Surfacing

Turning the spotlight on musicians making a commercial breakthrough.

-- CASEY DOLAN

“A Girl Like Me”

Rihanna

Def Jam

Artist info: Rihanna is a mere 18, but no one would be able to tell by either her voice -- a sassy multi-octave instrument that incorporates reggae, hip-hop and R&B; -- or her first video/single, “SOS,” a song that makes much of a sample of Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love.” She’s sultry and mature, moving effortlessly between genres and with attitude to spare.

Back story: Producer-songwriter Evan Rogers was vacationing for Christmas 2003 in Barbados with his wife, a Barbadian native. Through mutual friends, he met Rihanna, whose principal vocal showcase had been her home shower. She had no professional experience. Rogers suggested she come to New York to record, and she jumped at the opportunity, eventually meeting Jay-Z, who signed her. Her first album, “Music of the Sun,” entered the charts at No. 10, and the first single, “Pon de Replay,” became a dancehall hit. The new album expands on the debut’s audacious mix.

Influences: Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige.