Date of Birth: February 20, 1988

Children: None

Biography:
Born Robyn Rihanna Fenton to parents Monica, an accountant, and Ronald, a warehouse supervisor, the singer’s childhood on the Caribbean island of Barbados was deeply affected by her father's addiction to crack cocaine. After a rocky marriage, her parents divorced when she was 14, and Rihanna began to use singing as her outlet.

After making a demo with veteran producer Evan Rogers in 2003, Rihanna, 15, was invited to audition for rapper turned Def Jam president Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter. After singing Whitney Houston's "For the Love of You," “I signed her in one day," says rap mogul Jay-Z. "It took me two minutes to see she was a star."

In 2005, Rihanna launched her debut album, Music of the Sun. Eight months later, she released her sophomore album, A Girl Like Me. The album boasted Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers "S.O.S." and "Unfaithful," and earned her four Billboard Music Awards, including Female Artist of the Year.

Rihanna shed her innocent image (and hair) for an edgier look and sound in 2007. It paid off – the rising star cleaned up at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, taking home Video of the Year and Monster Single of the Year for her smash hit "Umbrella."

Rihanna’s personal life made headlines in 2008, when she was romantically linked to 18-year-old R&B star Chris Brown. "He's one of my closest friends in the industry," she said in January. “He makes me feel young again." Yet things took a sour turn in February 2009, when Rihanna and Brown were embroiled in a domestic violence drama that resulted in Brown, 19, being charged with two felonies in the alleged beating of the singer. In June, Brown was sentenced to five years probation and 180 days of community labor.

In September 2009, having not uttered a word about her assault or break-up with Brown, Rihanna stepped forward in fashion, rocking risk-taking frocks before her return to the stage on the premiere of The Jay Leno Show. With Kanye West and Jay-Z, the singer performed their hit song, "Run This Town."