Celebrity central

She’s got it all, looks, voice, and the brains. She is Rihanna. Rihanna’s rise to stardom has been fast as she only established her dance pop credentials in 2005 with her debut smash hit “Pon de replay,” and continued to demonstrate such hit potential in subsequent years like “S.O.S.” in 2006; “Umbrella” in 2007 and “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. Born Robyn Rihanna Fenty on February 20, 1988, in Saint Michael, Barbados, she exhibited a certain star quality as a young child, often winning beauty and talent contests. However, she never foresaw the sort of stardom that would later befall her. That stardom came courtesy of a fateful meeting with Evan Rogers. The New Yorker was vacationing in Barbados with his wife, a native of the island, when he was introduced to Rihanna. Rogers had spent years producing pop hits for such superstars as NSYNC, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Kelly Clarkson, and he offered the talented Rihanna a chance to record. Rihanna recorded several demos that sparked the interest of Def Jam president Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter. This led to an audition, and Rihanna both received and accepted an on-the-spot offer to sign with Def Jam. Come 2005, Def Jam timely rolled out “Pon de Replay,” the lively leadoff single from Music of the Sun. The song synthesized Caribbean rhythms with urban-pop songwriting. “Pon de Replay” caught fire almost immediately, climbing all the way to number two on The Billboard Hot 100 and contesting the reign of Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together” atop the chart. Rihanna’s third album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), continued her success while signaling a change of direction. Whereas her past two albums had been imbalanced. Good Girl Gone Bad was a first-rate dance-pop album, stacked with several chart-topping singles and boasting collaborations with Jay-Z, Ne-Yo, and Timbaland. The lead single, “Umbrella,” shot to number one, as did “Take a Bow” and “Disturbia. At only 21 she seems she’s just starting and has enormous years ahead of her in the industry. We bring you her first single “pon de replay” from her debut album Music of the sun. Ends