134 Facts About Rihanna

Robyn Rihanna Fenty is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman.

Rihanna has achieved 14 number-one singles, 32 top-ten singles in the US, and 31 top-ten entries in the UK.

Rihanna's accolades include nine Grammy Awards, 13 American Music Awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards, five World Music Awards, six Guinness World Records, the NAACP's President's Award, and an Academy Award nomination.

Rihanna's acclaimed Super Bowl halftime show performance in 2023 is the most watched in history.

Rihanna is the founder of the nonprofit organization Clara Lionel Foundation, cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty, and fashion house Fenty under LVMH; she is the first black woman to head a luxury brand for LVMH.

Rihanna has ventured into acting, appearing in major roles in Battleship, Home, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, and Ocean's 8.

Rihanna was appointed as an ambassador of education, tourism, and investment by the Government of Barbados in 2018 and was declared a National Hero of Barbados on the first day of the country's parliamentary republic in 2021, entitling her to the style of "The Right Excellent" for life.

Robyn Rihanna Fenty was born on February 20,1988, in Saint Michael, Barbados.

Rihanna is the daughter of accountant Monica and warehouse supervisor Ronald Fenty.

Rihanna's mother is an Afro-Guyanese, while her father is a Barbadian of African, Irish, English, and Scottish descent.

Rihanna has two brothers, Rorrey and Rajad Fenty, and two half-sisters and a half-brother from her father's side, each born to different mothers from his previous relationships.

Rihanna grew up in a three-bedroom bungalow in Bridgetown and sold clothes with her father in a stall on the street.

Rihanna's childhood was deeply affected by her father's alcoholism and crack cocaine addiction, which contributed to her parents' strained marriage.

Rihanna's father used to abuse her mother physically, and Rihanna would try to get in between them to break up fights.

Rihanna attended Charles F Broome Memorial Primary School and Combermere School, where she studied alongside future international cricketers Chris Jordan and Carlos Brathwaite.

In 2003, Rihanna formed a musical trio with two of her classmates in her home country of Barbados.

That same year, Rihanna was signed to Rogers's and Carl Sturken's production company, Syndicated Rhythm Productions.

Reid, was impressed with her audition, telling Jay-Z not to let Rihanna leave the building until the contract was signed.

Rihanna waited in Jay-Z's office until 3:00 in the morning to get lawyers to draft up a contract because he wanted to prevent her from signing with another label.

Rihanna canceled other meetings with record labels and relocated from Barbados to the United States to live with Rogers and his wife.

Rihanna worked with different producers to complete her debut studio album, primarily Rogers and his production partner Carl Sturken.

In early 2007, Rihanna appeared on the single "Roll It" with Jamaican band J-Status and fellow Barbadian singer-songwriter Shontelle.

Around that time, Rihanna had already begun work on her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad.

In support of the album, Rihanna began the Good Girl Gone Bad Tour in September 2007, with 80 shows across the US, Canada, and Europe.

On June 9,2008, Rihanna released Good Girl Gone Bad Live, her first live long-form video.

The release contained a special documentary that presented Rihanna discussing her experiences during the tour.

On February 8,2009, Rihanna's scheduled performance at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards was canceled.

In early 2009, Rihanna began working on her fourth studio album, Rated R Rated R was released in November 2009.

The album had Rolling Stone magazine stating that Rihanna "transformed her sound and made one of the best pop records of the year".

In January 2010, Rihanna released her charity cover version of "Redemption Song" for the Hope for Haiti Now campaign.

Rihanna recorded the song "Stranded " together with Jay-Z, Bono and The Edge for the same campaign to alleviate the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

In summer 2010, Rihanna collaborated with rapper Eminem on "Love the Way You Lie", which was a major worldwide success, reaching No 1 in over 20 countries.

In October 2010, Rihanna switched managers, joining Jay-Z's Roc Nation Management.

Rihanna set a record as the solo artist with the fastest accumulation of 10 chart toppers in the Hot 100s history.

In early 2012, two collaborations featuring Rihanna were released: Coldplay's "Princess of China", from their album Mylo Xyloto, and Drake's "Take Care", from his album of the same name.

In February 2013, at the 55th Grammy Awards, Rihanna won her sixth Grammy Award, in the category Best Short Form Music Video for "We Found Love".

Also that month, the United Kingdom's Official Charts Company announced that Rihanna had sold 3,868,000 records in the past year in the country, ranking at No 1 in the list of 2013 BRIT Awards artist nominees.

Rihanna's fifth headlining concert tour, the Diamonds World Tour, began in March 2013, in support of Unapologetic.

Rihanna then appeared in the Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg comedy film This Is the End, which was released in June 2013.

In October 2013, Eminem released his Rihanna-assisted single, "The Monster", as the fourth release from his eighth studio album The Marshall Mathers LP 2.

In 2014, Rihanna appeared on Shakira's single, "Can't Remember to Forget You".

On January 28,2016, Rihanna released her eighth studio album, Anti, exclusively through streaming service Tidal.

The first collaboration single was Kanye West's "Famous", where Rihanna provided uncredited guest vocals.

Rihanna was then officially featured on Calvin Harris' "This Is What You Came For", which was a success.

Rihanna was featured on Drake's "Too Good" and on Mike Will Made Its "Nothing Is Promised".

In June 2016, Rihanna released "Sledgehammer", a single from the Star Trek Beyond movie soundtrack.

Summer 2017 saw the release of Rihanna's collaborations with record producer DJ Khaled, "Wild Thoughts", which featured Bryson Tiller and was a worldwide success, and Kendrick Lamar's single, "Loyalty", which earned Rihanna her ninth Grammy Award at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.

In December 2018, Rihanna confirmed that the album would be released in 2019, and later announced that it is a reggae project.

In December 2019, Rihanna alluded to her album being complete and indefinitely withholding the release date in an Instagram post.

Rihanna was next featured on Canadian singer PartyNextDoor's song "Believe It", which was released on March 27,2020.

On September 25,2022, Rihanna announced that she would be headlining the Super Bowl LVII halftime show, which marked her first live performance in over five years, and the end of her previously self-imposed boycott of the event, which she instigated in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick.

In October, HDD confirmed that Rihanna will do a stadium tour in 2023.

On October 28,2022, Rihanna released the lead single from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, "Lift Me Up", her first solo musical release since Anti.

Rihanna is a mezzo-soprano, with a range spanning from B2 to C6.

Rihanna's songs are inspired through record sampling from other artists.

Rihanna has named Madonna as her idol and biggest influence.

Rihanna said that she wanted to be the "black Madonna" and praised her ability to reinvent herself throughout her career.

Rihanna was influenced by Janet Jackson, Aaliyah, Tupac, Beyonce and Destiny's Child.

Rihanna takes influence from the different types of music she discovered when she came to America and revealed that rock music was one of the first genres she fell in love with.

Rihanna cited Brandy's fourth studio album, Afrodisiac, as her main inspiration for her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad.

Rihanna has worked with music video director Anthony Mandler on more than a dozen music videos, the first being "Unfaithful".

Rihanna has perfected the pout, the long-legged strut, and trend-setting hairdos that keep women and men alike checking her out on YouTube.

Rihanna's revealing leather costumes during her Good Girl Gone Bad Tour were highly criticized by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, who recommended that her concert tour should be banned.

In 2009, New York magazine described Rihanna's early look as that of "a cookie-cutter teen queen", noting she has the ability "to shift looks dramatically and with such ease".

Rihanna revealed during Oprah's Next Chapter that Def Jam's pop-princess blueprint made her feel claustrophobic during her early years with the label.

Rihanna followed the likes of recording artists Janet Jackson and Christina Aguilera who shed their innocent image for an edgier look and sound.

Nico Amarca of Highsnobiety magazine wrote, "over the course of her now 10-year career, [Rihanna] has undergone one of the most significant aesthetic metamorphoses the world has ever seen".

Rihanna commented that as a child she "used to watch her [mother] get dressed" and that her love and admiration for fashion started with her mother.

Rihanna made her first appearance at the Met Gala in 2007.

Rihanna has made eight appearances in the years since; notably in 2015, for China: Through the Looking Glass, her Guo Pei-designed yellow dress garnered the most attention of the event, accruing a billion impressions on social media.

The dress, which had taken two years to make before Rihanna came across it, became the subject of a documentary by Pietra Brettkelly, entitled Yellow Is Forbidden.

Rihanna co-chaired the 2018 Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination themed event, wearing Maison Margiela.

Rihanna is regarded by the media as a pop and fashion icon, particularly since her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad.

Rihanna gives to her fans, friends and foundation not just herself but her energy and spirit.

On June 2,2014, Rihanna was presented with the Fashion Icon lifetime achievement award from Council of Fashion Designers of America, a special prize reserved for "an individual whose style has made a significant impact on popular culture on an international stage".

Rihanna has become a dominating figure on social media and internet streaming, ranking at No 1 on Forbes' 2012 list of Social Networking Superstars.

In 2013, Rihanna was named the most influential pop star in the United Kingdom by UK channel 4Music.

Rihanna's work has directly influenced numerous artists such as Lorde, Sam Smith, Little Mix, Rita Ora, Billie Eilish, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, Ellie Goulding, Kim Petras, Jennie from Blackpink, Marilyn Manson, Jessie J, SZA, Fifth Harmony, Camila Cabello, Demi Lovato, Alexandra Stan, Grimes, Sleater-Kinney, Tegan and Sara, Cover Drive, Cher Lloyd, Bad Gyal, and Era Istrefi.

Rihanna has an honorary title of Ambassador for Culture and Youth in Barbados.

In February 2017, Rihanna was named Harvard University's "Humanitarian of the Year" by the Harvard Foundation.

Rihanna was listed among Forbes Top 100 Most Powerful Women of 2019.

At the 2020 NAACP Image Awards, hosted by BET, Rihanna accepted the President's Award from Derrick Johnson.

On March 30,2015, it was announced that Rihanna is a co-owner, with various other music artists, in the music streaming service Tidal.

In 2016, it was revealed that Rihanna would be releasing her music through her own label Westbury Road Entertainment, which was established in 2005.

Rihanna was the first woman to create an original brand for LVMH and the first woman of color to lead an LVMH brand.

Rihanna exclusively uses her surname for business endeavors not related to her music career so as not to conflate the two.

In January 2019, Rihanna filed a lawsuit against her father, Ronald Fenty, over the use of the Fenty name for commercial purposes.

In September 2021 Rihanna dropped the lawsuit against her father.

In 2017, Rihanna launched her critically acclaimed cosmetics company Fenty Beauty under LVMH's Kendo Brands.

Rihanna owns 50 percent of Fenty Beauty, according to Forbes.

In 2018, Rihanna launched a lingerie brand named Savage X Fenty.

The line was born from Rihanna's vision creating an inclusive brand.

Rihanna showcased the brand at the New York Fashion Week in September 2018.

In September 2019, Rihanna promoted the brand in a show again during the New York Fashion Week held at the Barclays Center with modeling appearances from models Alex Wek, Bella Hadid, Cara Delevingne, actress Laverne Cox, and musicians Normani and 21 Savage.

In July 2020, Rihanna launched a skin care brand called Fenty Skin.

In October 2005, Rihanna struck an endorsement deal with Secret Body Spray.

In 2010, Rihanna featured in the Optus commercial, in conjunction with Optus supporting Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth.

In 2011, Rihanna was the face of Nivea and Vita Coco.

In 2013, Rihanna collaborated with MAC Cosmetics and released her own summer, fall and holiday lines of makeup called "RiRi hearts MAC".

In July 2013, lager production company Budweiser announced that Rihanna had become a part of their global "Made For Music" campaign, co-starring Jay-Z.

Early in her career, Rihanna made clear her interest in fashion and desire to work in the clothing design industry.

In November 2011, Rihanna announced her first fashion venture with Armani.

In February 2013, Rihanna presented her first women's fashion collection at London Fashion Week for British brand River Island, collaborating with her personal stylist Adam Selman.

Rihanna then collaborated with numerous fashion house's including Dior, Stance and Manolo Blahnik.

In March 2015, Rihanna was chosen as the new face of Dior; making her the first black woman to be the face of the brand.

In 2014, Rihanna became the creative director of the fashion sportswear Puma, overseeing the brand's women's line which will include collaborations in apparel and footwear.

Rihanna made her acting debut in a cameo role in the straight-to-DVD film Bring It On: All or Nothing, released in August 2006.

Rihanna starred as Petty Officer Cora Raikes in her first theatrical feature film Battleship, which was released on May 18,2012.

Loosely based on the game of the same name, both the film and Rihanna's performance received mixed-to-negative reviews; the New York Times said she was "just fine in the rather generic role".

In 2015, Rihanna appeared in the voice role of Tip in the animated feature film Home alongside Jim Parsons and Jennifer Lopez; the film was based on The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex.

Rihanna played the recurring role of Marion Crane in the fifth and final season of Bates Motel.

Rihanna had a major role in the Luc Besson film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, an adaptation of the comic book series Valerian and Laureline.

Also starring Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne, the film was released by STX Entertainment on July 21,2017, in the US Rihanna was one of the all-female cast in the heist film Ocean's 8, directed by Gary Ross and released by Warner Bros.

In 2007, Rihanna was named as one of the Cartier Love Charity Bracelet Ambassadors, with each celebrity representing a different global charity.

In 2008, Rihanna performed a series of charity concerts entitled A Girl's Night Out to benefit the Believe Foundation.

Rihanna founded the Clara Lionel Foundation in 2012, in honor of her grandparents, Clara and Lionel Braithwaite.

On February 12,2012, Rihanna performed a benefit show at the House of Blues to raise money for the Children's Orthopaedic Center and the Mark Taper-Johnny Mercer Artists Program at Children's Hospital.

In November 2012, Rihanna gave $100,000 to food bank donation for Hurricane Sandy.

In March 2020, Rihanna donated $5,000,000 to COVID-19 relief and followed that up with additional donations of personal protective equipment to the state of New York and an offer of $700,000 worth of ventilators to her home country Barbados.

In January 2017, Rihanna participated in the 2017 Women's March, which took place in New York among protests the day after US President Donald Trump's inauguration.

In February 2021, Rihanna extended her support to Indian farmers' protest against the farm bills through Twitter.

In December 2018, Rihanna put her Hollywood Hills mansion up for sale after a break-in six months before.

In May 2013, Brown stated during an interview that he and Rihanna had broken up again.

On May 19,2022, it was confirmed that Rihanna had given birth to a son.

On February 12,2023, during the Super Bowl LVII halftime show performance, Rihanna revealed she is pregnant with her second child, becoming the first person to headline a Super Bowl halftime show while pregnant.

On February 8,2009, Rihanna's scheduled performance at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards was canceled.

Rihanna turned himself in to the police and was booked on suspicion of making criminal threats.

Rihanna was subpoenaed to testify during a preliminary hearing in Los Angeles on June 22,2009.

Rihanna was accompanied to the interview by his mother, Joyce Hawkins, and attorney Mark Geragos, as he discussed growing up in a household with his mother being repeatedly assaulted by his stepfather.

Rihanna received the "Icon Award" at the 2013 American Music Awards and the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards.

Rihanna has accumulated 14 No 1 singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for the third most No 1 songs in the chart's history.

Rihanna has been named the top Mainstream Top 40 chart artist of the past twenty years by Billboard; she ranks first with most entries, most top tens and most No 1 songs.

Rihanna is the tenth bestselling and the second bestselling female singles artist in the country, only behind Madonna and is second only to the Beatles for the most million-selling singles in the UK of all time.

Rihanna has earned over 30 top-ten songs in the UK and Australia.