Rihanna

Rihanna established her dance-pop credentials in summer 2005 with her debut smash hit, "Pon de Replay," and continued to demonstrate such hit potential in subsequent years (e.g., "S.O.S." in 2006; "Umbrella" in 2007; "Disturbia" in 2008).

However, it was the singer's third album, Good Girl Gone Bad, that made her a full-fledged international pop star with a regular presence atop the charts.

Born Robyn Rihanna Fenty on February 20, 1988, in Saint Michael, Barbados, she exhibited a certain star quality as a young child, often winning beauty and talent contests.

Because she lived on the fairly remote island of Barbados in the West Indies, however, she never foresaw the sort of stardom that would later befall her. That stardom came courtesy of a fateful meeting with Evan Rogers.

The New Yorker was vacationing in Barbados with his wife, a native of the island, when he was introduced to Rihanna.

Rogers had spent years producing pop hits for such superstars as *NSYNC, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Kelly Clarkson, Laura Pausini, and Rod Stewart, and he offered the talented Rihanna a chance to record.

Along with Rogers' production partner, Carl Sturken (the other half of Syndicated Rhythm Productions), Rihanna recorded several demos that sparked the interest of the Carter Administration -- that is, the newly appointed Def Jam president Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter.

This led to an audition, and Rihanna both received and accepted an on-the-spot offer to sign with Def Jam.

Come summer 2005, Def Jam timely rolled out "Pon de Replay," the lively leadoff single from Music of the Sun.

Produced almost entirely by Rogers and Sturken, the song synthesized Caribbean rhythms with urban-pop songwriting.

"Pon de Replay" caught fire almost immediately, climbing all the way to number two on The Billboard Hot 100 and contesting the half-summer reign of Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" atop the chart.

The debut album spawned one other hit, "If It's Lovin' That You Want," which also broke the Top 40.

Rihanna's follow-up effort, A Girl Like Me, saw even greater success and spawned three sizeable singles: a chart-topper ("S.O.S.") and two Top Ten hits ("Unfaithful," "Break It Off"). Rihanna's third album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), continued her success while signaling a change of direction.

Whereas her past two albums had been imbalanced -- often weighed down by faceless balladry and canned Caribbean-isms -- Good Girl Gone Bad was a first-rate dance-pop album, stacked with several chart-topping singles and boasting collaborations with Jay-Z, Ne-Yo, Timbaland, and StarGate.

The lead single, "Umbrella," shot to number one, as did "Take a Bow" and "Disturbia." Its success turned Rihanna into one of the planet's biggest pop stars.

Rated R (2009) was released in the wake of a physical altercation with romantic interest Chris Brown, who pled guilty to felony assault.

The album's lead single, "Russian Roulette" -- written with Ne-Yo -- was one of the year's most controversial singles, and it set the tone for the singer's new, dark direction.

~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide

'Russian Roulette' singer Rihanna's new album will be full of ''surprises'', including ''f***ing smashes''.

(BANG) -

Rihanna's new album will be filled with "surprises".

The 'Russian Roulette' singer - whose last LP 'Rated R' topped charts around the world - is currently working on new material, which producer-and-songwriter Sean Garrett believes will contain songs which are "f***ing smashes".

He said: "I got a record on Rihanna's new album. She's got some surprises. The record I gave her was very, very positive, very big. It's a f***ing smash."

Sean is particularly thrilled with his track - which he expects to be released as a single.

He explained to Rapup.com: "It's just so infectious. It's about getting past any drama and just being happy to be alive. It's an encouraging record. It feels great, and it's got great tempo. I made sure that it was bulletproof.

"It should be a single unless something crazy happens. It's hot as f**k. I think it's a record that's gonna stay on the radio for a long time."

Rihanna's 2009 album - which was released shortly after her very public split from her boyfriend Chris Brown - was filled will mellow, heartfelt tracks.

However, Sean thinks her new offering will be more upbeat.

He said: "It'll be more energetic.

"Whenever I think of Rihanna, it makes me happy. To be honest, I wasn't really that excited about hearing her in a dark zone."

Rihanna was ''venting'' as she recorded 'Rated R' - the album she made directly after her split from singer Chris Brown.

(BANG) -

Rihanna was "venting" as she recorded 'Rated R'.

The 'Russian Roulette' singer - who split from R'n'B star Chris Brown after he assaulted her last February - said her emotions were running so high when she returned to the recording studio just weeks after their split, that her feelings can be heard in every line of the resulting album.

She said: "The vocal performances definitely were influenced by the emotion, the feeling. I wasn't just singing lines.

"I was singing every word and every word meant something because it was my story. It was a lot more personal, a lot more real. I was venting."

She did, however, say recording the album - released last November- was a positive experience.

She added: "Making this album was still a lot of fun, I have to say, it was really good for me."

Rihanna, 21, also said during an appearance on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show,' last month she has set herself a target to find a new love in the next 10 years.

She said: "I hope I am in love by then. 31 is a decade away. I better be in love by then."

Despite being recently photographed on holiday in Mexico with baseball player Matt Kemp, the singer claims she is currently single.

Baseball star Matt Kemp has played down his relationship with Rihanna - who he holidayed with last month - insisting they are ''just friends''.

(BANG) -

Rihanna's rumoured boyfriend insists they are "just friends".

The 'Russian Roulette' singer - who has been single since splitting from Chris Brown after he assaulted her last February - was romantically linked with baseball star Matt Kemp after they holidayed in Mexico together last month, but the sportsman insists he is too focused on his career for romance.

He said: "Rihanna is just a friend, a good friend of mine. We went down to Mexico and had fun together.

"My job is to get my work in, which I've been doing. Nothing distracts me from my job, not the contract, or my personal life. When it's time to play baseball, that's my job. No distractions."

Despite his comments, the 25-year-old Los Angeles' Dodgers star admits he was surprised by the attention his holiday with the 21-year-old singer received but is resigned to their friendship being the subject of scrutiny.

He added in an interview on his team's website: "I didn't think all that would come out of it, it just happened. I'm not used to that much attention to my personal life. It's really not that big a deal. But in Los Angeles, doing things here, you're under a microscope, they're examining everything you're doing. It is what it is. Can't control what happens."