MUSIC
Caribbean pop singer Rihanna dropping in at state fair
The E.K. Fernandez 50th State Fair wraps up its "Hip-Hoppin' Concert Series" this weekend with one of pop music's fastest-rising stars.
Rihanna
» Place: 50th State Fair, Aloha Stadium
» On stage: 7:30 p.m. Friday
» Cost: $5
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Born and raised in Barbados, 18-year-old Rihanna is enjoying her second summer atop the Billboard charts. Last year it was her debut album "Music of the Sun" with the lead single "Pon de Replay" that entrenched itself at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"A Girl Like Me" followed just eight months later, with the Soft Cell-inspired "SOS" attaining the top spot on the Hot 100 before falling in recent weeks. A second single, "Unfaithful," is also picking up steam on radio and MTV, and has reached number 12 on the Hot 100.
The album has also achieved RIAA gold status, having sold 500,000 copies in just six weeks.
"My career is like a whirlwind, like it's just going and going and going -- it never stops," she said during an interview with mp3.com. "It still (hasn't) hit me yet, really. So to see my album go to the Top 5 in the first week, that was so unexpected. I just tried to work my hardest and make the best that I could out of everything."
The whirlwind doesn't stop anytime soon. Rihanna was in Los Angeles last weekend for the taping of the 2006 MTV Movie Awards, where she co-hosted a red carpet pre-show with Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz.
Following a quick jaunt to her home base of New York earlier this week, it was back to Los Angeles for an appearance on "The Tonight Show" last night before making the trip to Hawaii. She heads for Canada to perform June 18 at the MuchMusic Video Awards, and has also been signed to perform during the "Today Show" annual outdoor summer concert series next month.
Unlike previous appearances by Nick Cannon and Raven in recent weeks, Rihanna will only perform once, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Luckily for local fans, the concert will be free to attend for everyone who pays the fair's $5 admission.