Michael A. Schuman - Rihanna: Music Megastar

When her first album was released in 2005, Rihanna became a household name and an international star. With hit albums, numerous awards, her Believe Foundation, touring and now acting, Rihanna is keeping everyone interested!

Quotes, personal stories, and accessible features such as a timeline and glossary make this a book everyone will want to read.

This singer from Barbados burst on the scene a few years ago and is now expanding her repertoire to include acting. Learn more of her public and private life.

About the Author

Award-winning author Michael A. Schumans other work for Enslow Publishers, Inc., includes Robert Pattinson: Shining Star.

At awards shows like the 2007 Video Music Awards, celebrities like Rihanna walk the red carpet and pose for photos.

Rihanna sat in the audience in a floor-length pink gown. The date was September 9, 2007. She was surrounded by the best people in rock and pop music. The setting was the annual Video Music Awards (VMAs). She waited anxiously to hear who would win the award for Video of the Year.

Rihanna had already won a VMA award that night. It was for Monster Single of the Year for her song Umbrella. But Video of the Year was the evenings biggest prize. Artists up for the honor included superstars Beyonc, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, and Amy Winehouse. The list also included Rihanna, who just two years earlier was a shy teenager from the Caribbean island of Barbados.

Finally, the time came to announce the big winner. Both live and television audiences were waiting. Then the name was announced: Rihanna for Umbrella.

Rihanna beamed as she walked to the stage and accepted the award. Hip-hop legend Dr. Dre handed it to her.

Rihanna holds her award for Monster Single of the Year for her song Umbrella at the Video Music Awards on September 9, 2007.

Rihanna later said to Entertainment Weekly, I was so honored. I could not believe that I won one of the biggest awards of the night, video of the year. Monster single of the yearI thought I had a chance. But video of the year was definitely the one I was like, theres no way. There are too many good videos and big artists in this category.

But just who was this award-winning nineteen-year-old? She has an exciting story to tell.

Rihanna at the World Music Awards in 2005.

Robyn Rihanna Fenty was born in Saint Michael in Barbados on February 20, 1988. It is the largest parish, or region, of the country. (Instead of states, Barbados is made up of eleven parishes.) Her father, Ronald, worked in a clothing factory. Her mother, Monica, was an accountant. Monica later quit her job to open a clothing store. Monica is from Guyana, a nation in northern South America. Ronald is part Barbadian and part Irish.

Rihanna was neither rich nor poor. The Fenty family did not have a lot of money. But a lack of it was never a major problem.

That does not mean life was easy for Rihanna as a child. She was teased in school because of her light brown skin. She told Entertainment Weekly, People hated me because Im fair in complexion. I had to develop a thick skin because they would call me white.

Her troubles did not end when the school day was over. Her father had severe drug addictions. According to Entertainment Weekly, Ronald was addicted to crack cocaine, marijuana, and alcohol.

This hurt his marriage. The couple constantly argued, which really stressed out Rihanna. Because of these problems, Rihanna was shy and liked being alone. She said, I wouldnt cry. I wouldnt get upset. She continued, It was just all in here, as she pointed to her head.

Rihanna detailed the trouble of living with her father to the London Guardian. She recalled:

I didnt know what it was I was so scared of at first. I was very ignorant. I just saw what was going on. Heard the arguments. Then I was angry. I was: Why are you doing this. This is not cool. I was, Are you stupid? You know its wrong, you see the effect it has on us. I could never understand why he wanted to continue.

As a result of the stress, Rihanna suffered painful headaches. Her mother thought she might have a brain tumor. A tumor is a swollen growth of tissue in the body. Such tumors often lead to cancer. Rihanna visited doctors many times. They gave her several CAT scans of the brain. CAT scans are similar to X-rays. Yet no doctor could find anything physically wrong with her.

Full name: Robyn Rihanna Fenty

Born: February 20, 1988

Sibings: two brothers, Rorrey and Rajad

Height: 5 feet, 8 inches

Eyes: green

Musical inflences: Alicia Keys, Destinys Child, Whitney Houston, Brandy, Bob Marley

Best thing about being a pop star: Im getting to do what I always dreamed of doing.

Worst thing about being a pop star: Im away from my family and all of my friends in Barbados.

Little-known fact: Shes a very picky eater. I find it hard to find something to eat. Always!

Rihanna sings the Star-Spangled Banner to kick off a Yankees-Mets baseball game on May 21, 2006.

Music brought the young girl the most joy. She started singing to herself around age seven. She said to the Honolulu Advertiser, Growing up, I always sang. But no one was ever really pushing me to do it. It was something that I wanted to do. So I developed a personal passion for it, fell in love with music and developed my own taste and style.

Not a lot of rock music is played in Barbados. Rihanna grew up listening to the reggae music native to the Caribbean. She also heard a lot of soca music.

Soca is not heard often in the United States. It is a combination of two musical styles. One is soul (the so in soca), or American soul music. The other is calypso (the ca in soca), a traditional Caribbean music. Calypso features a lot of steel drums, horns, and bass.

Rihanna was also able to listen to two types of music made popular by the African-American community. One was hip-hop. The other was light rhythm and blues. It is sung by artists such as Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Destinys Child.

When not singing, Rihanna played with her male relatives. Rihanna told the Honolulu Advertiser that with two brothers and thirteen male cousins she did not have much of a choice. Me and [a] cousin were the only two girls, and we had to fight to defend ourselves because [the boys] didnt want us around. We wanted to do what they did. We wanted to climb trees. We wanted to fight. We wanted to catch animals.