A living tapestry of pop culture, innovation and authenticity, Rihanna has solidified herself as the icon of a generation.
“I left home as a teenager, and I left everything I knew: my family, my friends, my food, my culture,” she said in an interview. “And I came to a big city by myself, and the only option for me was to win.” Hailing from the humble streets of Barbados, who could have predicted that a 17-year-old girl with a dream to sing would go on to become a household name that inspires a generation. The world first came to know Rihanna as the green-eyed teen from her catchy debut single ‘Pon de replay’. The song went on to be a smash hit.
From then on, we would come to experience various sides of the superstar through her music. We would feel the reckless abandon of her dance-pop anthem ‘We found love’; her bold, reggae-fused persona in ‘Man down’; the empowering lyrics in her upbeat ballad ‘Diamonds’; her hip-hop bravado in ‘Pour it up’ — and that’s just a few of her singles. To count them all is to understand why Rihanna has been named top-selling digital singles artist of all time, with nine Grammy Awards to her name.
And in the midst of this feat, she’s also showed us her acting chops – starring in five films including the heist comedy blockbuster Ocean’s 8 as well as Battleship alongside Liam Neeson. Eight albums later, with almost two decades in the game, Rihanna’s influence stretches across industries, from fashion to beauty and haircare. Ever versatile, she is the quintessential global sensation whose multi-talented nature knows no bounds as she continues to capture audiences the world over.
She’s a business, man
When Rihanna launched her luxury fashion brand Fenty in 2017, it was a groundbreaking move, as it was the first luxury brand launched by a woman of colour backed by luxury goods company LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy). But she didn’t stop there. Fenty Beauty followed suit soon after, answering the call to inclusivity in all things beauty and cosmetics. “In every product I was like: ‘There needs to be something for a dark-skinned girl; there needs to be something for a really pale girl; there needs to be something in-between,” she said in an interview with Refinery29. By providing make-up foundation in 50 shades, unheard of at the time.
@rihanna This video made me low key emotional! This is all I ever wanted! Thank you guys for loving my shit, and for all your sincere feedback! We are off to a great start! 💪🏿❤️ @Fenty Hair ♬ original sound – Rihanna
Fenty Beauty allowed countless women across 17 countries to find the ideal match for their skin tone. This milestone established a new best practice in the beauty industry, which became known as the ‘Fenty effect’. Fenty Skin followed in 2022 and was a natural evolution in the star’s empire.
“I’ve always seen the Fenty brand as more than just make-up,” she said in an interview, and I knew I wanted to make skincare from the very beginning.”
Rihanna then expanded the Fenty empire with her Savage x Fenty lingerie brand, which prides itself on body positivity by featuring size inclusive undergarments and loungewear.
“I really get involved with every aspect of anything I do, whether it’s the Super Bowl, whether it’s a make-up product, whether it’s Savage lingerie, like, whatever I do” she said in an interview with Apple Music. “I’m that annoying girl who’s gonna talk about everything. I want to see the copy on the website! I want to name every lipstick that I make.
I care about it. I love it. I love it, I really do.” She’s also added a haircare brand, Fenty Hair, to her business portfolio. The goal? Across all aspects of Fenty, Rihanna’s intention is to draw attention to minority groups, be it skin colour, body shape or any other demographic that is often overlooked. It is this very mindset, held firmly across all her business ventures, that has led RiRi to billionaire status.
Cause she’s a fashion killa
Whether it’s raw streetwear or red carpet couture, RiRi’s sense of style is distinctly vocal and unfiltered. Donning an unbuttoned Barbie pink puffer jacket accessorised with vintage Christian Lacroix chains, her pregnancy reveal in 2022 was an iconic moment — a masterclass in being true to herself while challenging the traditional norms of maternity wear. This seemingly simple act opened the door for all women, even celebs, to express themselves in every way imaginable — the ultimate pregnancy style rebrand! A year later, Rihanna let the world know she was with child again. The superstar performed at the Super Bowl 2023 Halftime Show — the first pregnant woman to do so at the famed event – captivating audiences in a bright red head-to-toe outfit.
Her fashion icon status pairs seamlessly with long-term partner A$AP Rocky. Who can forget the sparks in the music video for his single ‘Fashion Killa’ featuring RiRi as his love interest – an apt depiction of their bond, which would later lead to them welcoming two children together, with a third due any day now. “We have two bomb little boys at home — I don’t think any collaboration is gonna top that. I do believe that anything me and Rocky collaborate on is gonna be fire — it’s a no-brainer,” she said in an interview with Complex. “We’re literally a house of creatives.”
Their unmistakable sense of style means that the couple are captured by the paparazzi all too often, but RiRi doesn’t let that interfere with her life. “We like to eat with people. We like to shop with people. We like to walk the streets with people,” she told Harper’s Bazaar in an interview. “I don’t like a private room. I don’t have them shut down stores. I don’t like the Rapunzel life. It’s very isolating. It’s very lonely. And what am I protecting myself from? I’m actually allowing people to dictate the robbery of the life that I could actually be living,” she reveals.
For the culture
One thing about Rihanna — when she shows up, shell make a statement, all while celebrating and uplifting black culture. Following a six-year hiatus from music, the Grammy-winner returned in 2023 to lend her voice to ‘Lift Me Up,’ the Oscar-nominated lead single for the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The song also served as an ode to the late Chadwick Boseman, who played the titular character of Black Panther but passed away from colon cancer in 2020. Donning a black custom Margiela ensemble befitting the moment, while backed by a full orchestra, the singer performed the heartfelt ballad live at the Oscars to an emotional audience -leading the powerful tribute and reaching Marvel fans across the globe.
And when the MET ball held its first gala with majority black co-chairs Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, Pharrel Williams alongside Anna Wintour as well as her partner A$AP Rocky, RiRi made sure to be there in support and was the final arrival of the night. Based on the theme Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, she graced the midnight-blue carpet in Marc Jacobs, nailing the evening’s dress code: ‘Tailored for you’. Spotlighting black style and tailoring, her outfit was named in several best dressed lists for the evening across various fashion publications.
What now
Rihanna’s loyal fan base, dubbed the Rihanna Navy, will be happy to hear that new music is on the horizon. She revealed in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar that she’s close to releasing her ninth studio album – eight years after her last release. “I feel like I’ve finally cracked it,” she explained. “This is becoming my new freedom, because when I’m in the studio, I know that my time away from my kids is to blossom something that hasn’t been watered in eight years… It’s not going to be anything that anybody expects. And it’s not going to be commercial or radio digestible. It’s going to be where my artistry deserves to be right now.”
Music. Business. Fashion. Culture. Rihanna weaves her way between each one with ease, her influence fully solidified. “Somebody could rob me right now of everything I have, [but] they will never take a memory, an experience, a feeling, a scent that reminded me of that moment. There’s just things that mean more when you grow up,” reflects the icon. “My legacy is right now. That’s all I have the most control over. My legacy is what I do with my time at this moment.”
A multi-hyphenate mogul through and through, no matter what she does next — we’ll always get a taste of the special sauce that makes Rihanna who she is. “I only know how to be me, and people thrive when they’re who they’re meant to be,” she said in an interview with InStyle. “I can only try my best to encourage girls and women to respect their uniqueness and be 100 percent true to themselves.”
Follow Her
Instagram: @badgalriri
By: Geraldine Amoko
Photography by: Getty Images, Supplied
Text courtesy of Balanced Life magazine
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