How Rihanna’s Talent Was Discovered in Barbados
What comes to your mind when the name Rihanna is mentioned? Umbrella
See, Rihanna wasn’t even supposed to be near the song Umbrella. Heck, were it not for an an American producer vacationing in Barbados at the right time, there probably would be no Rihanna as we know her today
Robyn Rihanna Fenty was born in Barbados. Her early life was not all that rosy. She had to deal with her father's drug abuse and domestic violence. The violence at home made Rihanna reserved, perhaps not knowing who to trust. According to Rolling Stone, she would barely speak to anyone.
At eight, Rihanna was battling intense headaches, so much so that doctors in Barbados feared she might have a tumor. These headaches, the publication further notes, disappeared after her parents divorced.
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In school, Rihanna was facing another battlefront clothed in bullying. She has a light complexion because of her father's Irish heritage, and students bullied her for this.
While Rihanna was known as a shy girl, her family was surprised when at the age of 15, she took part in her high school's talent show. Her rendition of Mariah Carey's Hero brought the house down.
At 16, Rihanna caught the eye of American record producer Evan Rogers. Rogers had organized a music audition in Barbados while vacationing there. When Rihanna sang, he knew he had found someone special. Rogers brought Rihanna to America. She stayed at his home together with his wife.
Rogers and Rihanna recorded her first demo of the song Pon De Replay. They sent the demo to many different recording companies, and one of them belonged to Beyonce's husband, Jay-Z.
It took 2 minutes of listening to Pon De Replay for Jay-Z to sign Rihanna.
In 2007, famous songwriters The Dreams and Tricky Stewart wrote a song that they felt was an excellent fit for Brittney Spears (They also wrote the song Single Ladies). The two songwriters then pitched the song to Mary J Blige, and she, too, did not take up the piece under the excuse she was busy. The Lucky singer did not take up this song since her label rejected it.
The name of the song is Umbrella.
As Victor Hugo say, nothing can stop an idea whose time has come. It was Rihanna's time.
Un really became an instant hit. The song stayed atop the US Billboard Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks and won two Grammy nominations.
In the song, Rihanna sings about being an Umbrella to her partner and protecting him from all elements and being a ride-and-die kind of girl with a man she loves and adores:
“When the sun shines, we'll shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be your friend
Took an oath; I'm a stick it out 'til the end
Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my Umbrella”
Since then, Rihanna has won eight Grammy Awards from 24 nominations. She is also the youngest solo artist to score 14 billboard music hits. In 2022, Rihanna became the youngest self-made female billionaire, with a $1.4 billion net worth. She is only second to Oprah on the list of the world's wealthiest female entertainers.
Despite the success and riches, Rihanna has stayed true to herself.
Rihanna never went past high school, but in 2017, she stood at the hallowed grounds of Harvard University to receive the Harvard University's Humanitarian Award for her charity work. In her speech to Harvard students, she said:
"All you need to do is help one person, expecting nothing in return…."
You may recall Rihanna's trip to Malawi as the founder of the Clara Lionel Foundation and Global Ambassador for the Global Partnership for Education to teach impoverished elementary school children maths and to hang out with the kids.
In Barbados, Rihanna is an icon. They even have a day in their calendar dedicated to her
On Sunday, Rihanna will be the center of attraction during the Super Bowl Final. It will be the first time a black Diasporan performs at the Superbowl Halftime show!