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.
By the Numbers
8
Studio Albums
98
Tracks Credited
44%
Self-Written
250M+
Records Sold
23
Years Active
259
Collaborators
Authorship Breakdown 43 / 98 self-written
Who wrote the songs?
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.
Rihanna has a writing credit44%
44%
56%
Sole author0tracks0%
Co-written43tracks44%
Outside writers55tracks56%
Role Fingerprint how they contribute
Rihanna's roles across the catalogue
Share of all 98 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.
Lyricist (words)44%
Composer (music)44%
Producer0%
Performer100%
Authorship Over Time writing credit per album
Rihanna's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.
avg 44%
33%
25%
0%
69%
36%
36%
50%
92%
2005Music of the Sun
2006A Girl Like Me
2007Good Girl Gone Bad
2009Rated R
2010Loud
2011Talk That Talk
2012Unapologetic
2016Anti
Early · 19% written
Mid · 49% written
Late · 70% written
Authorship by Decade track-weighted
33%
2000s
Music of the Sun, A Girl Like Me +2 more
55%
2010s
Loud, Talk That Talk +2 more
Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author
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.
Rihanna
Other artists on the site
Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.
Written by Alisha Brooks, Vada Nobles, Evan Rogers, Carl Sturken
Outside writers
If It's Lovin' That You Want
Music of the Sun
Written by Jean Claude Oliver, Samuel Barnes, Makeba Riddick, Alexander Mosely, Scott LaRock, Lawrence Parker
Outside writers
SOS
A Girl Like Me
Written by Jonathan Rotem, E. Kidd Bogart, Ed Cobb
Outside writers
Unfaithful
A Girl Like Me
Written by Shaffer Smith, Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen
Outside writers
Break It Off
A Girl Like Me
Written by Donovan Bennett, Sean Henriques, Kirk Ford, Robyn Fenty
Co-wrote
Umbrella
Good Girl Gone Bad
Written by Christopher Stewart, Terius Nash, Thaddis Harrell, Shawn Carter
Outside writers
Don't Stop the Music
Good Girl Gone Bad
Written by Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Tawanna Dabney, Michael Jackson
Outside writers
Hate That I Love You
Good Girl Gone Bad
Written by Shaffer Smith, Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen
Outside writers
Shut Up and Drive
Good Girl Gone Bad
Written by Evan Rogers, Carl Sturken, Stephen Morris, Peter Hook, Bernard Sumner, Gillian Gilbert
Outside writers
Rehab
Good Girl Gone Bad
Written by Justin Timberlake, Timothy Mosley, Hannon Lane
Outside writers
Rude Boy
Rated R
Written by Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Ester Dean, Makeba Riddick, Rob Swire, Robyn Fenty
Co-wrote
Hard
Rated R
Written by Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart, Robyn Fenty, Jay Jenkins
Co-wrote
Russian Roulette
Rated R
Written by Shaffer Smith, Charles Harmon
Outside writers
Rockstar 101
Rated R
Written by Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart, Robyn Fenty
Co-wrote
Only Girl (In the World)
Loud
Written by Crystal Johnson, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Sandy Wilhelm
Outside writers
What's My Name?
Loud
Written by Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Ester Dean, Traci Hale, Aubrey Graham
Outside writers
S&M
Loud
Written by Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Sandy Wilhelm, Ester Dean
Outside writers
Cheers (Drink to That)
Loud
Written by Andrew Harr, Jermaine Jackson, Stacy Barthe, Laura Pergolizzi, Corey Gibson, Chris Ivery, Lauren Christy, Graham Edwards, Avril Lavigne, Scott Spock, Robyn Fenty
Co-wrote
California King Bed
Loud
Written by Andrew Harr, Jermaine Jackson, Priscilla Renea, Alex Delicata, Robyn Fenty
Co-wrote
Man Down
Loud
Written by Shama Joseph, Timothy Thomas, Theron Thomas, Shontelle Layne, Robyn Fenty
Co-wrote
We Found Love
Talk That Talk
Written by Calvin Harris
Outside writers
Where Have You Been
Talk That Talk
Written by Ester Dean, Lukasz Gottwald, Calvin Harris, Henry Walter, Geoff Mack
Outside writers
You da One
Talk That Talk
Written by Ester Dean, Lukasz Gottwald, Robyn Fenty, John Hill, Henry Walter
Co-wrote
Talk That Talk
Talk That Talk
Written by Ester Dean, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Shawn Carter, Anthony Best, Sean Combs, Carl Thompson, Christopher Wallace
Outside writers
Diamonds
Unapologetic
Written by Sia Furler, Benjamin Levin, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen
Outside writers
Stay
Unapologetic
Written by Mikky Ekko, Justin Parker, Elof Loelv
Outside writers
Pour It Up
Unapologetic
Written by Michael Williams, Theron Thomas, Timothy Thomas, Robyn Fenty
Co-wrote
Work
Anti
Written by Jahron Brathwaite, Matthew Samuels, Allen Ritter, Rupert Thomas, Aubrey Graham, Robyn Fenty, Monte Moir
Co-wrote
Needed Me
Anti
Written by Dijon McFarlane, Robyn Fenty, Nick Audino, Lewis Hughes, Khaled Rohaim, Te Warbrick, Adam Feeney, Brittany Hazzard, Charles Hinshaw, Derrus Rachel
Co-wrote
Love on the Brain
Anti
Written by Fred Ball, Joseph Angel, Robyn Fenty
Co-wrote
Kiss It Better
Anti
Written by Jeff Bhasker, John Glass, Teddy Sinclair, Robyn Fenty
Co-wrote
None of the signature songs above fall in this category.
Bubble size = tracks worked on together. Showing the 150 most frequent of 253. KH Kuk Harrell · ER Evan Rogers · CS Carl Sturken · S Stargate · MR Makeba Riddick · MS Mikkel Storleer Eriksen
The Authorship Story
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
LabelDef Jam / Roc Nation
Grammys9 wins
Billboard #1s14, tied for the 4th most in Hot 100 history
BusinessFirst musician to reach billionaire status (Fenty)
Super BowlHeadlined the most-watched halftime show ever (2023)
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.
Awards & Recognition
Over 250 million records sold, one of the best-selling music artists of all time
Nine Grammy Awards
Fourteen number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, tied for the fourth most in chart history
The first female musician to become a billionaire, through her Fenty beauty and fashion brands
Headlined the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show in history (2023); named a National Hero of Barbados (2021)
Frequently Asked Questions Rihanna
Does Rihanna write her own songs?
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.
Who wrote 'Umbrella'?
'Umbrella' (Good Girl Gone Bad, 2007) was written by Tricky Stewart, The-Dream, Kuk Harrell, and Jay-Z, who added the opening verse. Rihanna performed it but did not write it, and it became her signature hit.
Who wrote 'We Found Love'?
'We Found Love' (Talk That Talk, 2011) was written and produced entirely by Calvin Harris. It was one of Rihanna's biggest hits, though she holds no writing credit on it.
Did Rihanna write 'Work'?
Yes, as a co-writer. 'Work' (Anti, 2016) is credited to Rihanna alongside PartyNextDoor, Drake, and others. Anti is the album where she took on the most writing.
Who wrote 'Diamonds'?
'Diamonds' (Unapologetic, 2012) was written by Sia, along with Benny Blanco and the production duo Stargate. Rihanna performed it but is not a credited writer.
How many albums has Rihanna released?
Eight studio albums, from Music of the Sun (2005) to Anti (2016). She has focused on business ventures since Anti rather than new music.
How many Grammys has Rihanna won?
Nine Grammy Awards across her career.
How many number-one hits does Rihanna have?
Fourteen number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, which ties her with Drake for the fourth most in the chart's history.
Is Rihanna a billionaire?
Yes. She became the first female musician to reach billionaire status, driven mainly by her Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty brands rather than music.
Why is Rihanna's album Anti considered different?
Anti (2016) is her most personal and songwriter-involved album, where she took co-writing credits on several tracks and stepped away from the producer-driven pop of her earlier records. It produced 'Work' and 'Needed Me.'
Rihanna98 tracks