Rihanna, The #61 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Three

 

(Continued from Part Two)

 Rihanna released the album Talk That Talk in 2011, which debuted at #3 in the United States.  "We Found Love" (with Calvin Harris) became lodged at #1 for 10 weeks in the United States and reached #1 in 26 other countries, giving Rihanna a #1 song on six consecutive albums.  "We Found Love" reached #1 in every major country in the world except Australia, where it peaked at #2.  The single has certified sales of nine million and is approaching Diamond status.

Talk That Talk also reached the Top 5 in every major country, including stays at #1 in the U.K., New Zealand and Switzerland.  It is nearing six million in worldwide sales.  "We Found Love" won a Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video and an MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year.

 

The single "You Da (sic) One" stopped at #14 but still sold over two million copies.  "Talk That Talk" with Jay-Z and "Birthday Cake" with Chris Brown also went Platinum.

In 2012, Rihanna collaborated with Coldplay on "Princess Of China" and with Drake on the song "Take Care".  She also starred in the movie Battleship.

Rihanna had the distinction of being nominated three times for her work with other artists in the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the Grammy Awards.  She won the Grammy for her work with West on "All Of the Lights" and was also nominated for "Talk That Talk" with Jay-Z and "What's My Name?" with Drake.  

Rihanna earned an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Album and she was nominated for Artist of the Year, Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist.  She also won a Billboard Music Award for Top Streaming Artist and was nominated for Top Artist, Top Female Artist, Top Hot 100 Artist, Top Pop Artist, Top Radio Song (for "We Found Love"), Top R&B Artist, Top R&B Album, Top Dance Artist, Top Social Artist, Top Digital Songs Artist, Top Radio Songs Artist and Top Digital Media Artist.

 

She pulled another hit off her album as "Where Have You Been" rose to #2 in France, #4 in New Zealand, #5 in the U.S. and Canada, , #6 in the United Kingdom and Australia and #8 in Ireland.  It has gone over four million in sales and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance.

 Rihanna released the album Unapologetic later in the year, which debuted at #1.  It was her third straight #1 album in the U.K. and her fifth straight in Switzerland.  "Diamonds" sparkled at the top in over 20 countries and has sold over 5 in the United States and over seven million worldwide.  

With her 12th #1 song, Rihanna tied Madonna and the Supremes for the fourth-most #1 songs, and she reached the feat in six years and seven months, faster than Mariah Carey's female record of seven years, one month and two weeks.  Rihanna once again toured the world in support of the album.

 Unapologetic has gone over four million units sold and peaked in the Top 10 in every major country's Album chart.  "Stay", with Mikky Ekko, went Top 5 in every major country and has sold over six million copies, including #1 in Canada, #2 in Germany, France, Ireland and Switzerland, #3 in the United States and #4 in the U.K. and Australia.  "Stay" earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

The video for "We Found Love" was nominated for Best Pop Video at the MTV VMA's and joined "Stay" as a nominee for Best Female Video.

Rihanna won the Icon Award and Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist at the American Music Awards, and she was nominated for Artist of the Year, Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album.  She also won Billboard Music Awards for Top R&B Artist, Top Radio Songs Artist, Top R&B Album and Top R&B Song ("Diamonds") and was nominated for Top Artist, Top Female Artist, Top Hot 100 Artist, Top Dance Song ("Where Have You Been"), Top Social Artist and Top Streaming Artist.

Rihanna captured a Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album.  "Pour It Up" sold over two million copies, "Loveeeeeee (sic) Song" with Future went over one million, while "Right Now" with David Guetta and "What Now" were certified Gold.  

Time magazine named Rihanna as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2012.

 

She appeared in the movie This Is the End in 2013 before working with Eminem again for the single "The Monster".  The song rose to #1 for four weeks in the U.S. and topped charts in 12 countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, new Zealand and Switzerland.  When the song hit #1 in the U.K., Rihanna joined the Beatles and Elvis Presley as the only acts to reach #1 in seven straight years in the history of that chart.  Rihanna and Eminem won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.  

The single has sold over three million copies.  With "The Monster", Rihanna tied Michael Jackson for the fourth-most #1's in the United States with 13.  Rihanna became the fastest solo artist to score 13 #1 songs, breaking the record set by Mariah Carey, with only the Beatles reaching 13 chart-toppers faster (in a little over three years).

Rihanna was nominated for five Billboard Music Awards:  Top Female Artist, Top R&B Artist, Top Touring Artist, Top Social Artist and Top Rap Song (for "The Monster") and she was nominated for World's Best Female Artist, World's Best Live Act and World's Best Entertainer of the Year at the World Music Awards.

In 2014, Rihanna received the Fashion Icon lifetime achievement award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

 

In 2015, Rihanna went over the 100 million mark in sales in the United States.  She released the non-album single "FourFive Seconds", which featured Paul McCartney and Kanye West.  #1 in Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, #2 in France, #3 in the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada and Switzerland and #4 in the U.S.  The single has sold over four million copies.

Rihanna won the Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist honor at the American Music Awards for the fourth time in her career, and "FourFiveSeconds" was nominated for Collaboration of the Year.

Rihanna released an album based on the animated movie Home, which she starred in.  In July, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced that Rihanna became the first artist in history to top 100 million in single sales in the United States.  Rihanna became an adviser on the television show The Voice.

Rihanna signed a $25 million contract with Samsung, which promoted her 2016 album Anti.  The single "Work" with Drake was a huge hit, holding on to #1 for nine weeks in the United States.  It also vaulted to #1 in Canada and France and reached #2 in the U.K., Ireland and New Zealand and #5 in Germany and Australia.

"Work", which  has sold over eight million copies, won an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Song and was nominated for Video of the Year and Collaboration of the Year.  Rihanna earned the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the MTV Video Music Awards, and "Work" was nominated for Best Female Video and Best Collaboration.

Incredibly, Rihanna set a Rock Era record with a #1 song on seven consecutive albums.  Her first album, Music of the Sun, is the only one which hasn't yielded a #1. 

 Anti became Rihanna's second #1 album in the United States.  "Needed Me" also hit the Top 10 and sold over six million.

Rihanna also collaborated with Drake and Calvin Harris for singles.  "This Is What You Came For", with Harris, sold over two million copies and rose to #1 in Canada, Australia and Ireland, #2 in the U.K. and New Zealand, #3 in the U.S., #4 in Switzerland and #5 in Germany and France.  Rihanna received the MTV Video Vanguard Award at the MTV Video Music Awards.

 

"Too Good", Rihanna's collaboration with Drake, stalled at #14 in the United States but was a Top 10 hit in several countries, including a peak of #3 in the U.K. and Australia.

 

She scored another Top 10 hit on the album with "Love On The Brain", a four-million seller.

Rihanna won American Music Awards for Favorite Female Soul/R&B Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album and was nominated for Artist of the Year and Favorite Female Pop/Rock Artist.  She also won a special Billboard Chart Achievement Award at the Billboard Music Awards and was nominated for Top Female Artist, Top R&B Artist and Top R&B Album.

Rihanna starred with seven other female actresses, including Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett and Anne Hathaway, in the movie Ocean's Eight.

Rihanna received eight Grammy nominations for the 2017 show.  She was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Work", Best Urban Contemporary Album, Best Recording Package, Best R&B Performance on "Needed Me", Best R&B Song for "Kiss It Better" and Best Rap/Sung Performance (for "Famous" with Kanye West).

Rihanna teamed with producer DJ Khaled for "Wild Thoughts" in 2017, a #1 smash in the U.K. that also reached #2 in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and France, #3 in Ireland and Switzerland and #4 in Germany.  "Wild Thoughts" has topped five million in sales.

Despite rumors of a new album as far back as 2017, Rihanna has not released a project since Anti.  She signed a new publishing deal with Sony/ATV in 2019.

Rihanna has 14 #1 songs to her credit, fourth-most in the Rock Era.   Rihanna is the only artist in the Rock Era to generate #1 songs from seven consecutive albums.  It has to be pointed out, however, that not all #1 songs from different eras are the same--she has accumulated those in one of the weakest periods in the last 60 years.  All of this has to be balanced out to rank artists across different decades.  She has accumulated 43 career hits with 23 of those reaching the Top 10.

Rihanna has won eight Grammy Awards out of 32 nominations, 12 American Music Awards from 24 nominations, 12 Billboard Music Awards from 52 nominations, four MTV Video Music Awards out of 15 nominations, seven People's Choice Awards from 14 nominations and two BMI Pop Awards.  

She has sold over 200 million records worldwide.