005. Her first two albums, Music of the Sun and A Girl Like Me, brought her recognition and fame but superstardom was still some way away. After A Girl Like Me released, Rihanna toured with Jay Z and The Pussycat Dolls and her own headlining tour Rihanna: Live in Concert. During this time she was constantly compared to Beyonce and was accused of trying to copy her style both in persona and performance.
The Beyonce comparisons were rubbished when Rihanna debuted an entirely different look and style in her next single Umbrella. The single was the first off her third album Good Girl Gone Bad which went on to become dizzyingly successful. Tracks like Don't Stop the Music, Shut Up and Drive and Disturbia showcased different shades of her personality. The new Rihanna had more energy and a dark side. She grew from being just another singer to a 'cult-leader' and her new style gained her immense attention. This is about the time that her career started treading the path followed earlier by her idol Madonna.
If anyone had a doubt that 'this was just a phase', they were silenced when her next album Rated R hit the shelves in 2009. The risqué videos along with sexual-innuendo filled lyrics in songs like Russian Roulette, Hard, Rude Boy and Te Amo made her musical direction very clear. Her live performances also began to employ loads of S&M-inspired themes along with some raunchy dance moves which made headlines all around.
Not content with working on solo projects, Rihanna collaborated with many artists on chartbusters like Run This Town (with Jay Z), Love The Way You Lie (with Eminem), Rockstar 101 (with Slash) and All Of The Lights (with multiple artists). In the past few years, she express-delivered hits like Only Girl In The World, S&M, Princess Of China , We Found Love and Monster. 2014 began with a bang for Rihanna fans as she released a single in collaboration with Shakira titled Can't Remember To Forget You.
But her professional successes have not matched her personal life. In February 2009, Rihanna was caught in a domestic abuse controversy with her then-boyfriend Chris Brown. Pictures of her with visible facial injuries were circulated in the media. Despite Brown confessing to beating her up, Rihanna was unable to make a clean break with him and was slammed roundly for re-uniting with the errant rap-star for a short while in 2012. They recorded two songs together before Brown confirmed they had finally broken up for good in 2013.
The digital world loves Rihanna. She is the most-liked music artist on Facebook and is the sixth most-followed artist on Twitter. She is also the most-subscribed to and most-viewed artist on YouTube apart from being the most-streamed artist in the world according to Spotify. Add to this her numerous professional accolades which include 7 Grammys, 7 AMAs, 4VMAs, 3EMAs, 2BRITS and 22 Billboard awards apart from numerous others across the globe. She has really come a long way from her beginnings not just in her musical style but in her entire appearance and demeanour. With a multitude of platinum albums, super hit singles, sold out tours and few (forgettable) movie appearances, Rihanna has a lot to look ahead to as she turns 26 today.
Robyn Rihanna Fenty was just 16 when she was signed by rap legend Jay Z's label Def Jam in 2005. Her first two albums, Music of the Sun and A Girl Like Me, brought her recognition and fame but superstardom was still some way away. After A Girl Like Me released, Rihanna toured with Jay Z and The Pussycat Dolls and her own headlining tour Rihanna: Live in Concert. During this time she was constantly compared to Beyonce and was accused of trying to copy her style both in persona and performance.
The Beyonce comparisons were rubbished when Rihanna debuted an entirely different look and style in her next single Umbrella. The single was the first off her third album Good Girl Gone Bad which went on to become dizzyingly successful. Tracks like Don't Stop the Music, Shut Up and Drive and Disturbia showcased different shades of her personality. The new Rihanna had more energy and a dark side. She grew from being just another singer to a 'cult-leader' and her new style gained her immense attention. This is about the time that her career started treading the path followed earlier by her idol Madonna.
If anyone had a doubt that 'this was just a phase', they were silenced when her next album Rated R hit the shelves in 2009. The risqué videos along with sexual-innuendo filled lyrics in songs like Russian Roulette, Hard, Rude Boy and Te Amo made her musical direction very clear. Her live performances also began to employ loads of S&M-inspired themes along with some raunchy dance moves which made headlines all around.
Not content with working on solo projects, Rihanna collaborated with many artists on chartbusters like Run This Town (with Jay Z), Love The Way You Lie (with Eminem), Rockstar 101 (with Slash) and All Of The Lights (with multiple artists). In the past few years, she express-delivered hits like Only Girl In The World, S&M, Princess Of China , We Found Love and Monster. 2014 began with a bang for Rihanna fans as she released a single in collaboration with Shakira titled Can't Remember To Forget You.
But her professional successes have not matched her personal life. In February 2009, Rihanna was caught in a domestic abuse controversy with her then-boyfriend Chris Brown. Pictures of her with visible facial injuries were circulated in the media. Despite Brown confessing to beating her up, Rihanna was unable to make a clean break with him and was slammed roundly for re-uniting with the errant rap-star for a short while in 2012. They recorded two songs together before Brown confirmed they had finally broken up for good in 2013.
The digital world loves Rihanna. She is the most-liked music artist on Facebook and is the sixth most-followed artist on Twitter. She is also the most-subscribed to and most-viewed artist on YouTube apart from being the most-streamed artist in the world according to Spotify. Add to this her numerous professional accolades which include 7 Grammys, 7 AMAs, 4VMAs, 3EMAs, 2BRITS and 22 Billboard awards apart from numerous others across the globe. She has really come a long way from her beginnings not just in her musical style but in her entire appearance and demeanour. With a multitude of platinum albums, super hit singles, sold out tours and few (forgettable) movie appearances, Rihanna has a lot to look ahead to as she turns 26 today.
