Rihanna established her dance-pop credentials in summer 2005 with her debut smash hit, “Pon de Replay,” and continued to demonstrate 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 stacked with several chart-topping singles and boasting collaborations with Jay-Z, Ne-Yo, Timbaland, and StarGate. Its success turned Rihanna into one of the planet’s biggest pop stars. Rated R was released in 2009. The album’s lead single, “Russian Roulette” was one of the year’s most controversial singles, and it set the tone for the singer’s new, dark direction. Loud, Rihanna’s fifth studio album, followed in November and was led by the StarGate-produced “Only Girl (In the World).” That song, as well as the follow-up singles “What’s My Name?” and “S&M” all topped the Billboard Hot 100. In November 2011, shortly after Loud’s “Cheers (Drink to That)” entered the Top Ten, the singer released Talk That Talk. The single “We Found Love” earned the top spot in the Hot 100, and the album peaked at number three. Unapologetic, her seventh studio album, featured some of her brashest material and was led by “Diamonds” — her eighteenth Top Ten single. Forbes ranked her as the fourth most powerful celebrity of 2012, and Time magazine named Rihanna as one of the most influential people in the world. She released Anti in 2016 and continues to tour the world.
