1988–2002: Early life
Rihanna grew up in the city of Bridgetown, Barbados.
Robyn Rihanna Fenty was born on February 20, 1988, in Saint Michael, Barbados. Her mother is Monica Braithwaite, a retired Afro-Guyanese accountant, and her father is Ronald Fenty, a warehouse supervisor of Barbadian and Irish descent.[14][15] Rihanna has two brothers, Rorrey and Rajad Fenty, and two half-sisters and a half-brother from her father's side, each born to different mothers from his previous relationships.[16][17] She grew up in a three-bedroom bungalow in Bridgetown and sold clothes with her father in a stall on the street. Rihanna's childhood was deeply affected by her father's addiction to crack cocaine and alcohol. Her parents divorced when she was 14.[15][18] Rihanna grew up listening to reggae music and began singing at around the age of seven.[16][19] She attended Charles F. Broome Memorial Primary School and Combermere High School, where she studied alongside future England cricketer Chris Jordan and formed a musical trio with two of her classmates.[16] Rihanna was an army cadet in a sub-military programme; the singer-songwriter Shontelle was her drill sergeant.[20] Although she initially wanted to graduate from high school, she chose to pursue a musical career instead