Rihanna Fenty was born in the Caribbean island nation of Barbados in 1988. She was discovered by producer Evan Rogers (known for work with Christina Aguilera, *NSYNC, Jessica Simpson, and others) when he and his Barbadian wife Jackie were visiting the island for Christmas 2003. Her obvious talent impressed Def Jam Records CEO Jay-Z enough for the label to sign her to a 6 album contract at the young age of 16.