Rihanna
If anyone is destined for world domination, it's Rihanna. Born Robyn Rihanna Fenty, the multi-hyphenate was raised in Barbados and eventually discovered there by American record producer Evan Rogers in 2004. After recording demo tapes, including her single "Pon de Replay," Rogers brought Rihanna to audition at Def Jam Recordings where she was later signed.
In 2005, Rihanna released her first studio album, Music of the Sun, earning her the No. 10 spot on the Billboard Hot 200 list, and even a gold certification. From there, the singer went on to drop two more albums over the course of two years, A Girl Like Me and Good Girl Gone Bad. Her lead single, "Umbrella" sold over 8 million copies and earned the singer a win for the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 50th Grammy Awards. The album's success scored Rihanna her first world tour, with 80 shows across the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
A global star, Rihanna continued to explore her versatility, incorporating mixes of pop, dance, R&B, and reggae into her music. To follow up the success of Good Girl Gone Bad, Rihanna released four back-to-back studio albums, Rated R, Loud, Talk That Talk, and Unapologetic. And with each more successful than the last, she solidified herself as an icon in the music industry. With Unapologetic, Rihanna saw a Billboard 200 No. 1, thanks to chart-leading tracks including "Rude Boy," "S&M," and "We Found Love."
Outside of her music career, Rihanna has found great success with entrepreneurial endeavors in the beauty and fashion industries. In 2017, Rihanna launched Fenty Beauty, a cosmetics brand aimed at promoting inclusivity across all skin tones in the makeup world. The following year, she debuted her first lingerie collection, Savage x Fenty. The comprehensive sizing options for both men and women made the brand an instant success, with cosigns from the culture's leading voices, including Beyoncé, Megan Thee Stallion, and Lizzo. In 2019, Rihanna revealed her latest fashion brand Fenty, an apparel and accessories company under luxury fashion group LVMH.