SINGERS from Barbados

Top 2

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Barbadian Singers of all time. This list of famous Barbadian Singers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Rihanna (b. 1988)

With an HPI of 71.79, Rihanna is the most famous Barbadian Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 128 different languages on wikipedia.

Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ree-AN-ə; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman and actress. She is noted as the best-selling female recording artist of the 21st century by Guinness World Records and the highest-certified female digital single artist by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). As of 2024, Rihanna is the third wealthiest musician in the world. She has seven U.S. diamond certified singles and 14 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. The recipient of various accolades, Rihanna is one of the best-selling recording artists of all time, with sales estimated at 250 million units globally. Rihanna signed with Def Jam Recordings in 2005 and found mainstream recognition following the release of her first two studio albums, Music of the Sun (2005) and A Girl Like Me (2006). Both influenced by Caribbean music, the albums peaked within the top ten on the US Billboard 200 chart. Her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), incorporated elements of dance-pop, and established her status as a pop icon. Its lead single "Umbrella" peaked atop the US Billboard Hot 100 and won her first Grammy Award. Rihanna continued to blend pop, dance, and R&B influences on her next albums, Rated R (2009), Loud (2010), Talk That Talk (2011), and Unapologetic (2012)—the latter of which topped the Billboard 200. The albums spawned the Billboard Hot 100-number one singles "Rude Boy", "Only Girl (In the World)", "What's My Name?", "S&M", "We Found Love", and "Diamonds". Her eighth album, Anti (2016), showcased new creative control following her departure from Def Jam in favor of Jay-Z's label, Roc Nation. Becoming her second US number one album, it was supported by the chart-topping single "Work". Aside from music, Rihanna is recognized for her humanitarian involvement, entrepreneurship, and fashion industry influence. She established the Clara Lionel Foundation, cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty, and fashion house Fenty under LVMH, becoming the first black woman to lead a luxury brand for LVMH. Rihanna has acted in major roles in Battleship (2012), Home (2015), Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017), and Ocean's 8 (2018). In 2018, she was appointed as an ambassador by the Government of Barbados and declared a National Hero of Barbados in 2021.

2. Shontelle (b. 1985)

With an HPI of 41.79, Shontelle is the 2nd most famous Barbadian Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Shontelle Delia Layne (born 4 October 1985), known mononymously as Shontelle, is a Barbadian singer and songwriter. She released her debut album Shontelligence in 2008. Her second album, No Gravity, was released in 2010. Her singles "T-Shirt" and "Impossible" achieved international success. In 2020, Shontelle released "Remember Me".