
Rihanna
Born 1988 · Age 37
Barbadian singer, businesswoman and actress. Multi-Grammy winner and founder of Clara Lionel Foundation, Fenty Beauty, Savage X Fenty and Fenty (LVMH). Appointed Barbados ambassador and declared a National Hero.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Saint Michael, Barbados
Robyn Rihanna Fenty born to Monica (née Braithwaite) and Ronald Fenty in Saint Michael parish, Barbados.
Joined Barbados Cadet Corps
At age 11 Rihanna became a cadet in Barbados's Cadet Corps (Shontelle later served as her drill sergeant).
Formed a music trio in Barbados and met Evan Rogers
Rihanna formed a girl trio with classmates and auditioned for producer Evan Rogers; Rogers invited her (and her mother) to Connecticut to record demos.
Recorded demo tapes in Connecticut
Recorded demo that included 'Pon de Replay' and 'The Last Time' for label submissions after Evan Rogers invited her to Connecticut.
Dropped out of high school to pursue music
Rihanna left formal schooling (finished some schooling with a tutor later) to focus on a music career.
Signed with Syndicated Rhythm Productions
Became the first artist signed to Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken's production company, Syndicated Rhythm Productions.
Auditioned for Jay-Z and signed a six-album deal with Def Jam
Demo was played for Jay-Z; after audition Rihanna signed a six-album contract with Def Jam Recordings.
Released debut single 'Pon de Replay'
Lead single from debut—dancehall-pop record that peaked at #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart.
Released debut album 'Music of the Sun'
Album debuted at #10 on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 69,000 and went on to sell ~2 million copies worldwide.
Acting cameo in 'Bring It On: All or Nothing'
Made her acting debut with a cameo role, playing herself in the straight-to-DVD film.
Released second album 'A Girl Like Me'
Reached #5 in US and UK, sold 115,000 copies in first week; became RIAA double-platinum and contained Rihanna's first US #1 single 'SOS'.
'Umbrella' released and became a global hit
Lead single featuring Jay-Z; topped charts worldwide (10 weeks UK, 7 weeks US) and won a Grammy; named one of Rolling Stone's 500 greatest songs.
Released third album 'Good Girl Gone Bad'
Artistic turning point; album debuted at #2 on Billboard 200 with first-week sales of ~162,000; shift to dance-pop/R&B sound.
Launched Good Girl Gone Bad Tour
Worldwide tour supporting the album—performed 80 shows across 30 countries.
Won first Grammy for 'Umbrella' (Best Rap/Sung Collaboration)
At the 2008 Grammy Awards Rihanna won her first Grammy shared with Jay-Z.
Joined Kanye West on Glow in the Dark Tour (supporting act)
Supported Kanye West on his multi-city Glow in the Dark Tour.
Released 'Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded' (reissue)
Reissue added new tracks; sold 63,000 first week and spawned #1 singles 'Disturbia' and 'Take a Bow'.
Assault incident with Chris Brown (publicized)
Rihanna was physically assaulted by then-boyfriend Chris Brown; led to canceled Grammy performance and major media coverage.
Chris Brown formally charged with assault
Brown was charged with assault and making criminal threats related to the February incident.
Subpoenaed to testify in preliminary hearing
Rihanna was subpoenaed to testify in Los Angeles for Brown's preliminary hearing.
Released fourth album 'Rated R'
Darker, rock-tinged record influenced by 2009 events; debuted at #4 with first-week sales of 181,000; 'Rude Boy' reached #1 for six weeks.
Last Girl on Earth tour (support for Rated R)
Tour supporting Rated R (carried into 2010).
Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording ('Only Girl (In the World)')
At the 53rd Grammys the track won Best Dance Recording.
Featured on Eminem's 'Love the Way You Lie'
Collaboration became a major global hit, topping the US Billboard Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks.
Signed with Roc Nation for management
Switched management to Jay-Z's Roc Nation in October 2010.
Released fifth album 'Loud'
Debuted at #3 in US with 207,000 first-week sales; spawned #1 singles 'Only Girl (In the World)', 'What's My Name?' and 'S&M'.
Youngest & fastest solo artist to reach ten Billboard Hot 100 #1s
With 'S&M' reaching #1, Rihanna set the record for youngest/fastest solo artist to 10 Hot 100 #1 singles.
Launched Loud Tour
Tour supporting Loud; included a record ten sold-out shows at London's O2 Arena and grossed ~$90 million.
Released sixth album 'Talk That Talk'
Opened at #3 US (198,000 first-week sales) featuring the global hit 'We Found Love' produced by Calvin Harris (#1, 10 non-consecutive weeks).
Feature film acting debut in 'Battleship'
Played Petty Officer Cora Raikes in the 2012 summer blockbuster.
Founded Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF)
Established nonprofit named for her grandparents to support global education, health and emergency response (RihannaNow cites 2012).
777 Tour: seven shows in seven countries in seven days
Promotional tour ahead of Unapologetic release; later turned into a Fox documentary and DVD.
Released seventh album 'Unapologetic' (first US #1)
Debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 238,000; included #1 single 'Diamonds'.
Won Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video ('We Found Love')
Awarded at the 2013 Grammys for the 'We Found Love' video.
Launched Diamonds World Tour
Headlining tour in support of Unapologetic.
Named Puma creative director and brand ambassador
Became creative director for Puma and launched the Fenty x Puma collection.
Left Def Jam and fully transitioned to Roc Nation
Formally parted ways with Def Jam and placed her career fully with Roc Nation management.
Received Fashion Icon award (Council of Fashion Designers)
Rihanna received a fashion icon award and appeared on numerous fashion campaigns (CFDA/fashion recognition cited in bios).
Awarded American Music Awards' first-ever Icon Award
Rihanna was presented the inaugural Icon Award at the AMAs in 2014 (mother Monica Braithwaite presented it).
Voiced 'Tip' and curated soundtrack for 'Home'
Voiced main character Tip in DreamWorks' animated film and executive-produced and curated the soundtrack.
Samsung marketing deal to promote Galaxy and support 'Anti'
Signed a reported $25 million partnership with Samsung to promote Galaxy products and sponsor the album rollout.
Released eighth album 'Anti' (Tidal exclusive)
Dancehall/psychedelic-soul album debuted at #1 on Billboard 200; lead single 'Work' topped Hot 100.
Launched Anti World Tour
World tour in support of Anti, launched March 2016; featured Travis Scott and Big Sean as opening acts on parts of the tour.
Received Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at MTV VMAs
Honored at 2016 MTV Video Music Awards; performed a medley of her hits.
Fenty Beauty recognized by Time magazine
Time named Fenty Beauty as one of the best inventions of 2017 due to its inclusive shade range and market impact.
Named Humanitarian of the Year by Harvard (reported)
HelloRayo cites a 2017 Humanitarian of the Year award from Harvard University (recognition for philanthropic work).
Launched Fenty Beauty (Sephora launch)
Cosmetics brand launched with 40 foundation shades; widely praised for inclusivity and named by Time as a 2017 invention.
Appeared in 'Ocean's 8' (ensemble cast)
Part of star-studded cast for the 2018 heist film, which grossed approximately $300 million worldwide.
Launched Savage X Fenty (lingerie)
Launched lingerie/underwear brand with inclusive sizing; initial collection ~90 pieces.
Launched Fenty fashion house under LVMH
Partnered with LVMH to create Fenty; Rihanna became the first woman of color to head a fashion house at LVMH (collection released later in 2019).
Signed with Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Entered publishing agreement with Sony/ATV Music Publishing (announcement in September 2019).
Fenty fashion house launch (first collection release)
Fenty's first collection for LVMH released in 2019; later the fashion line was paused in 2021 pending better conditions.
Featured on PARTYNEXTDOOR's 'Believe It'
Released collaboration with Canadian singer PARTYNEXTDOOR.
Launched Fenty Skin
Announced July 2020 and launched skincare brand Fenty Skin (launched online July 31; December 2020 UK availability).
Declared a National Hero of Barbados
In 2021 Rihanna was declared a National Hero of Barbados (recognition for contributions and representation).
Relationship with A$AP Rocky publicly confirmed
A$AP Rocky confirmed the relationship with Rihanna in May 2021.
Declared a billionaire (Forbes reported/HelloRayo)
HelloRayo (citing Forbes) reported Rihanna became a billionaire (estimate given in article ~£1.2 billion).
Appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (Barbados)
Infobox notes Rihanna assumed office as Barbadian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary on September 20, 2018 (role continued); she was later declared a National Hero in 2021.
Pledged $15 million via Clara Lionel Foundation for climate justice
Announced a $15M pledge to climate justice across 18 organizations in seven Caribbean nations and the US.
Gave birth to first son with A$AP Rocky
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky welcomed their first child in 2022 (reported).
Announced as Super Bowl LVII halftime performer
Announcement made in September 2022 that Rihanna would headline the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show.
Released 'Lift Me Up' (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack)
Lead single for the film's soundtrack; her first solo musical release since Anti and later earned Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song.
Received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for 'Lift Me Up' (reported)
Her song 'Lift Me Up' earned nominations for Best Original Song (Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations cited in 2023 coverage).
Earned five Primetime Emmy nominations for Super Bowl special
Super Bowl performance earned multiple Emmy nominations including Outstanding Variety Special (Live).
Headlined Super Bowl LVII halftime show
Returned to live performance after five years; announced pregnancy on stage; initial viewership reported at 118.7M then revised to 121.017M (most-watched halftime show).
First female with 10 songs surpassing 1 billion Spotify streams
Became the first woman to have ten tracks each exceed 1 billion streams on Spotify.
Gave birth to second son
Rihanna gave birth to her and A$AP Rocky's second son in August 2023 after revealing pregnancy during Super Bowl performance.
Set RIAA diamond certification records (Most Diamond Singles for a Female Artist)
RIAA recognized Rihanna as the highest-certified female digital single artist with multiple diamond certifications (May 2024 announcements).
Launched Fenty Hair
Introduced Fenty Hair haircare line with nine products; launch party June 10 and retail release June 13, 2024.
Named new face of Dior's J'adore perfume
Dior confirmed Rihanna as the latest campaign face of J'adore (early September 2024 announcement).
Announced third pregnancy at Met Gala
Rihanna revealed she was pregnant with her third child while appearing at the Met Gala (May 2025).
Voiced Smurfette in 'Smurfs' and released songs for film
Provided voice and recorded songs for the 2025 Smurfs film (film released July 18, 2025; reviews reportedly negative).
Key Achievement Ages
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