On February 20, 1988, Robyn Rihanna Fenty was born in Saint Michael, Barbados. Her ancestry is a mix of Afro-Guyanese, Afro-Barbadian, and Irish. Because of her father's alcoholism and crack cocaine addiction as a child, she found refuge in music.

There have been a number of high-profile relationships between Rihanna with well-known men, including musician Drake (from 2009 through 2016) and Saudi billionaire Hassan Jameel (2017 to January 2020). Her most famous relationship, though, was with Chris Brown, a hip-hop artist and singer.

With an estimated net worth of $1.7 billion, she has become the wealthiest female artist in history.

The American record producer Evan Rogers spotted her in Barbados and took her to the United States, where she produced demos and was signed to Syndicated Rhythm Productions.