In February 2013 at the 55th Grammy Awards, Rihanna won her sixth Grammy Award, in the

category Best Short Form Music Video for "We Found Love" (2011).[133] Also that month, the Official
Charts Company in the UK announced that Rihanna had sold 3,868,000 records in the past year in
the country, ranking at number one in the list of 2013 BRIT Awards artist nominees.[127] Rihanna's
fifth headlining concert tour, the Diamonds World Tour, began in March 2013 in support
of Unapologetic.[134] Rihanna then appeared in the Seth Rogen and Evan Goldbergcomedy film This
Is the End, which was released in June 2013.[135] That same month, American hip
hop artist Wale released a remixed versionof his single "Bad" featuring Rihanna.[136]
In October 2013, Eminem released his Rihanna-assisted single, "The Monster", as the fourth release
from his eighth studio album The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (2013). With the song entering the UK
Singles Chart at number one, Rihanna joined Elvis Presley and The Beatles as just one of three acts
to have scored a number-one single each year over seven consecutive years in the chart's
history.[137] The song also peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, which marked
Rihanna's thirteenth chart topper, tying her at the time with Michael Jackson for the fourth most
number ones in the chart's history.[138] Rihanna then appeared on Shakira's single, "Can't Remember
to Forget You", which was released in January 2014.[139] Following the release of Unapologetic and
its accompanying tour, Rihanna aimed to take a hiatus from recording music, stating: "I wanted to
have a year to just do whatever I want artistically, creatively."[140] In January 2014, Rihanna began
working on her eighth studio album.[141][142] In May 2014, Rihanna left Def Jam Recordings to sign fully
with Roc Nation, the record label that had managed her career since October 2010.[143]

2015–present: Anti, film projects and upcoming ninth studio album

A year after Rihanna began working on her eight studio album, the single "FourFiveSeconds" was
released, which featured Rihanna paired up with Kanye West and Paul McCartney.[144] Two further
singles followed its release: "Bitch Better Have My Money" and "American Oxygen";[145][146][147] neither
made the final track listing for Rihanna's eighth studio album. In March 2015, Rihanna released
a concept album based around the 3D animated film Home,[148] which she starred in, alongside Jim
Parsons, Steve Martin and Jennifer Lopez. "Towards the Sun" was released as the first single from
the album.[149] In late 2015, Rihanna inked a $25 million contract with Samsung that would see her
promoting Samsung's Galaxy line of products whilst Samsung would sponsor the release of her
eighth studio album and its supporting tour.[150] The Anti World Tour was announced in November
2015 and began in March 2016, with Travis Scott supporting in North America, and The
Weeknd and Big Sean supporting at selected European dates.[151]
On January 28, 2016, Rihanna released her eighth studio album, Anti, exclusively through streaming
service Tidal.[152] The album peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200, becoming Rihanna's
second number one and eighth top ten album on the chart.[153] The album was supported by the
release of four singles, including the lead single "Work", featuring Drake, which topped the
US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Further Platinum-certified singles "Needed Me" and "Love on the Brain"
both peaked inside the top ten of the US Hot 100.[154][155] In 2016, Rihanna was featured on several
singles. The first collaboration single was Kanye West's "Famous", where Rihanna provided
uncredited guest vocals. She was then officially featured on Calvin Harris' "This Is What You Came
For," which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the UK Singles
Chart.[155][156] Rihanna was also featured on Drake's "Too Good" and on Mike Will Made It's "Nothing
Is Promised".[157][158] On June 27, 2016, Rihanna released "Sledgehammer", the lead single from
the Star Trek Beyond movie soundtrack.[159] On August 28, 2016, Rihanna was honored with
the MTV Video Vanguard Award at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards after performing various
medleys of her hit songs.[160][161] Rihanna released several collaborations in 2017. First she was the
featured part in Future's "Selfish", the lead single from the rapper's sixth studio album, Hndrxx.
Summer 2017 saw the release of Rihanna's collaborations with record producer DJ Khaled, "Wild
Thoughts", which also featured Bryson Tiller and was a worldwide success and peaked at number
two on the Billboard Hot 100, and Kendrick Lamar's single, "Loyalty", which earned Rihanna her
ninth Grammy Award at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.[162][163] In November 2017, Rihanna was
part of N.E.R.D's comeback single Lemon from the band's album No One Ever Really Dies.[164][165]
Rihanna played the recurring role of Marion Crane in the fifth and final season of Bates Motel.[166] The
show received universal acclaim from critics.[167] Rihanna also had a major role in the Luc
Besson film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, an adaptation of the comic book
series Valérian and Laureline. Also starring Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne, the film was
released by STX Entertainment on July 21, 2017 in the U.S.[168][169] In August 2016, Rihanna joined
the all-female cast in Ocean's 8 directed by Gary Ross. Warner Bros. will release the film on June 8,
2018.[170][171]
Rihanna officially revealed that she had begun work on her ninth studio album, jus
While recording tracks for her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), Rihanna took vocal
lessons from Ne-Yo. Speaking of the experience she stated, "I've never had vocal training, so when
I'm in the studio, he'll tell me how to breathe and stuff... He'll call out these big fancy words: 'OK, I
want you to do staccato.' And I'm like, 'OK, I don't know what that is.'"[48] Her vocal performance
on Loud (2010) received positive reviews from music critics. James Skinner from BBC praised
Rihanna's vocals on the song "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" and wrote that her voice is powerful
and that "it is Rihanna's vocal – at once commanding, soulful and vulnerable – that anchors the
song, and Loud itself".[177] Andy Gill from The Independent feels that "California King Bed" features
her best vocal performance.[178] In a review of Unapologetic, Billboard magazine wrote, "Diamonds
finds Rihanna doing one of her throatiest, most impassioned vocals to date, on this inspirational pop
ballad."[179] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times stated, "over the years, as her game face froze
in place, her voice cured into a weapon of emotional chill and strategic indifference. It's decidedly
unfriendly, made to give orders".[180]
"[My music is] just imagination, being creative; that's what my music is composed with. Being creative and thinking of
situations, whether situations I went through or situations I've observed people going through. I can't tell you where I'll
see myself in five years, but I can tell you I will work my best to be the most successful artist that I can be in five
years. [I want to be] Remembered as Rihanna. Remembered as being the artist from the Caribbean who came here
and made it internationally. Just remembered as me, 'cause I'm true to my music, and I just want people to realize
that and appreciate me for that"
—Rihanna during her first interview with MTV News[181]

Growing up in Barbados, she wasn't exposed to a lot of music, mainly reggae, hip-hop, and soca
music.[182] When she moved to the United States, she became exposed to a lot of American
music "rock being one of them, and I fell in love with it. [Now] I love rock music."[182] At the time of her
debut, she recorded songs that were inspired by her Caribbean roots and described her early sound
as "a fusion of reggae, hip-hop and R&B, with a little something different thrown in".[27][183] Her early
dancehall roots can be found on her debut album, Music of the Sun (2005), and its follow-up, A Girl
like Me (2006).[184]Music of the Sun demonstrates the influence of Rihanna's musical heritage of the
Caribbean. Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times complimented its combination of dancehall and
reggae, who said, "Dancehall reggae sometimes seems like a