ROUGHLY A DECADE ago, DNA was invited to a showcase event in Sydney to check out new talent for Universal Music. One performer was a shy teen female from Barbados newly in the charts with a reggae-pop number called Pon de Replay. Most critics in the audience suspected she would be a one-hit wonder. Another artist on display for the media that night was a handsome Michael Jackson-wannabe who seemed likely to be the next big thing (more on him later). They both did their thing on stage at Fox Studios and everyone was certain: he would be huge and she would be history. A lot has happened in a decade and, as with many things, opinions proved completely wrong.
That young female artist, Rihanna, is now 28 and one of the biggest pop stars in the world. The male singer became a big pop star, but an even bigger media sensation when he decided to do some boxing practice on his girlfriend Rihanna just before her scheduled appearance at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Chris Brown was found guilty of domestic violence and put on probation for five years. Not surprisingly, he and Rihanna split. More surprising is that a few years later, they became a couple again before finally (one hopes) splitting in 2013.