Published August 31st 2015
Nowadays it’s hard to imagine the music scene without Rihanna, but this force of nature only bursted onto the scene exactly 10 years ago. Her debut hit hard in 2005 with the song “Pon De Replay” selling 2 million copies in America alone, making it double platinum. The song was recorded as part of her demo. Jay Z, at that time just appointed to be CEO for Def Jam, responded to it and signed her. Success was instant in the US, but sales slowed down with other singles in the rest of the world ’til a year later.
In 2006 her second album “A Girl Like Me” was released and the first signs of the Rihanna we know today began to emerge slowly. One of the characteristics, that has made Rihanna a force to be reckoned with, is her ability to blend in with many musical genres. Not many artists get the freedom to explore their flexibility, but with the release of her second album you saw the tell tale signs that Rihanna was open to jump from one genre to the next. The album included the hit singles “SOS” and “Unfaithful”. The dance track and pop ballad were a stretch from her dancehall entrance to the music scene, even though the album still has a very present dancehall sound.
It was clear that the little girl from a year ago was growing up and the pressure was on Rihanna to distinguish herself as an artist. In order to move away from the Beyonce sound, she did what any good girl would do. Go bad. The dancehall sound was replaced by dance/pop and R&B and Rihanna changed her appearance for the first time, cutting her hair short and straightening it. The album brought forth hits like “Umbrella”, “Don’t Stop The Music” and “Shut Up and Drive”. It received 9 Grammy nominations and “Umbrella” won one for best collaboration. The album was released in 2007 and again in 2008 as a reloaded version with the addition of hit songs “Take A Bow” and “Disturbia”.
Though in 2009 the year got overshadowed by the altercation with, at that time boyfriend, Chris Brown, it also saw the release of the album that changed everything: “Rated R”. The album showcased a range of styles and genres, but all was held together very well by her vocal performance. Rihanna turned herself into a trendsetter and reinvented herself to be edgy. Something we still see in her today. And her clothes started to come off for many photoshoots. This album clearly was a turning point for her to define her musical identity. From this album on Rihanna herself had a part in overseeing her album productions. “Rated R” included the hits “Russion Roulette” and “Rude Boy” and sold more copies in it’s first week of release than any of her previous albums. Yet, that was just a taste of what was still to come.
Being more edgy it was time to get “Loud” in 2010. The dark tone from Rated R was replaced by more up-tempo songs and an electro vibe. Maybe she clearly worked through a few issues and saw things in a more positive light now. The album contained many hit singles like “Only Girl”, “S&M”, “What’s My Name?”, “California King Bed” and “Man Down”. “S&M” became her 10th number 1 hit in the US, making her the youngest artist to have that many number 1 hits to her name, even leaving Mariah Carey to eat her dust. The album also got her 3 Grammy nominations.
The next album continued exactly where “Loud” ended. Clearly not wanting to change a winning formula, Rihanna worked with a wide range of producers for the release of “Talk That Talk”, exploring the same genres as she touched on before. Critics suggested that this may have been the result of recording the album while being on the road. “Talk That Talk” was made while Rihanna was touring with the previous release “Loud”. Nevertheless, we were all singing the biggest hits from the album, “We Found Love” and “Where Have You Been?”, and the album sold over 8 million copies worldwide.
Her latest album was released in 2012. “Unapologetic” was recorded while she was promoting “Talk That Talk” and has been selling like crazy since it’s release. Some press have stated that the album is just as rushed as “Talk That Talk“. Perhaps that’s why Rihanna is now taking more time out to release another new album. After all, “Unapologetic” was also accompanied by a world tour. Hits from the album were the beautiful “Stay” and “Diamonds”.
Rihanna is one the most prolific recording artists around, delivering an album each year throughout most of her career. So far she sold over 50 million albums and 190 songs worldwide. She’s collaborated with the biggest names in the business. Her looks change every time she appears in public and her fashion sense has sparked a second career for her as a style icon. It’s never a dull moment for her fans and it looks like she’ll be around for a long time. Happy anniversary, Rihanna!
Read more:
Official Rihanna Website
9 little-known facts about Rihanna’s first album, ‘Music of the Sun,’ on its 10th anniversary (Entertainment weekly)