Solo Artist · RiRi
Most frequent collaborator: Kuk Harrell · 26 tracks
Holds writing credit on 43 of 98 tracks
Mostly no. Rihanna is primarily an interpreter, and the majority of her hits were written by professional songwriters: 'Umbrella' came from The-Dream and Tricky Stewart, 'Diamonds' from Sia, and 'We Found Love' from Calvin Harris. She does hold co-writing credits on some songs, including 'Rude Boy' and much of her 2016 album Anti, but she is rarely the sole author.
Across all 98 tracks: how many Rihanna wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.
Share of all 98 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.
Rihanna's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.
Where Rihanna sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.
Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.
None of the signature songs above fall in this category.
Def Jam Recordings / SRP Records
Def Jam Recordings / SRP Records
Def Jam Recordings / SRP Records
Def Jam Recordings / SRP Records
Def Jam Recordings / SRP Records
Def Jam Recordings / SRP Records
Def Jam Recordings / SRP Records
Roc Nation / Westbury Road
No albums from this decade.
Bubble size = tracks worked on together. KH Kuk Harrell · ER Evan Rogers · CS Carl Sturken · S Stargate · MR Makeba Riddick · MS Mikkel Storleer Eriksen
Data Insight
Her catalog tells a clear story: through her first seven albums, almost every song was written by professional songwriters, Evan Rogers, The-Dream, Tricky Stewart, Ne-Yo, Stargate, Sia, and Calvin Harris authored her biggest hits. Anti (2016) marks a genuine shift, with co-writing credits on tracks like "Consideration" (with SZA), "Higher," and "Love on the Brain." Even so, across 98 tracks her overall authorship score sits at just 14%.
Quick Facts
Creative Fingerprint
An interpreter with a global ear: most of Rihanna's hits were written by professional songwriters like The-Dream, Stargate, and Sia, with her own co-writing credits concentrated on later work such as Anti.
The Story
Rihanna (Robyn Rihanna Fenty) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman who rose to fame in 2005 with her debut album. Discovered by producer Evan Rogers while he was vacationing in Barbados, she signed with Def Jam Recordings and quickly became one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Known for her versatile vocal style and ability to work across genres, Rihanna is primarily an interpretive artist, the vast majority of her recorded catalog was written by professional songwriters including Ne-Yo, The-Dream, Tricky Stewart, Stargate, Max Martin, Calvin Harris, and Sia. Her 2016 album Anti represents her most songwriter-involved work, where she received co-writing credits on several tracks.