Why Rihanna is the New "It" Girl

After three successful albums in a row, Rihanna is on top of her game. She started with her debut, Music of the Sun, which was lead by the hit single "Pon de Replay." The single provided Rihanna with her first big hit, but she was not about to succumb to the all too likely second single slump that plagues the careers of many R&B hopefuls (Teairra Mari, Cassie, et al). "If It's Lovin That You Want" climbed about halfway up the Billboard Hot 100 before stalling. Albums with similar single positions typically become gold-certified like the album did. But Rihanna wouldn't become the sensation she became until the album after that, A Girl Like Me, which came only months after.

The first single, "SOS," was her first number one on the Hot 100. Most people would consider this her true breakthrough album, as it was the album that really launched a great deal of attention and solid sales for her. "Unfaithful," co-written by Ne-Yo showed the more serious side of her music, securing her a consecutive hit for the first time.

The biggest newcomer in the female R&B world was only about to get bigger. Releasing three albums in three consecutive years, it seemed she never really took a break, constantly working on cementing her foundation and building a bigger fan base. And it's been paying off.

Lead single from Good Girl Gone Bad, "Umbrella," was one of the biggest singles in the world in 2007, topping the Hot 100 for seven weeks straight and topping the year-end United World Chart for 2007. Its impact has been huge, giving birth to many covers, and notably garnering Youtube phenom Marie Digby considerable attention for an acoustic cover.

Since then, she's been enjoying a stream of hits ("Hate That I Love You," "Don't Stop The Music," "Shut Up and Drive," "Take a Bow," and "Disturbia") flowing from Gone Bad, leading to the recent re-issue, Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded. She even has a collaboration with Maroon 5 on the charts called "If I Never See Your Face Again." Few people her age have accomplished as much as she has in such a short amount of time in a long time.

Plus, she's been going steady with fellow young and successful R&B singer Chris Brown.

Things are looking great for her, and with a new album currently in the works, it looks like she's about to get even bigger.