You may have heard of a song that keeps getting played tons a lot on radio these days and it might just be the debut single from Rhianna. If it is, then chances are you might have also caught a glimpse of the video for her feel-good first single ‘Oh Baby’, presently on near-permanent rotation on MTV.

Hailing from Leeds, Rhianna whose full name’s, Rhianna Kenny, is a 19 year old singer/songwriter who mixes up R&B, funk and pure pop into a tasty new groove. The track is a portion of cool R&B/pop beats, written around an obscure funk loop from the ’70s by Tony Valor.

Rhianna, whose big, bold hair and wicked grin makes it pretty impossible to hate the lady, reckons her virgin cut is a rather positive song, saying “I’d had a few week’s hard time and I was feeling a bit down, so I wrote the song to cheer myself up.”

Watch out too for Rhianna’s debut album, due out in autumn 2002. The 10-track venture will include ‘Oh Baby’ of course and her next single ‘Word Love’, described by the star as “another feel-good song with a big dance-funk influence, a real summer single”. Also included is ‘Justify’ which, according to her, is “a slow song with plenty of atmosphere and live strings”.

Seemingly cooler than Macy Gray, she says that she can’t really be bothered by what people say of her. “Sticking two fingers up to fashion has always appealed. I’m like ‘take it or leave it’,” she says. “If you don’t like it, then just leave me alone.”

Her single’s out on the 20th of May so be sure you go get it. Visit the striking Rhianna at her authorized homepage, humbly located at: www.rhiannamusic.com