School of Rock
Random article All articles A–Z
2 languages

Rihanna

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Rihanna, born Robyn Rihanna Fenty in 1988 in Barbados, is a singer and businesswoman. She was discovered on her island in 2003 by the American producer Evan Rogers and signed to Def Jam in 2005, after an audition for Jay-Z and Antonio 'L.A.' Reid. She is an example of the hit factory of the 2000s: an artist who chooses songs from what teams of writers and producers supply.

Music and breakthrough

Her first single, Pon de Replay (2005), brought dancehall from the Caribbean into American R&B and reached number two in the United States and the UK. The real breakthrough came with Umbrella (2007), from the album Good Girl Gone Bad. The song was written by Terius 'The-Dream' Nash, Christopher 'Tricky' Stewart, Kuk Harrell and Jay-Z, and was first offered to Britney Spears. Umbrella spent ten weeks at number one in the UK and seven weeks in the United States, and won a Grammy. Hit after hit followed. Rihanna had fourteen number ones on the Billboard Hot 100 and won nine Grammys.

Influence

Besides the music she built a business in fashion and cosmetics. Her brand Fenty Beauty, founded in 2017 together with LVMH, made her a billionaire in 2021, according to Forbes. In 2023 she performed at the Super Bowl halftime show. Rihanna showed how a pop star became a brand in the twenty-first century, with music as one component alongside others, as the Spice Girls had already demonstrated in the 1990s.

Listening

Listening tip. In Umbrella, listen to what happens after the chorus: Rihanna chops the word 'umbrella' into pieces ('ella, ella, eh, eh, eh') and turns it into a second hook, the post-chorus. Underneath runs a dry, bare drum loop that stays almost the same throughout the song.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

Mentioned in other articles

See also

Sources

  1. Wikipedia (en): Rihanna
  2. Wikipedia (en): Umbrella (song
  3. etonline.com
  4. blackamericaweb.com
Categories: Artists