Mariah Carey
(born March 27, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. She made her recording debut in 1990 under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, and released her self-titled debut studio album, Mariah Carey. The album went multi-platinum and spawned four consecutive number one singles, on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Following her marriage to Mottola in 1993, a series of hit records, including Emotions (1991), Music Box (1993) and Merry Christmas (1994), established her position as Columbia's highest-selling act. Daydream (1995), made music history when the second single, "One Sweet Day" a duet with Boyz II Men, spent a record sixteen weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100, and remains the longest-running number-one song in US chart history.
During the recording of the album, Carey began to deviate from her pop
beginnings, and slowly traversed into R&B and hip hop. After her
separation from Mottola, this musical change was evident with the
release of Butterfly (1997).
Carey left Columbia in 2000, and signed a record-breaking $100 million recording contract with Virgin Records. Carey ventured into film with Glitter (2001). Before the film's release she suffered a physical and emotional breakdown and was hospitalized for severe exhaustion. Following the film's poor reception, she was bought out of her recording contract for $50 million, which led to a decline in her career. She signed a multi-million dollar contract deal with Island Records in 2002, and after an unsuccessful period, returned to the top of music charts with The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). Its second single "We Belong Together" became her most successful single of the 2000s, and was later named "Song of the Decade" by Billboard. Carey once again ventured into film, and starred in Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire (2009). Her role in the film was well-received, and she was awarded the "Breakthrough Performance Award" at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and Black Reel and NAACP Image Award nominations.
In a career spanning over two decades, Carey has sold more than 200 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In 1998, she was honored as the world's best-selling recording artist of the 1990s at the World Music Awards. Carey was also named the best-selling female artist of the millennium in 2000. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the third best-selling female artist in the United States, with 63.5 million certified albums. With the release of "Touch My Body" (2008), Carey gained her eighteenth number one single in the United States, more than any other solo artist. In 2012, Carey was ranked second on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Women in Music". Aside from her commercial accomplishments, Carey has won five Grammy Awards, 17 World Music Awards, 11 American Music Awards, and 31 Billboard Music Awards. Referred to as the "songbird supreme" by the Guinness World Records, she is famed for her five-octave vocal range, power, melismatic style and signature use of the whistle register.
Onika Tanya Maraj (born December 8, 1982[1] or December 8, 1984[2]), known by her stage name Nicki Minaj (
/mɪˈnɑːʒ/), is a Trinidadian-born American rapper, singer, songwriter, voice actress and television personality. She was born in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago. When she was five years old, she moved to the New York City borough of Queens. Minaj trained as an actress before she released three mixtapes between 2007 and 2009 and signed to Young Money Entertainment.
Minaj rose to prominence when she released her debut album, Pink Friday, in November 2010, peaking at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and being certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) a month after its release.[3][4] She became the first female solo artist to have seven singles on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time.[5] Her seventh single, "Super Bass" has since been certified quadruple-platinum by the RIAA, and has sold more than four million copies, becoming one of the best-selling singles in the United States. Minaj released her second album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, in April 2012, which topped charts internationally, also spawning the top 10 singles "Starships" and "Pound the Alarm". Since, the album has become one of the best-selling albums of 2012, according to the Nielsen SoundScan, selling 1,000,000 copies worldwide.[6] In 2012, Minaj embarked on two worldwide tours, the Pink Friday Tour and the Pink Friday: Reloaded Tour.
Minaj's artistry features alter egos and accents, notably British cockney. Her outlandish and colorful costumes, wigs and clothing have given her recognition as a fashion icon.[7] She featured as a voice actress in Ice Age 4: Continental Drift, will serve as a judge on American Idol and has endorsed Adidas, MAC Cosmetics, and Pepsi. Minaj's work has earned her six BET Awards, two American Music Awards, two MTV Music Award and Billboard's 2011 Rising Star. She is the first female artist included on MTV's Annual Hottest MC List, with The New York Times suggesting that some consider her "the most influential female rapper of all time.
1981–2001: Early life and career beginnings
Keys was born Alicia Augello Cook on January 25, 1981, in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan, in New York City.[10][11][12] She is the only child of Teresa Augello, a paralegal and part-time actress, and Craig Cook, a flight attendant.[13][14][15][16] Keys' mother is of Italian, Scottish, and Irish descent, and her father is African-American;[17] Keys has expressed that she was comfortable with her biracial heritage because she felt she was able to "relate to different cultures".[11][18] Her parents separated when she was two and she was subsequently raised by her mother during her formative years in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan.[19] In 1985, Keys made an appearance on The Cosby Show at the age of four, where she and a group of girls played the parts of Rudy Huxtable's sleepover guests in the episode "Slumber Party".[20][21] Throughout her childhood, Keys was sent to music and dance classes by her mother.[22] She began playing the piano when she was seven and learned classical music by composers such as Beethoven, Mozart and Chopin.[13] Keys enrolled in the Professional Performing Arts School at the age of 12, where she majored in choir and began writing songs at the age of 14.[14][23] She graduated in four years as valedictorian at the age of 16.[24]In 1994, Keys met long-term manager Jeff Robinson after she enrolled in his brother's after-school program.[25] The following year Robinson introduced Keys to her future A&R at Arista Records, Peter Edge, who later described his first impressions to HitQuarters: "I had never met a young R&B artist with that level of musicianship. So many people were just singing on top of loops and tracks, but she had the ability, not only to be part of hip-hop, but also to go way beyond that."[26] Edge helped Robinson create a showcase for Keys and also got involved in developing her demo material. He was keen to sign Keys himself but was unable to do so at that time due to being on the verge of leaving his present record company. Keys signed to Columbia Records soon after.[26] At the same time as signing a recording contract with Columbia Records, Keys was accepted into Columbia University. At first, Keys attempted to manage both, but after a month, she dropped out of college to pursue her musical career full-time.[24][27]
Keys signed a demo deal with Jermaine Dupri and So So Def Recordings, where she appeared on the label's Christmas album performing "The Little Drummer Girl". She also co-wrote and recorded a song entitled "Dah Dee Dah (Sexy Thing)", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1997 film, Men in Black.[27] The song was Keys' first professional recording; however, it was never released as a single and her record contract with Columbia ended after a dispute with the label. Keys was unhappy with the label because her career had stalled during her two years under contract at Columbia due to executive indecision over her direction and major changes within the company.[26] Keys called Clive Davis, who sensed a "special, unique" artist from her performance and signed her to Arista Records, which later disbanded.[10][11] Keys almost chose Wilde as her stage name until her manager suggested the name Keys after a dream he had. Keys felt that name represented her both as a performer and person.[28] Following Davis to his newly formed J Records label, she worked with Kerry "Krucial" Brothers and recorded the songs "Rock wit U" and "Rear View Mirror", which were featured on the soundtracks to the films Shaft (2000) and Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), respectively
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. She attended Professional Performing Arts School and graduated at 16 as valedictorian. Keys released her debut album with J Records, having had previous record deals first with Columbia and then Arista Records.
Keys' debut album, Songs in A Minor, was a commercial success, selling over 12 million copies worldwide.[1] She became the best-selling new artist and best-selling R&B artist of 2001.[2] The album earned Keys five Grammy Awards in 2002, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for "Fallin'".[3] Her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, was released in 2003 and was also another success worldwide, selling eight million copies.[4] The album garnered her an additional four Grammy Awards in 2005.[5] Later that year, she released her first live album, Unplugged, which debuted at number one in the United States.[6] She became the first female to have an MTV Unplugged album to debut at number one and the highest since Nirvana in 1994.[2]
Keys made guest appearances on several television series in the following years, beginning with Charmed. She made her film debut in Smokin' Aces and went on to appear in The Nanny Diaries in 2007. Her third studio album, As I Am, was released in the same year and sold five million copies worldwide, earning Keys an additional three Grammy Awards. The following year, she appeared in The Secret Life of Bees, which earned her a nomination at the NAACP Image Awards. She released her fourth album, The Element of Freedom, in December 2009, which became Keys' first chart-topping album in the United Kingdom. Throughout her career, Keys has won numerous awards and has sold over 35 million albums and 30 million singles worldwide, making her one of the best-selling artist of all time.[7] Billboard magazine named her the top R&B artist of the 2000–2009 decade. In 2010, VH1 included Keys on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[8] Billboard magazine placed her number ten on their list of Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years
1981–2001: Early life and career beginnings
Keys was born Alicia Augello Cook on January 25, 1981, in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan, in New York City.[10][11][12] She is the only child of Teresa Augello, a paralegal and part-time actress, and Craig Cook, a flight attendant.[13][14][15][16] Keys' mother is of Italian, Scottish, and Irish descent, and her father is African-American;[17] Keys has expressed that she was comfortable with her biracial heritage because she felt she was able to "relate to different cultures".[11][18] Her parents separated when she was two and she was subsequently raised by her mother during her formative years in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan.[19] In 1985, Keys made an appearance on The Cosby Show at the age of four, where she and a group of girls played the parts of Rudy Huxtable's sleepover guests in the episode "Slumber Party".[20][21] Throughout her childhood, Keys was sent to music and dance classes by her mother.[22] She began playing the piano when she was seven and learned classical music by composers such as Beethoven, Mozart and Chopin.[13] Keys enrolled in the Professional Performing Arts School at the age of 12, where she majored in choir and began writing songs at the age of 14.[14][23] She graduated in four years as valedictorian at the age of 16.[24]In 1994, Keys met long-term manager Jeff Robinson after she enrolled in his brother's after-school program.[25] The following year Robinson introduced Keys to her future A&R at Arista Records, Peter Edge, who later described his first impressions to HitQuarters: "I had never met a young R&B artist with that level of musicianship. So many people were just singing on top of loops and tracks, but she had the ability, not only to be part of hip-hop, but also to go way beyond that."[26] Edge helped Robinson create a showcase for Keys and also got involved in developing her demo material. He was keen to sign Keys himself but was unable to do so at that time due to being on the verge of leaving his present record company. Keys signed to Columbia Records soon after.[26] At the same time as signing a recording contract with Columbia Records, Keys was accepted into Columbia University. At first, Keys attempted to manage both, but after a month, she dropped out of college to pursue her musical career full-time.[24][27]
Keys signed a demo deal with Jermaine Dupri and So So Def Recordings, where she appeared on the label's Christmas album performing "The Little Drummer Girl". She also co-wrote and recorded a song entitled "Dah Dee Dah (Sexy Thing)", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1997 film, Men in Black.[27] The song was Keys' first professional recording; however, it was never released as a single and her record contract with Columbia ended after a dispute with the label. Keys was unhappy with the label because her career had stalled during her two years under contract at Columbia due to executive indecision over her direction and major changes within the company.[26] Keys called Clive Davis, who sensed a "special, unique" artist from her performance and signed her to Arista Records, which later disbanded.[10][11] Keys almost chose Wilde as her stage name until her manager suggested the name Keys after a dream he had. Keys felt that name represented her both as a performer and person.[28] Following Davis to his newly formed J Records label, she worked with Kerry "Krucial" Brothers and recorded the songs "Rock wit U" and "Rear View Mirror", which were featured on the soundtracks to the films Shaft (2000) and Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), respectively
"JORDIN SPARKS"
Birthday: December 22, 1989Hometown: Glendale, AZ
Audition City: Seattle
American Idol Season 6 - Winner
Jordin Sparks Biography:
Daughter of former Dallas Cowboys left cornerback Phillippi Sparks, 18-year old Jordin Sparks is the youngest female to make it to the Top 24 in American Idol, season 6. A native of Glendale, Arizona and the winner of “Arizona Idol,” she auditioned for the reality show in Seattle and pleasantly surprised the judges with her powerful singing voice. She had an early start in singing, already showing her talent at the very young age of 18 months. Another talent that Jordin has boasted of is her ability to speak with different accents. Aside from making it to the Top 24, Jordin is also proud to have been deemed the “Overall Spotlight Winner” in 2004 by the GMA Academy.
Although Jordin's talent for singing is apparent, she struggles when it comes to studying math.
Jordin Sparks was declared winner of the sixth season of American Idol with her rendition of “Fighter” (Christina Aguilera) and “A Broken Wing” (Martina McBride). In addition to being the youngest winner in American Idol history, she also conquered the contest without ever being in the bottom 2 or 3, joining Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Taylor Hicks.
Life after American Idol proved to be very fruitful for Jordin Sparks as lingered in the limelight, making several appearances on television shows like The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet, The Today Show, Live with Regis and Kelly, The Early Show and The View. Along with television and radio invites, she graced the covers of Entertainment Weekly and World, and was featured in VIBE, TV Guide, Glamour and other publications.
At present, Sparks continues to perform on tours and concerts to promote her self-titled extended play album, which is a compilation of her most downloaded songs, including "I (Who Have Nothing),” "Wishing On A Star," "To Love Somebody," "A Broken Wing," and "This Is My Now," which was the winning song of the first American Idol Songwriting contes
One Direction are an English boy band formed in London in 2010, consisting of members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. They signed with Simon Cowell's record label Syco Records after being formed and placing third in the seventh series of British television music competition The X Factor. They subsequently signed in North America with Columbia Records.
Buoyed by the international chart-topping debut single, "What Makes You Beautiful", One Direction's debut studio album, Up All Night (2011), topped charts worldwide. Its number one debut on the US Billboard 200 chart, made One Direction the first British group in US chart history to debut at number one with their first album, a feat which was inducted in the Guinness World Records. One Direction supported the album with their Up All Night Tour. One Direction's 2013 World Tour is set to run for most of 2013, with tickets grossing $15.7 million for their Australian and New Zealand dates. The tour is set to be preceded by their second studio album, Take Me Home, which is scheduled for release on 12 November 2012. Besides their musical endeavors, One Direction have supported various charities and foundations, and have commercial endorsements with Pokémon, Nokia, HarperCollins and Hasbro.
Generating millions in combined music, merchandising and touring sales, One Direction have been described as sparking a resurgence in the boy band concept, and of forming part of a new "British Invasion" in the United States. As of June 2012, according to Nick Gatfield, the chairman and chief executive of Sony Music Entertainment UK, One Direction represent a $50 million business empire. By August 2012, One Direction have sold 12 million records. Their achievements include a BRIT Award and 3 MTV Video Music Awards. The Huffington Post proclaimed 2012 "The Year of One Direction"
The X Factor, formation and record deal (2010–11)
In 2010, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson auditioned as solo candidates for the seventh series of British television music competition The X Factor.[3] Failing to progress to the "Boys" category at "judges' houses", after a suggestion by guest judge Nicole Scherzinger,[3] they were put together to form a five-piece boy band at Wembley Arena, London, England, July 2010, during the "bootcamp" stage of the competition,[4] thus qualifying for the "Groups" category. Subsequently, the group got together for two weeks to get to know each other and to practise.[5][6] Styles came up with the name One Direction as he thought it would sound good when The X Factor announcer read their name out on the live shows.[5] For their qualifying song at "judges' houses", and their first song as a group, One Direction sang an acoustic version of "Torn".[7] In the live shows, after the elimination of F.Y.D., Diva Fever and Belle Amie within four weeks, they were Simon Cowell's last act in the competition.[8] The group quickly gained popularity in the UK.[9] One Direction finished in third place behind runner-up Rebecca Ferguson and winner Matt Cardle.[10] Immediately after the final, their song "Forever Young", which would have been released if they had won The X Factor, was leaked onto the internet.[10] Shortly afterwards it was confirmed, One Direction had been signed by Cowell to a £2 million Syco Records record contract.[11][12] Recording for their debut album began in January 2011, as they flew to Los Angeles to work with producer RedOne.[13] In February 2011, One Direction and nine other contestants from the series participated in the X Factor Live Tour.[14] The tour saw the group performing for 500,000 people throughout the UK.[15] After the tour concluded in April 2011, the group continued working on their debut album,[13] recording took place in Sweden, UK, and the United States, as One Direction worked with producers Carl Falk, Savan Kotecha, Steve Mac, and Rami Yacoub, among others
In support of Songs About Jane, Maroon 5 toured extensively throughout 2003–2005 and during that period of time two live albums were released. The band won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2005. Dusick left the band in September 2006, citing injuries sustained by constant touring, and was replaced by Matt Flynn. Maroon 5's second studio album It Won't Be Soon Before Long was released in 2007, with the singles "Makes Me Wonder", which was their first single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, "Won't Go Home Without You" and "Wake Up Call". The band performed live in two tours between June and November 2007. During that time a compilation of previously unreleased songs, The B-Side Collection, were released.
Two more live albums and a remix album were issued in 2008. Maroon 5's third studio album Hands All Over was released in the United States on September 21, 2010. Since debuting in 2002, the band has sold over 10 million albums in the United States.
Maroon 5's biggest hit yet is "Moves like Jagger" featuring Christina Aguilera, selling over 8 million copies worldwide as of June 2012, therefore establishing itself among the best-selling singles of all time.[5]
On March 26, 2012, Maroon 5 announced their fourth studio album, Overexposed. It was released on June 26, 2012.[6] The lead single "Payphone", which features rapper Wiz Khalifa, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and eventually rose to number two on the chart. The second single from the album, "One More Night", became the band's third number one single.
The four original members of Maroon 5 have known each other since attending Brentwood School in Los Angeles.[7][8] While attending Brentwood School, Adam Levine and Jesse Carmichael joined up with Mickey Madden and Ryan Dusick to form Kara's Flowers,[9] a pop band. The name was taken from a girl that the band had a "collective crush" on.[8] The band played its first gig at Whisky a Go Go on September 16, 1995. While they were playing a beach party in Malibu, indie producer Tommy Allen heard them play and offered to manage them and record a complete record with his partner, songwriter John DeNicola (Dirty Dancing). While shopping for a deal for the band, Bob Cavallo's management team heard the record Allen and DeNicola produced, which eventually led to their deal with Reprise Records and producer Rob Cavallo.[10] Very early on, their sound was what Carmichael called "Fugazi [the sound] meets Sesame Street [the lyrics]". However, by the release of The Fourth World in 1996, they had morphed into band with a style reminiscent of 1960s Britpop.[8] Despite high expectations from the band and record company, the album failed to catch on and their lead single, "Soap Disco", was a failure.[11] According to Levine, the failure of the album was "a huge disappointment" that nearly led them to break up in 1998.[8][12] The album sold around 5,000 copies and they were dropped after only six months.[13]
When the two returned in 2000, they brought those influences with them.[12] Sam Farrar (bassist of the band Phantom Planet, which is currently on hiatus, and former roommate of Levine and Valentine) says that the Aaliyah song "Are You That Somebody?" affected the band and influenced the song "Not Coming Home."[8] Producer Tim Sommer signed them to a demo deal with MCA records and produced three tracks with them in Los Angeles in the middle of 2000 with Mark Dearnley engineering. Against Sommer's advice, MCA declined to pick up the band, and these tracks were never released. Jordan Feldstein, a friend of Levine's family and a junior agent at ICM, stopped by one of the band's rehearsals and was so surprised by what he heard that he quit his job in order to manage the band full-time.[12] The band put together a demo that was rejected by several labels, before falling into the hands of Octone Records executives James Diener, Ben Berkman and David Boxenbaum.[12] While looking for talent for the new Octone label, Berkman was given a bunch of demos by the brother of a former colleague at Columbia Records and the song that caught his attention was "a genius song called 'Sunday Morning'".[13] Berkman was surprised the song was credited to Kara's Flowers because they sounded completely different from the band he had heard while at Warner Brothers.
Berkman encouraged Diener and Boxenbaum to fly out to L.A. to watch a showcase gig at the Viper Room for the four-piece Kara's Flowers. After watching Levine onstage, they were convinced. Berkman told HitQuarters he believed what the band needed was a "fifth member to play the guitar and free up the singer, so he could be the star I perceived him to be." Octone immediately insisted that the band change its name to break with its pop past. Also, the label began looking for a full-time guitarist to enable Levine to focus on performing as the frontman. James Valentine (from the L.A. band Square) was recruited for the job.[12] On his joining the band, Valentine commented: "I became friends with them and we sort of started jamming together, it was very much like I was cheating on my band, we were having sort of an affair and I eventually quit my other band to join up with them."[12] Even still, the only songs of their repertoire that showcased the band's new direction were "Sunday Morning" and the soon-to-be-written "She Will Be Loved"—neither of which the label approved of as a first single. The band toured for a full year before entering the studio with producer Matt Wallace. Levine's frustration with Berkman's demands for a lead single inspired him to write just that—a song called "Harder to Breathe"
Robyn Rihanna Fenty born February 20, 1988), known mononymously as Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist and actress. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at age 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers. She subsequently signed a contract with Def Jam Recordings.[1]
In 2005, Rihanna released her debut studio album, Music of the Sun, which peaked in the top ten of the Billboard 200 chart and features the Billboard Hot 100 top five hit single "Pon de Replay". In less than a year, she released her second studio album, A Girl Like Me (2006), which peaked within the top-five in the United States, and produced her first Hot 100 number one single, "SOS". Rihanna's third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad released in May 2007, spawned the international hit singles "Umbrella", "Don't Stop the Music", "Take a Bow" and "Disturbia", with an additional four singles being released. The album was nominated for nine Grammy Awards, winning Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Umbrella". Her fourth studio album Rated R (2009), produced the top-ten singles "Russian Roulette", "Hard" and "Rude Boy", with the latter achieving the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100. Loud (2010), Rihanna's fifth studio album, spawned the number-one hits "Only Girl (In the World)", "What's My Name?" and "S&M". Rihanna's sixth studio album, Talk That Talk (2011) served number-one hit "We Found Love" and top-five single "Where Have You Been".
Rihanna's work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including five American Music Awards, eighteen Billboard Music Awards, two BRIT Awards and five Grammy Awards. She has achieved a total of eleven number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the youngest solo artist to achieve the feat.[2] Billboard named Rihanna the Digital Songs Artist of the 2000s decade, and ranked her as the seventeenth artist of the same decade.[3][4] She is the highest-selling digital artist in US history, having sold 47,571,000 singles as of 2012.[5] Furthermore, she has also shipped 7.3 million album units in the United States as of September 2011.[6] Some of her singles have earned their place on the list of best-selling singles worldwide. Rihanna has sold more than 25 million albums and 60 million digital singles worldwide since the beginning of her career in 2005, which makes her one of the best selling artists of all time.[7] In June 2011, Forbes reported that Rihanna had earned $29 million between May 2010 and May 2011.[8] In 2012, American magazine Time named Rihanna one of the most influential people in the world.[9] Rihanna was also ranked the fourth most powerful celebrity in 2012 with earnings of $53 million between May 2011 and May 2012, according to Forbes.[10]
Robyn Rihanna Fenty was born on February 20, 1988, in Saint Michael, Barbados. Her mother is Monica Braithwaite, a retired Afro-Guyanese accountant, and her father is Ronald Fenty, a warehouse supervisor of Barbadian and Irish descent.[12][13] Rihanna has two brothers, Rorrey and Rajad Fenty, and two half-sisters and a half-brother from her father's side, each born by different mothers from his previous relationships.[14][15][16] Growing up in a three-bedroom bungalow in Bridgetown and selling clothes with her father on a street stall, Rihanna's childhood was deeply affected by her father's addiction to crack cocaine, alcohol, and marijuana, and her parents' turbulent marriage ended when she was 14.[11][13][17] Rihanna grew up listening to reggae music and began singing at around the age of seven.[14][18] She attended Charles F. Broome Memorial Primary School and then the Combermere High School, where she formed a musical trio with two of her classmates.[14] Rihanna was an army cadet in a sub-military programme; the singer-songwriter Shontelle was her drill sergeant.[19] Although she initially wanted to graduate from high school, she chose to pursue a musical career instead.[20]
Rihanna's career began through her association with American record producer Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers; she met Rogers through mutual friends in Barbados in December 2003.[21] Rogers soon asked Rihanna to come to his hotel room, where she performed renditions of the songs "Emotion" and "Hero".[21] This impressed Rogers, who then took her on various trips to New York, where she was accompanied by her mother, Monica, to record some demo tapes which could be sent to record labels.[21][22] Rihanna was signed to Rogers' and Sturken's production company, Syndicated Rhythm Productions, who assigned her a lawyer and manager before the completed demo tape was distributed to various record labels around the world in late 2004.[22] In February 2005, the president and CEO of Def Jam Recordings Jay-Z requested to meet Rihanna and she auditioned for him and industry executive L.A. Reid, performing Whitney Houston's version of "For the Love of You" as well as the original songs "Pon de Replay" and "The Last Time".[22][23] On the same day of the audition, Rihanna signed a six-album record deal with Def Jam Recordings, later relocating from Barbados to New York to live with Rogers and his wife.
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In 2005, Rihanna released her debut studio album, Music of the Sun, which peaked in the top ten of the Billboard 200 chart and features the Billboard Hot 100 top five hit single "Pon de Replay". In less than a year, she released her second studio album, A Girl Like Me (2006), which peaked within the top-five in the United States, and produced her first Hot 100 number one single, "SOS". Rihanna's third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad released in May 2007, spawned the international hit singles "Umbrella", "Don't Stop the Music", "Take a Bow" and "Disturbia", with an additional four singles being released. The album was nominated for nine Grammy Awards, winning Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Umbrella". Her fourth studio album Rated R (2009), produced the top-ten singles "Russian Roulette", "Hard" and "Rude Boy", with the latter achieving the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100. Loud (2010), Rihanna's fifth studio album, spawned the number-one hits "Only Girl (In the World)", "What's My Name?" and "S&M". Rihanna's sixth studio album, Talk That Talk (2011) served number-one hit "We Found Love" and top-five single "Where Have You Been".
Rihanna's work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including five American Music Awards, eighteen Billboard Music Awards, two BRIT Awards and five Grammy Awards. She has achieved a total of eleven number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the youngest solo artist to achieve the feat.[2] Billboard named Rihanna the Digital Songs Artist of the 2000s decade, and ranked her as the seventeenth artist of the same decade.[3][4] She is the highest-selling digital artist in US history, having sold 47,571,000 singles as of 2012.[5] Furthermore, she has also shipped 7.3 million album units in the United States as of September 2011.[6] Some of her singles have earned their place on the list of best-selling singles worldwide. Rihanna has sold more than 25 million albums and 60 million digital singles worldwide since the beginning of her career in 2005, which makes her one of the best selling artists of all time.[7] In June 2011, Forbes reported that Rihanna had earned $29 million between May 2010 and May 2011.[8] In 2012, American magazine Time named Rihanna one of the most influential people in the world.[9] Rihanna was also ranked the fourth most powerful celebrity in 2012 with earnings of $53 million between May 2011 and May 2012, according to Forbes.[10]
Robyn Rihanna Fenty was born on February 20, 1988, in Saint Michael, Barbados. Her mother is Monica Braithwaite, a retired Afro-Guyanese accountant, and her father is Ronald Fenty, a warehouse supervisor of Barbadian and Irish descent.[12][13] Rihanna has two brothers, Rorrey and Rajad Fenty, and two half-sisters and a half-brother from her father's side, each born by different mothers from his previous relationships.[14][15][16] Growing up in a three-bedroom bungalow in Bridgetown and selling clothes with her father on a street stall, Rihanna's childhood was deeply affected by her father's addiction to crack cocaine, alcohol, and marijuana, and her parents' turbulent marriage ended when she was 14.[11][13][17] Rihanna grew up listening to reggae music and began singing at around the age of seven.[14][18] She attended Charles F. Broome Memorial Primary School and then the Combermere High School, where she formed a musical trio with two of her classmates.[14] Rihanna was an army cadet in a sub-military programme; the singer-songwriter Shontelle was her drill sergeant.[19] Although she initially wanted to graduate from high school, she chose to pursue a musical career instead.[20]
Rihanna's career began through her association with American record producer Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers; she met Rogers through mutual friends in Barbados in December 2003.[21] Rogers soon asked Rihanna to come to his hotel room, where she performed renditions of the songs "Emotion" and "Hero".[21] This impressed Rogers, who then took her on various trips to New York, where she was accompanied by her mother, Monica, to record some demo tapes which could be sent to record labels.[21][22] Rihanna was signed to Rogers' and Sturken's production company, Syndicated Rhythm Productions, who assigned her a lawyer and manager before the completed demo tape was distributed to various record labels around the world in late 2004.[22] In February 2005, the president and CEO of Def Jam Recordings Jay-Z requested to meet Rihanna and she auditioned for him and industry executive L.A. Reid, performing Whitney Houston's version of "For the Love of You" as well as the original songs "Pon de Replay" and "The Last Time".[22][23] On the same day of the audition, Rihanna signed a six-album record deal with Def Jam Recordings, later relocating from Barbados to New York to live with Rogers and his wife.
