Rihanna : NPR

Turning the Tables: Your List Of The 21st Century's Most Influential Women Musicians

Beyoncé performs onstage during Coachella on April 14, 2018. Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Coachella hide caption

toggle caption

Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Coachella

Turning The Tables

Turning the Tables: Your List Of The 21st Century's Most Influential Women Musicians

November 20, 2018 • The results are in for our reader poll of the most influential women and non-binary musicians of this century. Your picks help us consider and question what "influence" can mean in new ways.

She Was Too Poor To Stay In School. Now She's An Inspiration To Rihanna

Education activist Angeline Murimirwa was given the "Diamond Ball Honors Award" by Rihanna's Clara Lionel Foundation. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Goats and Soda

She Was Too Poor To Stay In School. Now She's An Inspiration To Rihanna

October 10, 2018 • Angeline Murimirwa is lauded as one of the world's most influential women for her work with a charity that gives scholarships to poor girls in Africa. She herself was once one of those girls.

Hear Cat Power's Stirring Cover Of Rihanna's 'Stay'

YouTube

New Music

Hear Cat Power's Stirring Cover Of Rihanna's 'Stay'

September 18, 2018 • A revered songwriter in her own right, Chan Marshall takes a generous, thoughtful approach to reworking beloved songs. This cover of Rihanna's hit comes from Cat Power's forthcoming album, Wanderer.

Rihanna Is The 21st Century's Most Influential Musician

Rihanna performs on stage at the BRIT Awards in 2016. Photo Illustration: Ian Gavan/Getty Images and Angela Hsieh/NPR hide caption

toggle caption

Photo Illustration: Ian Gavan/Getty Images and Angela Hsieh/NPR

Turning The Tables

Rihanna Is The 21st Century's Most Influential Musician

August 15, 2018 • For much of this century's first two decades, there has been at least one Rihanna song on the pop charts. If she is not seen as taking musical risks, it's only because so many of them have paid off.

Rihanna Is The 21st Century's Most Influential Musician

Listen · 4:35 4:35

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/638551793/675820355" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+ (80-61)

Beyonce and Nicki Minaj on stage in Brooklyn in October 2015. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for TIDAL hide caption

toggle caption

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for TIDAL

Turning The Tables

The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+ (80-61)

July 30, 2018 • This list tackles history in the making, celebrating women and non-binary musicians whose songs are redefining genres and attitudes and changing our sense of what popular music can be in this century.

The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+ (40-21)

Rhiannon Giddens Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption

toggle caption

Claire Harbage/NPR

Turning The Tables

The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+ (40-21)

July 30, 2018 • This list tackles history in the making, celebrating women and non-binary musicians whose songs are redefining genres and attitudes and changing our sense of what popular music can be in this century.

Single & Sauced: Swipe Right In 30 Songs

Stay sauced up and bossed up. Eslah Attar & Samantha Clark/NPR hide caption

toggle caption

Eslah Attar & Samantha Clark/NPR

All Songs Considered

Single & Sauced: Swipe Right In 30 Songs

June 13, 2018 • Single for the summer? Embrace your freedom with a confident, funky, sexy and savage soundtrack.

Spotify's Most-Streamed List Is Free Of Surprises

Ed Sheeran performs onstage during 102.7 KIIS FM's Jingle Ball 2017. Spotify reports Sheeran is the most-streamed artist of 2017. Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia hide caption

toggle caption

Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

The Record

Spotify's Most-Streamed List Is Free Of Surprises

December 5, 2017 • Ed Sheeran, Rihanna and Luis Fonsi take top spots in Spotify's year-end roundup of streaming stats.

Pharrell's N.E.R.D. Is Back, And Rihanna Is Here To Help

Rihanna in N.E.R.D.'s "Lemon" video. YouTube hide caption

toggle caption

YouTube

All Songs Considered

Pharrell's N.E.R.D. Is Back, And Rihanna Is Here To Help

November 1, 2017 • "Lemon" features Rihanna spitting bars over crisp and spare production that wouldn't be out of place on an early Neptunes joint.

Lady Gaga performs "Til It Happens To You" on stage at the 88th Oscars on Feb. 28, 2016. Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

All Songs Considered

Songs That Say 'Me Too'

October 17, 2017 • Women have posted the phrase on social media to raise awareness of sexual assault, abuse, and harassment. Here is a list of songs in which artists said "me too."

Listen to the Story

Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna star in the video for "Loyalty." YouTube hide caption

toggle caption

YouTube

All Songs TV

Kendrick Lamar And Rihanna Prove Their 'Loyalty'

July 28, 2017 • DAMN.'s most pop-worthy song gets a video of epic proportions

Just What Is An Album? In 2016, That Was An Open Question

Rihanna poses at the album artwork reveal for ANTI in Los Angeles. Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Westbury Road Entertainment LLC hide caption

toggle caption

Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Westbury Road Entertainment LLC

Best Music Of 2016

Just What Is An Album? In 2016, That Was An Open Question

December 14, 2016 • This year, major pop artists changed the definition of an album with unconventional releases. NPR Music's Daoud Tyler-Ameen joined host Audie Cornish to discuss this phenomenon.

Just What Is An Album? In 2016, That Was An Open Question

Listen · 5:37 5:37

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/505582938/505592311" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Rihanna Launches College Scholarships For Foreign Students

Rihanna performing at the Coachella Festival in California in April 2016. Christopher Polk/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

Christopher Polk/Getty Images

The Record

Rihanna Launches College Scholarships For Foreign Students

May 10, 2016 • The Barbados-born singer is offering scholarships to Caribbean and South American students who want to pursue higher education in the U.S.

Is Tidal Changing How Fans Talk About Music?

Kanye West at a laptop during his Yeezy Season 3 fashion show and album debut at Madison Square Garden in New York Feb. 11. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

The Record

Is Tidal Changing How Fans Talk About Music?

February 29, 2016 • Technological innovations like streaming are shifting how music gets released today — but artist exclusives are also changing the way fans process today's most popular tracks.

Is Tidal Changing How Fans Talk About Music?

Listen · 4:00 4:00

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/468558863/468607132" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Bard Ylvisaker (L) and Vegard Ylvisaker of Ylvis perform "The Fox (What Does The Fox Say?)" in September. Ethan Miller/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Best Music Of 2013

Top 10 Top 40 Of 2013

December 23, 2013 • At the end of a year in which pop songs were a constant, provocative part of the national conversation, NPR Music critic Ann Powers sifts through the 100 most popular songs of the year to highlight 10 pure pop pleasures worth remembering.

The Decade In Music: Rihanna's 'Umbrella' (2007)

The summer jam of 2007 can be summarized in seven syllables: "ella, ella, ay, ay, ay." Ellen von Unwerth hide caption

toggle caption

Ellen von Unwerth

The Decade In Music: '00s

The Decade In Music: Rihanna's 'Umbrella' (2007)

November 18, 2009 • All alien-science synthesizers, crispy hi-hats and galvanizing delivery, "Umbrella" is what happens when an unclassifiable singer meets an ineffable song. It turned out to be the summer jam of 2007, echoing across the world to an indelible refrain: "ella, ella / ay, ay, ay."

Are We Eavesdropping On Rihanna And Chris Brown?

Are Rihanna and Chris Brown sending each other notes over the airwaves? courtesy of the artists hide caption

toggle caption

courtesy of the artists

Music Interviews

Are We Eavesdropping On Rihanna And Chris Brown?

November 4, 2009 • Back in February, Rihanna and her boyfriend, fellow pop star Chris Brown, got into an altercation as they were heading to perform at the Grammy Awards. In late August, he was sentenced to five years' probation for felony assault. Today, it might be possible to pick up on how Brown and Rihanna are doing via their music.

Are We Eavesdropping On Rihanna And Chris Brown?

Listen · 3:54 3:54

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/120092101/120098823" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Music News

Can It Be Too Soon to Cover a Pop Song?

September 5, 2007 • The time between original hit and cover song has become more compressed these days. R&B star Rihanna's "Umbrella" has set a new standard, with versions by pop star Mandy Moore and YouTube star Marie Digby emerging even as Rihanna's original (along with a remixed duet) continues to get airplay.

Can It Be Too Soon to Cover a Pop Song?

Listen

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/14183450/14183416" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Calvin Harris On Dance-Pop As A 'Futuristic Experiment'

Scottish producer Calvin Harris presents the fruits of a prolific year and a half on the new album 18 Months. Rukes/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption

Rukes/Courtesy of the artist

Music Interviews

Calvin Harris On Dance-Pop As A 'Futuristic Experiment'

December 7, 2012 • The Scottish producer behind Rihanna's "We Found Love" is one of a few European electronic artists to infiltrate American pop in the past several years.

Calvin Harris On Dance-Pop As A 'Futuristic Experiment'

Listen · 8:11 8:11

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/166756595/166804154" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Stephen Thompson's 10 Favorite Albums Of 2011

Wye Oak's Civilian, known now and forever as Stephen Thompson's third favorite record of 2011. Merge Records hide caption

toggle caption

Merge Records

All Songs Considered

Stephen Thompson's 10 Favorite Albums Of 2011

December 7, 2011 • A list of albums showcasing the stormy elegance, big ideas and transporting melodies of 2011.

Thinly Veiled: Lawsuit Over Steamy Rihanna Video Sparks Debate On Copycat Culture

Rihanna's new video is the target of a lawsuit from photographer David LaChapelle. YouTube hide caption

toggle caption

YouTube

The Record

Thinly Veiled: Lawsuit Over Steamy Rihanna Video Sparks Debate On Copycat Culture

February 17, 2011 • The promo clip for the pop star's latest single, "S&M," has made her the target of a copyright infringement lawsuit.

Thinly Veiled: Lawsuit Over Steamy Rihanna Video Sparks Debate On Copycat Culture

Listen · 3:50 3:50

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/133840831/133848777" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

A still from the video for Rihanna's "Rude Boy," co-written by Makeba Riddick. via YouTube hide caption

toggle caption

via YouTube

The Record

How To Write A Hit

December 2, 2010 • Songwriter Makeba Riddick explains the delicate art of writing songs for teens and their parents.

How To Write A Hit: Think Like A Teenager (But Keep Parents In Mind)

Listen · 8:20 8:20

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/131752531/131761831" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript