Biography
Leeds native Rhianna first drew notice in the early 2000s for her distinctive retro Afro hairstyle and a sound that fused jazz-funk grooves with soul-pop sensibilities, setting her apart from the “Umbrella” hitmaker who shares a similar name. Born Rhianna Hannah Louise Kenny in 1982, she was raised in a household steeped in music; her Cuban mother and English father regularly brought her to live shows, the earliest of which was a Squeeze concert when she was nine. An early flair for performance led her to drama school, after which she took on assorted work that included narrating Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and serving as a backing vocalist for her older brother’s band, LSK.
Demo tapes sent to multiple labels eventually secured a deal with Sony, and she began work on her first album, Get On. Drawing from sources as varied as Billie Holiday and Kate Bush, the record yielded the Top 20 single “Oh Baby” along with the additional releases “Word Love” and a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “I Love Every Little Thing About You.” Following support dates with Beverley Knight, Destiny’s Child, and Jamiroquai, Get On appeared at the close of 2002 yet stalled outside the Top 75, prompting her departure from the label. In subsequent years she has served as a touring backing singer for Faithless, contributed vocals to tracks on Ian Brown’s The World Is Yours, and spent a short time in the five-piece R&B group Love Blackout.
To sidestep ongoing mix-ups with the globally famous Rihanna, Kenny now records under the alias Fleurona. She journeyed to New York in 2008, where she staged several showcase performances and began developing fresh material.
Demo tapes sent to multiple labels eventually secured a deal with Sony, and she began work on her first album, Get On. Drawing from sources as varied as Billie Holiday and Kate Bush, the record yielded the Top 20 single “Oh Baby” along with the additional releases “Word Love” and a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “I Love Every Little Thing About You.” Following support dates with Beverley Knight, Destiny’s Child, and Jamiroquai, Get On appeared at the close of 2002 yet stalled outside the Top 75, prompting her departure from the label. In subsequent years she has served as a touring backing singer for Faithless, contributed vocals to tracks on Ian Brown’s The World Is Yours, and spent a short time in the five-piece R&B group Love Blackout.
To sidestep ongoing mix-ups with the globally famous Rihanna, Kenny now records under the alias Fleurona. She journeyed to New York in 2008, where she staged several showcase performances and began developing fresh material.
Albums
Singles
