Rihanna

Robyn Rihanna Fenty, known as Rihanna, was discovered at 15 by American music producer Evan Rogers. She recorded a demo tape that eventually grabbed the attention of Jay-Z, the president of Def Jam Recordings at the time. By 2005, she had signed with the label and released her debut album, "Music of the Sun," which was certified gold by the RIAA and sold over 2 million copies worldwide.

Rihanna's career trajectory took a swift upward turn with her third album, "Good Girl Gone Bad," which featured the hit single "Umbrella" and set her firmly in the music industry. This album shifted towards a more daring image and sound, earning her the first of nine Grammy Awards. The album has sold over 9 million units worldwide, solidifying her standing as a music icon. Other popular songs from subsequent albums, such as "Disturbia," "Rude Boy," and "Only Girl (In the World)," showed her range and innovation as an artist.

Besides her music career, Rihanna is notable for her broad impact in the fashion and beauty industries. In 2017, she launched the cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty, which emphasizes inclusivity with a wide range of shades for diverse skin tones. This venture, along with her lingerie brand Savage X Fenty, made her the first Black woman to lead a luxury brand for LVMH. These successful businesses, combined with her influential music career, led to Rihanna being recognized as the world's wealthiest female musician, with an estimated net worth of $1.7 billion in 2021.

Rihanna has also pursued an acting career, with roles in "Battleship," "Home," "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets," and "Ocean's 8." She made a significant TV appearance in "Styled to Rock" and had a starring role in the Amazon Studios project "Guava Island," released in 2019. Despite her busy career, Rihanna is active in philanthropy. She founded the Clara Lionel Foundation in 2012, focusing on global education and emergency response programs, and has allocated millions to various initiatives, including climate justice and COVID-19 relief.

With over 250 million records sold worldwide, Rihanna is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She has received numerous awards, including 9 Grammy Awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards, and 13 American Music Awards. She is recognized by Guinness World Records as the best-selling female recording artist of the 21st century and has achieved 14 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Rihanna's influence goes beyond her music, fashion, business, and philanthropic endeavors; she is also recognized for her political activism, refusing to perform at the 2020 Super Bowl in support of Colin Kaepernick and showing support for the Indian farmers' protest against farm bills in 2021. In 2023, she headlined the Super Bowl LVII halftime show, which became the most-watched halftime show in history with 121.017 million viewers.