Who is Rihanna?

Rihanna, byname of Robyn Rihanna Fenty, (born February 20, 1988, St. Michael parish, Barbados), Barbadian pop and rhythm-and-blues (R&B) singer who became a worldwide star in the early 21st century, known for her distinctive and versatile voice and for her fashionable appearance.

When started her journey?

In May 2005 Rihanna released her first single, "Pon de Replay," which became a hit on the dance club scene. Her first number 1 single was 2006's "SOS." Her second studio album, A Girl Like Me, released in April 2006, went platinum. From there her career took off - 2007's "Umbrella" was a huge summer hit around the world and she became a fixture in the dance and pop music scene.

Childhood

She grew up in a three-bedroom bungalow in Bridgetown and sold clothes with her father in a stall on the street. Her childhood was deeply affected by her father's alcoholism and crack cocaine addiction.As a child, Rihanna had many CT scans for the excruciating headaches she suffered, recalling, "The doctors even thought it was a tumor, because it was that intense." By the time she was 14, her parents had divorced, and her health began to improve. She grew up listening to reggae music.

She attended Charles F. Broome Memorial Primary School and Combermere School.Rihanna was an army cadet in a sub-military programme, where the later Barbadian singer-songwriter Shontelle was her drill sergeant. Although she initially wanted to graduate from high school, she chose to pursue a musical career instead.

In 2003, Rihanna formed a musical trio with two of her classmates. She was discovered in her home country of Barbados by American record producer Evan Rogers. Without a name or any material, the girl group managed to land an audition with Rogers who commented, "The minute Rihanna walked into the room, it was like the other two girls didn't exist."

Rihanna went to Rogers's hotel room, where she performed a few songs. Impressed, Rogers scheduled a second meeting with Rihanna's mother present and then invited Rihanna to his hometown in the United States to record some demo tapes that could be sent to record labels. 

"Pon de Replay" and "The Last Time" were two tracks recorded for the demo tape, which were eventually included on her debut album. That same year, Rihanna was signed to Rogers's and Carl Sturken's production company, Syndicated Rhythm Productions.

Beginnings

Rihanna's demo was shipped out to Def Jam Recording,where Jay Brown was one of the first to hear the demo. Brown played the demo tape for rapper Jay-Z, who had recently been appointed as president and CEO of Def Jam. When Jay-Z first heard the track "Pon de Replay", he felt the song was too big for her. Despite being skeptical, he invited Rihanna to audition for the label.

In early 2005, Rihanna auditioned for Def Jam in New York City, where Jay-Z introduced her to Antonio ”LA” Reid. At the audition, she sang the demo tracks "Pon de Replay" and "The Last Time". Jay-Z was absolutely certain about signing her after she performed her future hit single "Pon de Replay". His boss, L.A. Reid, was also impressed with her audition, telling Jay-Z not to let Rihanna leave the building until the contract was signed. Reid left it to Jay-Z and his team to close the deal which resulted in a six-album record deal with Def Jam. She waited in Jay-Z's office until 3:00 in the morning to get lawyers to draft up a contract because he wanted to prevent her from signing with another label. Rihanna canceled other meetings with record labels and relocated from Barbados to the United States.