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Rihanna was born in the parish of St. Michael, on the
Caribbean island nation of Barbados as the first of three
children to Ronald Fenty, a Barbadian father, who is of African
American and Creole descent, and Monica Fenty, a Guyanese mother
of Bajan origin. She pursued her primary education at Charles F.
Broome Memorial School and her secondary education at one of
Barbados' grammar schools, the prestigious Combermere School,
where she formed a musical trio with two of her classmates. She
won the Miss Combermere Pageant in 2004; her talent was singing.
In November 2004, she performed at the Colours of Combermere
School show, singing Mariah Carey's "Hero".
Rihanna's two close best friends are Leandra Goodridge and
Melissa Forte. Rihanna received her big break at the age of
fifteen when one of her friends introduced her to music producer
Evan Rogers while he was vacationing in Barbados with his
Barbadian wife Jackie. Rogers, along with his partner Carl
Sturken, helped Rihanna record demo material in the United
States that was sent to various recording companies including
Def Jam, where Rihanna auditioned for CEO Jay-Z and was signed
on the spot at the age of sixteen.
Rihanna's debut album Music of the Sun, which she co-wrote, was
released in August 2005, led by the single "Pon de Replay",
which peaked at number two on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
and the UK Singles Chart. The second single, "If It's Lovin'
That You Want", was less successful than its predecessor but
reached the top twenty in several countries. The album itself
peaked within the top ten in Canada, and the U.S., and within
the top forty in the UK. It has received platinum certifications
in several countries and a Gold certification in the U.S. To
further promote the album, Rihanna toured with Gwen Stefani. The
album itself sold just under 500,000 copies in the US and 2
million worldwide.
In 2006, Rihanna participated in several endorsement deals,
including Nike and J.C. Penney. She released her second album, A
Girl Like Me, in April 2006 less than eight months after the
release of her debut album. The album debuted at number five in
the U.S. and number six in the UK. The lead single, "SOS", was
used in her endorsement deal with Nike. The song became
Rihanna's first number one on the Hot 100 chart; it also debuted
at number one on the Hot Digital Songs chart where it became the
second biggest first week digital single ever. "SOS" peaked at
number one in Australia and number two in the UK. The second
single, a slow ballad which addresses the feelings of guilt a
girl faces as she cheats on her boyfriend titled "Unfaithful",
became her third top ten hit in the U.S & the U.K. (becoming her
third #2 single in the latter, held off by "Hips Don't Lie" by
Shakira) The third single has been confirmed and will be "We
Ride". "A Girl Like Me" is Rihanna's biggest selling album to
date and was certified platinum by the RIAA.
On July 25, 2006, Rihanna appeared on the American soap opera
All My Children, performing "S.O.S" and "Kisses Don't Lie."
On July 31, 2006 Rihanna received two MTV Video Music Award
Nominations for the categories- Best New Artist & Viewer's
Choice for her video "SOS (Rescue Me)".

Rihanna made her acting debut in a cameo role in Bring It On:
All or Nothing, which was released on August 8, 2006.

August 26: The Barbadian-born Rihanna said that she was honored
to represent a Caribbean telecommunication network and
considered Trinidad her second home. Rihanna revealed to the
media that her music was inspired by her own experiences and the
experiences of her close friends.

Awards and Nominations
This Rihanna Biography Page is Copyright The Planets © 2004 - 2006 Chuck Ayoub