From innocent club mixes in 2005 with “Pon De Replay” to the sexy and sly sounding “Sex With Me” in 2016, R & B rock star Rihanna has been on fire since the beginning of her career. Her natural Barbados beauty glows from the inside out, and her presence releases a sense of poise and ‘badbitchness’ that one can’t help but admire.

Well, at least I can’t. Don’t get me wrong, I have always loved Rihanna, but her performance at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards got me hooked. Her passion paralyzed me. I stared, frozen at my TV the entire four-minute performance. You could really tell that she was pouring her heart and soul out on that stage. I could feel her emotions being thrown onto me as my arm hair stood erect with chills.

I was never deeply into her music so I honestly had never heard the song she performed, “Love On The Brain,” until the award show. For three straight days after being blessed with her passionate vocals, I replayed the YouTube video of her performance at least nine times a day. Finally, my old-fashioned self drove to the mall and picked up my very own deluxe edition of her newest album "ANTI."

Obviously it has been on repeat since I’ve bought it. There is something about listening to Rihanna that makes me feel so empowered. I feel like I have the potential to be the baddest bitch in the game now. Blaring her album on repeat in the car urges me to get my life together. She makes me want to wake up a few minutes earlier than I normally do every morning so I can spend a few extra minutes focused on self-care to make myself look good in order to feel good all day. Her songs also remind me that I can accomplish anything completely independently.

The media has pretty much witnessed her develop into the woman she is today. From her innocent first album, “Music of the Sun,” we all jumped on the Rih Rih train and maintained our seat in first class through her transitional edgy style. Her “Good Girl Gone Bad” album in 2007 I’d say was the end of her bubbly poster child image, and the beginning of her darker, heavier, sexier, don’t-take-no-crap image.

Just like any other fangirl, I started watching all sorts of interviews with Rihanna. Aside from her music, it can be concluded that she is just a normal person who is genuinely herself all of the time. From dating crazy boys, to being accused and rumored of dating random boys, from surviving domestic abuse, Rihanna has managed to keep her life as private as she can. When wild headlines do hit the media, she tends to confront the rumors unapologetically, or not at all. Sometimes saying nothing at all can help settle the tabloids. People will forget about the topic if she doesn’t talk about it. Rihanna has tough skin, which is what anyone in the industry needs.

I encourage any and all of you to take a listen to "ANTI" and jump on the Rihanna bandwagon with me.