Rihanna and Ne-Yo performing at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles last Sunday.

by Ricky Jordan

THE SHINING SUPERSTAR that is Robyn Rihanna Fenty got even brighter Sunday night when she copped her biggest award at the prestigious American Music Awards (AMAs) show in Los Angeles.

The 19-year-old Bajan sensation took the award of Favourite Female Artist, Soul/R&B, beating out more experienced and renowned nominees including pop divas, Beyoncé and Fantasia, and adding this to a string of 2007 achievements that included two MTV awards, World Music Awards, dominance of the Billboard Top 100, and a ten-week run atop the British charts.

"This is a huge milestone. The AMAs and the Grammys are the two biggest shows in the industry, and to actually win in a category with Beyoncé is tremendous," her production/ management team of Evan Rogers, Carl Sturken and Marc Jordan echoed yesterday.

"I remember when Rihanna auditioned for me at the hotel in Barbados and sang Beyoncé's Dangerously In Love, and to think that less than three years later she is winning Favourite Female Artist against Beyoncé at the AMAs. It's amazing," Rogers told the DAILY NATION in an exclusive interview yesterday.

Rihanna, signed to Def Jam in late 2004 and was an immediate sensation with Pon De Replay. She also performed a duet Sunday night of Hate That I Love You with its writer Ne-Yo, who recorded the song in Barbados in January.

"Everyone is incredibly proud. All the hard work we put in is paying off, and it's incredibly exciting to see all this unfold," said Sturken, who attended the AMAs at the Nokia Theatre.

Rihanna and her teams at Def Jam and SRP Records are now looking forward to the Grammy Awards in February 2008. "The Grammys can be unpredictable, but I like our chances," Rogers added.

Currently in the middle of a European sold-out tour, the Bajan song queen is set to visit Africa, South America and Japan early in the new year, and then do a major United States tour from May to July.

"After July we will focus on movies and give her a break from being on the road, where she has been for a year straight," Rogers said, noting two more singles were about to be launched from the present album, Good Girl Gone Bad.

"We're only scratching the surface of where Rihanna is going. Movies will be a big part of her future," he added.

rickyjordan
@nationnews.com