Famous songstress, Rihanna turned 30 yesterday (Feb. 20). Since breaking through internationally as a 17-year-old pop star in 2005, the Barbadian star has grown from being a singer to expanding to film, TV, fashion, art, charity etc.

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Here are 5 biggest moments that have defined her career

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1. In early 2005, a then-16-year-old Rihanna traveled from Barbados to New York to audition for JAY-Z and Antonio “L.A.” Reid at Def Jam’s office. She sang a Whitney Houston cover (“For the Love of You”) and two originals — one of which, “Pon de Replay,” convinced JAY of the teenage singer’s star potential. “There’s only two ways out [of the office],” Rihanna later remembered the rap legend telling her while waiting for their lawyers to draw up the contractual paperwork. “Out the door after you sign this deal — or through this window.” Ri opted for the former.

2 The first single off the ingénue’s sophomore LP, A Girl Like Me, quickly mesmerized the world with a slew of chorus “la-la-la’s”. It reached the peak of the Hot 100 in May of that year, staying there for three consecutive weeks.

3. In 2007, Rihanna joined Chris Brown at 2007’s MTV Video Music Awards .They were dating then and it was undoubtedly one of the unforgettable high-points in her career.

4. Two artistes who know a thing or two about toxic relationships, Eminem and Rihanna scored one of the biggest hits of either’s career by pairing for “Love the Way You Lie,” a hip-hop ballad with a knockout RiRi chorus. The song spent seven weeks atop the Hot 100.

5. Rihanna’s humanitarian efforts were so superb that Harvard gave her an award for ‘Humanitarian of the year’in 2017.

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