Swift also found a new sense of creativity within this new mindset, one where she aimed to still embed playful themes in her songwriting but with less snark than that of « Blank Space » and « Look What You Made Me Do. » Leaning into Lover being a « love letter to love, » Swift explored every aspect of it. After finding love amongst chaos with reputation, Swift was learning to deal with the anxiety and fear of losing her partner — became a major theme of another aptly titled album, Lover. With time, though, it became clear that the response to reputation became muddled with the public’s overall perception of her at the time — some even claimed that Swift was ahead of her time with the album’s overall sound. Although Swift said that the album has its vindictive moments — even declaring that the « old Taylor » is dead on the bridge of « Look What You Made Me Do » — it’s a vulnerable record for her. Following the release of 1989, Swift became a cultural juggernaut, and the album has had an omnipresence in music since. And where some might trade a hit or two at the expense of their artistic integrity, Swift didn’t falter — instead, her lyrics were just as heartfelt and intimate as they were on prior albums.
Her most conceptual album to date, Midnights charts 13 sleepless nights and explores five themes, from self-hatred and revenge to « what if » fantasies, falling in love, and falling apart. Sonically, evermore is a slight departure from its sister record; where folklore relies on more alt-leaning and indie-tinged sounds, evermore takes the sonics from all of Swift’s past records — from pop to country to indie rock — and features all of them on one album. Some songs, like « peace, » were recorded in just one take, capturing the essence and fragility in the song’s story, whereas the lyrics for the sun-drenched « august » were penned on the spot as Swift was in her makeshift home studio in Los Angeles. Swift described reputation as a bait-and-switch; at their core, the songs are about finding love in the darkest moments.
Rolling Stone included her single « Umbrella » in its list of the « 500 Greatest Songs of All Time » and her album Anti amongst the « 500 Greatest Albums of All Time ». She is the UK’s third best-selling female artist of the 21st century, having sold seven million albums. In August 2018, Billboard ranked Rihanna as the tenth-most successful Hot 100 artist of all time and it also named her the top Hot 100 artist of the 2010s. She has accumulated numerous awards and honours, including nine Grammy Awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards, and thirteen American Music Awards.
In 2014, Shakira featured Rihanna on her single « Can’t Remember to Forget You ». In December 2013, she topped both the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart with a feature on Eminem’s song « The Monster ». Rihanna made a cameo in the comedy film This Is the End (2013), and later collaborated with rapper Wale on his remix of the single « Bad ». To promote the album, Rihanna embarked on the 777 Tour, performing seven shows in seven countries over the course of seven days. In September 2012, the music video for « We Found Love » won Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards, making Rihanna the first woman to receive the honour more than once. In March, Rihanna and Brown released two remixes—her track « Birthday Cake » and his « Turn Up the Music »—which were criticized due to their history of domestic violence.
- Rihanna praised Madonna’s ability to change her fashion and music repeatedly, while remaining a « real force in entertainment ».
- Its second single, « If It’s Lovin’ That You Want », peaked at number 36 in the US.
- Rolling Stone included her single « Umbrella » in its list of the « 500 Greatest Songs of All Time » and her album Anti amongst the « 500 Greatest Albums of All Time ».
- She’s no longer anxious in love (« Eldest Daughter, » « Honey ») and for the first time, she owns all of her work and is in complete artistic control (« Father Figure »).
- Nancy was largely unaware of its popularity as a hip-hop sample, and didn’t receive royalties for the tune (itself owned by producer Winston Riley, who died in 2012).
- Two years later, she nearly doubled this feat, producing a whopping five No. 1 hits in 2010, including “Love The Way You Lie” with Eminem, “Rude Boy,” “S&M,” the Grammy-winning “Only Girl (In The World),” and “What’s My Name” featuring Drake.
A Timeline of A$AP Rocky & Rihanna’s Relationship
Rihanna returned to her more upbeat sound with her fifth studio album, Loud, which was released on November 12, 2010. The album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 chart and sold 181,000 copies in its first week. The incident and its aftermath influenced her artistically, prompting her to begin work on her fourth studio album, titled Rated R, one month after the Grammy Awards. The reissue of Good Girl Gone Bad, subtitled Reloaded, was released on June 2; selling 63,000 copies in its first week, it helped the original album rise to number seven in the US. The resulting album, Good Girl Gone Bad, was released on May 31, 2007, to critical acclaim. Aiming to dismiss her girl-next-door image in favour of a more mature and rebellious persona, she worked with such producers as Ne-Yo, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, and Tricky Stewart for the album.
Redefining its titular term, the four-week chart-topper finds the husky-voiced T-Boz freely admitting to straying from an unaffectionate relationship, proving that the playa anthem wasn’t solely the reserve of their male counterparts. But the song itself did pip fellow superstars Prince, Billy Joel and Lionel Richie to the Best Male Pop Vocal Performance crown. Backed by some fast and furious fiddles, « The Devil Went Down to Georgia » tells the tale of a young musician named Johnny who bumps into Beelzebub himself during a jam session in the Peach State.
Popular movies coming soon
- The album’s lead single, “Work,” featuring rapper Drake, spent nine weeks at No. 1 and earned two Grammy nominations.
- With the release of her third album Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), Rihanna abandoned her innocent image in favour of a sharper, edgier style.
- In January 2016, Rihanna released her eighth album, Anti, allowing Jay-Z’s online streaming site Tidal to exclusively feature the collection of tracks for a week.
- Her last No. 1 single, “Work” featuring Drake, topped the chart for nine weeks.
- In lieu of another album, the singer-turned-entrepreneur, born Robyn Fenty, launched Fenty Beauty in 2017 in partnership with luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, which also preceded a short-lived luxury fashion line.
- On the Life of a Showgirl track directly named after the late icon, Swift circles back to the themes she touched on with folklore’s « Peace » and the tension between her private reality and her public persona.
Looking at Lover retrospectively, it’s an album that almost symbolizes a bookend in her discography. Writing reputation became a lifeline following the events that catalyzed it — a way to shed the so-called snakeskin and make peace with however the public wanted to view her. And even despite matching the 1.2 million first-week sales of her previous releases, some concluded that the album was her first commercial failure when compared to 1989. Even after Swift spent some time away from the spotlight, the public didn’t immediately gravitate toward her return.
She first gained prominence in 2005 with her debut album « Music of the Sun, » which quickly established her as a force in the music industry. Known for her unique style and chart-topping hits, she has influenced music and fashion worldwide. She told Winfrey that Brown may have been the love of her life and she has developed “a very close friendship” with him. The pair worked together on the song “Birthday Cake,” released that year.
Rihanna became the youngest and fastest solo artist in Billboard Hot 100 history to accumulate ten number-one singles. In late 2008, she released « Rehab », the fifth and final single from Good Girl Gone Bad; it peaked within the top 20 of the charts in both the US and UK. The following singles, « Shut Up and Drive » and « Hate That I Love You », saw moderate success, while the album’s fourth single, « Don’t Stop the Music », peaked at number three in the US.
The dance-pop and R&B heavy record, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart, featured several hit songs, including the singles “Don’t Stop the Music,” “Shut Up and Drive,” and “Hate That I Love You” with Ne-Yo. With its follow-up, « Our Song » — which spent six consecutive weeks on the top of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart — she became the youngest person to solely write and sing a No. 1 country single; she also became the first female solo artist in country music to write or co-write every song on an album. With the dance-pop set Loud (2010), she reflected on the fun she had while recording the album, incorporating ballads, party anthems, and empowering love songs.
Rihanna, who has not released a full album since 2016’s « Anti, » voices Smurfette in the film. The songstress herself shared a sweet note on Friday, Aug. 29, thanking her fans and those who « gave me a chance over the years. » To celebrate her success in the music business and beyond, Rihanna is releasing « R20 » merch and a vinyl album boxed set, which are available for pre-order on her official online store.
Rihanna releases new music in honor of 20 years in music. Well, kind of.
Although Jay-Z initially thought « Pon de Replay » was too big for a new artist, he invited her to audition. Rihanna’s demo was sent to rapper Jay-Z, who had just become the president and CEO of the record label Def Jam Recordings. In 2005, she became the first artist to sign with Syndicated Rhythm Productions, the production company founded by Rogers and Carl Sturken. Unnamed and without original material, the girl group auditioned for American producer Evan Rogers, who recalled that « the minute Rihanna walked into the room, it was like the other two girls didn’t exist ». Though she initially planned to finish high school, she ultimately dropped out at age 16 to pursue a music career. Signed to Def Jam Recordings, she debuted with the Caribbean-inspired records Music of the Sun (2005) and A Girl Like Me (2006), both of which reached the top ten of the US Billboard 200.
Following the release of Unapologetic and the ensuing tour, she expressed a desire to take a break from recording, saying she wanted « a year to just do whatever I want artistically, creatively ». That same month, the Official Charts Company reported she had sold 3.87 million records in the country over the past year, placing her at number one among the 2013 Brit Awards artist nominees. Rihanna’s seventh studio album, titled Unapologetic, was released on November 19, 2012. A dance-oriented pop and R&B album, Talk That Talk opened at number three on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 198,000 copies, while debuting atop the UK Albums Chart with 163,000 units sold. Rihanna aimed to explore more sexually expressive themes on her sixth studio album, Talk That Talk, which was released on November 18, 2011. A dance-pop record, Loud debuted at number three in the US with first-week sales of 207,000 copies.
Life and career
True to her Carribean heritage, Rihanna’s dancehall-inspired debut single « Pon de Replay » earned the then 17-year-old Barbados native her first entry on the Hot 100 at an impressive No. 2. As the world eagerly awaits new music, celebrate 20 years of Rihanna with the monstrous hits, ambitious projects, brow-raising visuals, and iconic collabs that propelled her to international stardom — and why it’s all put her in a league betista casino of her own. Performing hit after hit while unveiling a baby bump, her 13-minute set became one of the most-watched halftime shows of all time with over 121 million viewers. Even her business ventures have been a massive success, as her Fenty Beauty brand is worth nearly $3 billion as of press time.
She’s Closing This Chapter Of Her Life
And on Aug. 13, she opened up about the concept and creation of the record on her now-fiancé Travis Kelce’s podcast, « New Heights. » To help explain this chapter of her life, Swift brings together a myriad of collaborators — from Stevie Nicks as fellow poetess, to duets with Florence Welch and Post Malone — and leans on real and fictional characters, like Clara Bow, Peter Pan (« Peter »), and Patti Smith. It pokes fun at so-called fans who overstep with her personal life (« But Daddy I Love Him »), says goodbye to a city that gave her a home (« So Long London »), and muses on how her own celebrity has stunted her growth (« Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me? »). As a result, there had arguably never been more excitement for a Taylor Swift album than for The Tortured Poets Department — especially because the announcement came on the heels of her lucky 13th GRAMMY win in February.
Rihanna has faced personal challenges, including a highly publicized incident of domestic violence with former boyfriend Chris Brown. With these endeavors combined with her musical empire, Rihanna has not only cemented her legacy in music but also positioned herself as a powerful icon in the world of entrepreneurship. The singer launched her makeup line, Fenty Beauty, in 2017, gaining instant popularity for its extensive range of shades catering to all skin tones. This wealth is a result of her multifaceted career, which extends beyond music to include ventures in fashion, beauty, and film. Rihanna, one of the most successful pop stars of her generation, has amassed an impressive net worth estimated to be around $1.7 billion, according to Forbes. Rihanna’s romantic life has often made headlines, with notable relationships sparking both admiration and intrigue.
After exploring pop-leaning sonics she first found with Red, Swift worked with Martin and Shellback again on most of 1989. 1989 was lauded by critics for its infectious synth-pop that was reminiscent of the 1980s, yet still had a contemporary sound. She plays with time — speeding it up in « Starlight, » dabbling in the past in « All Too Well, » and reframing it in « State of Grace » — to better understand her experiences. In her liner notes, she references Pablo Neruda’s poem « Tonight I Can Write, » stating that « Love is so short, forgetting is so long » is the overarching theme for the album. From addressing the aforementioned VMA incident in the forgiving « Innocent » to a toxic relationship in « Dear John, » Speak Now also hinted that her rose-colored glasses were cracked, but Swift (and her songwriting) was only becoming stronger because of it.
And in true Swiftian fashion, turning into a pop artist didn’t just prove her genre-shapeshifting capabilities — it further solidified her as an artist who is at her best when she freely creates to her desires and refuses to adhere to anyone. After years of identifying as a country artist and flirting with pop, Swift departed her roots to reinvent herself, no matter what her then-label or critics had to say. On Red, Swift focused on emotions evoked from a hot-and-cold relationship, one that forced her to experience « intense love, intense frustration, jealousy and confusion » — all feelings that she’d describe as « red. »
While the world is still anticipating her ninth studio album, Rihanna — now a mom of two boys — continues to make her own rules and move at her own pace. With the glorious « Lift Me Up, » she found herself in the top 10 for the first time since 2017’s « Wild Thoughts. » Ever since ANTI, Rihanna’s devoted fanbase has been begging for a new album, with Rih playfully trolling them with responses like « I lost it » and Instagram captions that read, « Me listening to R9 by myself and refusing to release it. » Accolades aside, ANTI is proof that magic happens when an artist of Rihanna’s caliber follows their own instincts in pursuit of creating a body of work — one that can outlast them and continue to inspire generations to come. For instance, « Sex with Me » is featured on the deluxe edition as a bonus track, but managed to crack the Hot 100 at No. 83 and reach No. 8 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. Elsewhere on ANTI, Rihanna drunk dials an ex (« Higher »), compares smoking weed to her lover (« James Joint »), and chastises a guy for getting emotionally attached after their fling (« Needed Me »).