Rihanna’s “Umbrella” featuring Jay-Z is from her third album Good Girl Gone Bad. The single and album marked a new direction for Rihanna’s sound and image. She moved away from Caribbean-influenced styles and into an edgier American mix of pop, rap and R&B. Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, The-Dream, Kuk Harrell and Jay- Z wrote “Umbrella” which was originally intended for Britney Spears whose record label rejected it. The compressed hi-hat, the ‘ella ella’ hook plus Jay-Z’s verses were memorable and quickly sunk into pop culture. “Umbrella” was a worldwide hit and the video received five MTV Video nominations. It was a defining moment for Rihanna and she morphed from a moderately known singer into an icon and superstar. Looking back, “Umbrella” is accepted by most fans and critics as Rihanna’s signature song. Rihanna released her eighth studio album Anti in 2016. In the past five years, she has launched the popular Fenty fashion brand, Fenty Beauty cosmetics, Savage X Fenty lingerie and Fenty Skin.Â
