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Born Robyn Rihanna Fenty, on February 20, 1988, Rihanna was simply 15 when she was first found in her dwelling nation of Barbados by report producer Evan Rogers. Over the subsequent yr, she recorded a demo tape with Rogers, which included the observe that might ultimately develop into her debut single – and top-of-the-line Rihanna songs of all time. “Pon De Replay” was described by Rolling Stone as “a poppy piece of dancehall reggae with slapping, syncopated beats recalling big-band jazz”, and Rihanna was instantly signed to Def Jam by its then CEO, Jay Z.
This was just the start of a momentous profession that, over a decade in, has seen her continually prime the charts worldwide. We make a journey via Rihanna’s profession, specializing in 20 of the very best Rihanna songs…
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Getting her six-album Def Jam deal off to a roaring begin, Rihanna launched her first album, Music Of The Solar, in Could 2005, and lead single “Pon De Replay” reached No.2 in each the US and UK, whereas the album earned a gold certification and firmly established the singer as a family title.
Its follow-up, A Woman Like Me, was launched in April 2006 and was one other pop and R&B fusion, with heavy influences from Rihanna’s Caribbean roots. In an interview with MTV, she stated, “Vocally, I’ve matured so much, and lyrically I’m speaking about stuff I would never sing about before. Now I’m singing about experiences that I’ve gone through and stuff that other 18-year-old girls go through, so it’s all about progression.” This maturity was represented in songs comparable to “SOS” and “Unfaithful,” which discover extra grownup themes comparable to infidelity and lust; the previous was a dance-pop hit that sampled Delicate Cell’s “Tainted Love” and earned Rihanna her first US No.1.
In an try and shake off her harmless persona, Rihanna took on a bolder, extra impartial picture for 2007’s Good Woman Gone Unhealthy. Talking to the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, she stated, “I took the attitude of the bad girl and I really got rebellious and did everything the way I wanted to do it – I didn’t want to listen to anybody.” The pop-R&B crossover hit “Umbrella” was the primary single from the album, and, that includes Jay Z, it was additionally Rihanna’s first huge collaboration, reaching No.1 in 17 international locations. Third single “Hate That I Love You” was one other collaborative effort, co-written and that includes labelmate Ne-Yo. Launched on 21 August 2007, the track comfortably reached platinum standing.
A serious turning level in Rihanna’s creative development got here with 2009’s Rated R, on which she shook off her pop princess picture and started to discover different genres with quite a lot of songs that also rank among the many greatest Rihanna songs. Justin Timberlake, one of many writers and producers featured on the album, stated that it represented an entire new sound for Rihanna, whereas fellow producer Ne-Yo described Rated R as angrier and edgier than what had come earlier than.
Written after her assault by then-boyfriend Chris Brown, there was, unsurprisingly, hypothesis as as to whether any of the album’s songs referenced him, although Chuck Concord, one other co-producer on the report, argued that it doesn’t matter what single Rihanna launched, the lyrics would instantly be related to Brown. Stylistically, Rated R integrated genres comparable to dancehall (“Rude Boy”), Latin (“Te Amo”), and dubstep, whereas lead single “Russian Roulette” had a darker and extra intense tone than any of Rihanna’s earlier efforts.
In the summertime of 2010, Rihanna lent her vocals to quite a few hip-hop stars, together with Eminem (“Love The Way You Lie”) and Kanye West (“All Of The Lights”), with the previous turning into Eminem’s best-selling single so far, promoting six million copies within the US alone. Rihanna additionally helped Drake obtain his first-ever style of the UK prime spot when she requested him to seem on her 2010 single “What’s My Name?,” the second launch from her fifth studio outing, Loud. Launched in November that yr, the album moved away from the darker themes of Rated R and returned to upbeat pop, R&B, and dancehall, as Rihanna wished to return to having enjoyable. The shift was instantly clear with the primary single, “Only Girl (In The World),” which received her the 2011 Grammy Award for Greatest Dance Recording, and greater than holds its personal among the many greatest Rihanna songs. Third single “S&M” raced to No.1 on the Billboard Sizzling 100 and noticed Rihanna set a brand new report because the solo artist with the quickest accumulation of ten chart-toppers.
Barely pausing for breath, Discuss That Discuss adopted a yr later, in November 2011, and was one other dance-pop and R&B outing within the vein of Loud. Lead single “We Found Love” added uptempo techno to the combo (courtesy of DJ Calvin Harris), topped the charts in 27 international locations, and proved that, if there’s something to be discovered from Rihanna’s profession, it’s that she hardly ever launched a single with out breaking a report or two. Staying on the prime of the Sizzling 100 for 10 weeks, “We Found Love” grew to become the longest-running No.1 of 2011. The second single from the album, “You Da One,” is a mid-tempo pop/reggae combine that entered the Prime 20 within the US, UK, and 11 different international locations.
Mining the identical wealthy vein, whereas incorporating components of hip-hop and reggae, Unapologetic was Rihanna’s seventh studio album, and her third consecutive UK No.1. Selecting up an government producer credit score – as she has completed for all her releases since Loud – Rihanna enlisted the assistance of co-producers David Guetta, Stargate, Labrinth and Chase & Standing. Signaling a brand new focus for the singer, lead single “Diamonds” was an electrical pop ballad that, lyrically, left earlier themes of dysfunctional romantic relationships firmly up to now and as soon as once more topped the charts in over 20 international locations worldwide. Its follow-up, the pop and R&B ballad “Stay,” featured visitor vocals from US singer Mikky Ekko and supplied one more aspect of the singer, revealing a vulnerability hardly ever seen in her singles.
After releasing virtually an album a yr for her complete profession, there was a four-year hole earlier than Rihanna issued Unapologetic’s follow-up. Having left Def Jam for Roc Nation in 2014, nonetheless, she crammed the hole with three standalone singles, together with the Kanye West and Paul McCartney collaboration “FourFiveSeconds” and the solo outing “Bitch Better Have My Money.” When Anti lastly emerged, on January 28, 2016, it was initially a TIDAL unique through Westbury Street/Roc Nation, earlier than being given a wider launch. Since then, lead single “Work,” one other collaboration with rapper Drake, grew to become the Barbadian singer’s twenty seventh Prime 10 hit and kind of soundtracked 2016, cementing its popularity as top-of-the-line Rihanna songs of all time. It was shortly adopted by “Kiss It Better.”
In November 2016, Rihanna grew to become the primary artist to surpass greater than 100 million Gold and Platinum track certifications, together with nine-times multi-Platinum gross sales for “We Found Love,” six-times multi-platinum gross sales for “Stay,” “What’s My Name?” and “Only Girl (In The World),” double multi-Platinum gross sales for “FourFiveSeconds” and a Platinum award for “Bitch Better Have My Money.” Any one in all these may prime the record of a fan’s greatest Rihanna songs; in a profession that’s been nothing however unimaginable, the singer boasts successful charge hardly ever seen elsewhere. Her potential to remain true to her roots is what has stored her authentic fanbase loyal, whereas her continuous reinventions and explorations of various genres pull in new listeners with each album. What stands out throughout these 20 songs is her range: actress, singer, and philanthropist, Rihanna can also be an unpredictable expertise who leaves us eagerly anticipating her subsequent transfer.
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