World Artist: Rihanna Loud

Robyn Rihanna Fenty (born February 20, 1988), better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian R&B recording artist and songwriter. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers. She subsequently signed a contract with Def Jam Recordings after auditioning for then-label head Jay-Z. During the summer, Rihanna collaborated with rapper Eminem on "Love the Way You Lie", which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as other countries including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden. The song became Rihanna's seventh number one hit single on the Hot 100 of her career, making her the female artist with the fifth-most number ones in the chart's history. In August, 2010, a wax figure of Rihanna was unveiled in Madame Tussauds in Washington D.C. Rihanna was asked by Kanye West in or around August 2010 to contribute to "All of the Lights", the fifth track from West's fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. In an interview with MTV News, Rihanna stated that she "loved" the song, which also features several other artists, including but not limited to Alicia Keys, John Legend, Fergie and Elton John. On October 19, 2010, Rihanna released a self-titled book, and is currently working on Peter Berg's film, Battleship, scheduled for release in 2012. On October 20, 2010, Rihanna announced that she was parting ways with manager Marc Jordan and will henceforth be managed by Jay-Z's Roc Nation Management. She is also starting her own company, Rihanna Entertainment, in which she will "merge all of her businesses including music, film, fragrance, fashion and book ventures". Rihanna released her fifth studio album, Loud, on November 16, 2010.

Loud is the fifth studio album by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, released November 12, 2010 on Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions and production for the album took place during February to August 2010, partially during Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth Tour. Rihanna worked with several record producers, including StarGate, The Runners, Polow da Don, Tricky Stewart, and Alex da Kid, among others. Loud heavily incorporates dance-pop and pop to offer up-tempo, sing-along and club-oriented songs. Loud also marks Rihanna's first return to a dancehall-influenced sound since 2006's A Girl Like Me. The album was released on November 12, 2010, in four separate editions. The standard edition; the deluxe edition, which is packaged in a digipak (exclusively for US and Australia), and features a 30 minute DVD presenting a making of the album; the couture edition featuring the deluxe edition of Loud, as well as a deluxe cover art lithograph, a box set with enhanced clear couture cover and a full-size photo book. The same edition was available as the Ultra Couture Edition featuring a copy of the Deluxe Edition of Loud signed by Rihanna herself, and the MP3 download of Loud on street date, as well as all the features of the couture edition. The edition sold out and is no longer available. An explicit version of the album is available, which bears a Parental Advisory label. The Japanese edition of the album will be released with two extra mixes of "Only Girl (In the World)".

In June 2010, it was revealed that Rihanna was planning to release her fifth studio album soon. Recording sessions for the album began in February 2010, and continued over a period of six months, concluding in August 2010. Singers, songwriters and producers Taio Cruz, Alex da Kid, Sean Garrett, Ne-Yo, Rico Love, Timbaland, Shontelle, David Guetta, and Drake worked on the album. "I'm gonna miss the Rated R era too, but nothing compares to the album I just made," Rihanna said, adding, "I made sure not to let you down with my music. You guys are always defending me, so now you’ve got some great songs to justify it. I didn’t want to go backward and remake Good Girl Gone Bad. I wanted the next step in the evolution of Rihanna, and it’s perfect for us". In early September 2010, she announced that the album would be called Loud, saying "get Loud everybody, get crazy, get excited, because I'm pumped. I'm just gonna be me, because that's what you guys love the most, and that's what makes me feel best. Just being normal, normal for me is Loud! Sassy, fun, flirty, energetic." While Rihanna was on set filming for the movie Battleship, she explained in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, "Loud is, the word, the name of the album definitely reflects the attitude of it, it’s really sassy and flirty and it grabs your attention and that’s why I enjoy it. It takes you through a really really interesting ride. So colorful the album.” The artwork of the album was revealed on September 28, 2010.