Everything you need to know about the multi-talented Rihanna
She's now a mum of two!
Last updated 5th Mar 2024
What a year 2023 was for Rihanna - and 2024 is looking even bigger! The 35-year-old wowed audiences around the world with her amazing Super Bowl 2023 Half-Time Show, featuring a medley of her biggest hits, where she also spectacularly revealed to the world that she was expecting her second baby - who she gave birth to in August 2023! Not only that, but she's teased new music is on the way in the form of 'R9'.
Over the years, Rihanna has dropped eight albums with a whole host of huge hits, worked with some incredible artists, and going beyond music, starred in movies and launched the game-changing Fenty Beauty makeup and skincare range. To celebrate Rihanna's super impressive career - we've answered the Internet's biggest questions...
Where was she born?
Rihanna was born in Saint Michael, Barbados and was raised in Bridgetown.
How old is she?
RiRi's birthday is 20th February 1988, making her currently 36-years-old.
Rihanna's documentary
Rihanna has a documentary coming out, but the release date has not been confirmed AND it's been in the making for more than six years.
New music
Rihanna's latest single was the melodic 'Lift Me Up', which was released in October 2022 and earned RiRi her first ever Oscars nomination. The track featured on the soundtrack for the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, leaving fans desperate for a new album from the singer.
There have been many signs that the singer has been working on her upcoming ninth album, and from hints we've picked up here and there, it sounds like 'R9' isn't far off. Take a look through everything we know so far about Rihanna's next album, and a potential world tour.
LISTEN: Rihanna - 'Lift Me Up' from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Who is she dating?
In May 2021, rapper A$AP Rocky revealed he is dating Rihanna, admitting they spent the majority of summer 2020 together travelling. He even referred to Queen RiRi as the 'love of his life'.
Rumours began to circulate about a potential romance between the two way back to 2013, when A$AP supported Rihanna on her 'Diamonds World Tour'. This was also the year that the pair teamed up on their track 'Fashion Killa'.
The pair were soon spotted out and about looking rather loved up, holding hands as they were spied filming a music video in the Bronx, New York.
Is Rihanna pregnant?
Not anymore! Rihanna announced she was pregnant for the second time on 12th February 2023 as she took to the stage for the Super Bowl Half-Time show. The singer appeared on stage dressed in red rubbing her baby bump as she started to sing 'Better Have My Money'.
Fans couldn't believe the news, saying: 'Rihanna gave that whole set whilst pregnant with baby number two? Phenomenal 👏🏻🔥', with a third writing: 'I JUST FIND OUT THAT RIHANNA IS PREGNANT AGAIN OMG'. (sic)
When did Rihanna announce she was expecting her first child?
On 31st January 2022, the news broke that Rihanna was officially expecting her first child with her boyfriend A$AP Rocky! The pair stepped out together in Harlem, with RiRi showing off her blossoming baby bump whilst wearing a cute crop top.
Fans spotted the pair as they willingly posed for pictures, looking as happy as ever!
Rihanna's babies
Rihanna is now a mum-of-two! It was reported on 22nd August that RiRi and A$AP had welcomed their second baby on 3rd August 2023. The singer has since confirmed that she in fact welcomed a baby boy, naming her bundle of joy Riot Rose Mayers.
Rihanna and A$AP had their first baby in May 2022 - again, the singer did not publicly announce the birth, but the baby boy was born on 13th May 2022 in Los Angeles. RiRi didn't publicly confirm his name either at the time, however we now know he is called RZA Athelston Mayers.
She told E! Online that she'd noticed some similarities between herself and her mum saying: "It is weird, even the little things that annoy me about her, I do it. I literally make all of the same faces. I say the same things. I clear my throat the same way. I move my mouth the same way. I either never noticed it or it never happened until I had a baby."
Rihanna later revealed her son to the world in a TikTok after paparazzi threatened to share photos of him first. The super-cute video shows the tot attempting to grab Rihanna's phone, doing the world's most adorable yawn and watching the world go by out the window.
Days after her Super Bowl performance, in February 2023, Rihanna shared some super cute photos of her son, taken as part of a photoshoot for British Vogue. The photos showed the singer wearing different black dresses, with her little boy in a nappy, wrapped in a blanket and in a Moses basket.
In March 2023, a week before her Oscars performance, the singer shared two cute pics of her son along with a short video of him watching the music video for her song 'Lift Me Up'.
What are her babies called?
Both Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are keeping their son out of the spotlight as much as they can. In an interview with Washington Post, Rihanna explained why she hadn't revealed her baby boy's name at first: "We just didn’t get around to it yet, really. We’ve just been living. But I guess there’s a certain freedom that comes with kind of just like getting it out there."
However, A$AP Rocky did then post a photo captioned: 'WU TANG IZ 4 DA CHUREN 🤲” HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY TO MY 1st BORN . RZA❤️', confirming that the little boy is named RZA after the Wu-Tang rapper.
Wu-Tang rapper RZA spoke about the honour, telling CNN it was: "A great honour to know that there’s another generation that’s not even of my own household that feels the strength and the inspiration of that name."
He continued: "RZA is not only a name, it’s a title, so it’s an honour and I salute her and A$AP and their family. All the blessings in the world from me."
RZA has previously revealed that his name stands for 'Ruler, Zi-Zag-Zig, Allah' which translates as 'Ruler, Knowledge-Wisdom-Understanding, Allah'.
After reports began circulating in August 2023 that her second child also had a name beginning with R, the pair confirmed in September that they had named him Riot Rose.
What is RiRi's net worth?
In July 2022, Rihanna overtook Kim Kardashian to be America's youngest self-made female billionaire, after amassing a net worth of $1.4 billion.
Rihanna was announced as a billionaire in August 2021 after Forbes estimated her to be worth £1.2 billion, making her the wealthiest female musician thanks to her shares in Fenty Beauty and Savage x Fenty. YAS QUEEN.
Despite Forbes revealing in 2021 that Rihanna was officially a billionaire, it wasn't until 2022 that she entered the rankings in the business magazine. On the list, released on 5th April 2022, Rihanna is ranked at 1729. The singer is valued by Forbes at $1.7billion (£1.4billion), thanks to the success of her cosmetic brand Fenty Beauty.
According to past reports, Rihanna was actually the wealthiest female music star in the world in 2019! Forbes magazine report that she has beaten her fellow female musicians with an estimated net worth of $600 million (£472 million). According to Vents magazine, she kept up this title in 2020 also.
Rihanna revealed that the reason she's so successful isn't through focusing on profit but because she follows her passions and works on what she believes in. She told The New York Times: "Money is happening along the way, but I’m working out of what I love to do, what I’m passionate about."
Rihanna's 2023 Super Bowl Half-Time performance
In September 2022 Rihanna was announced for the Super Bowl Half-Time performance in February 2023. The announcement was made when RiRi and NFL shared an iconic photo of the singer's hand holding an NFL branded American football.
She later said in a red carpet interview with ET: "I can’t believe I even said yes. It was one of those things that even when I announced it, I was like, ‘OK, I can’t take it back. Now, it’s like final’."
She went on to say: "The Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world, it’s an entertainer’s dream to be on a stage like that, but it’s nerve-racking. You want to get it right. You know, everybody’s watching. And they’re rooting for you. And I want to get it right."
Rihanna gave a spectacular performance during the Super Bowl, singing a medley of her songs including, 'Better Have My Money', 'Where Have You Been?' and 'Work'.
See Rihanna's full Super Bowl setlist.
After her amazing performance, residents at a retirement home in Kentucky decided to recreate her iconic show. They shared their video on TikTok and it had millions of views, including Rihanna it seems. Rihanna sent the home a bouquet of white roses saying: 'You Ladies Dance Was Amazing Love Roc Nation Rihanna'. (sic)
Her first album
RiRi's first album is called 'Music of the Sun', and landed on 12th August 2005. The album served up iconic bops such as ‘Pon de Replay’ and ‘If It’s Lovin’ That You Want’.
A year later Rihanna served up her second album ‘A Girl Like Me’, and the hits just kept coming. The album included tracks ‘SOS’, ‘Unfaithful’ and ‘Break It Off’ featuring Sean Paul.
WATCH: Clean Bandit open up about working with Rihanna
Who has she collaborated with?
Read up on all of the biggest artists Rihanna has collaborated with right here.
Among many other huge names, Rihanna worked with musician and producer SOPHIE on her 2016 album ANTI. Sadly, SOPHIE tragically passed away in January 2021 after a 'terrible accident'. Rihanna took to her Instagram to pay tribute to the musician, writing: 'still can’t believe this. Rest Peacefully Sophie. 💔 🙏🏿' (sic).
In May 2021, eagle-eyed fans believed they had spotted Rihanna, Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj drop clues about a potential collaboration, after the stars shared some Instagram posts that seemed to share some pretty cool links. This, however, has so far proven to be just a rumour!
Although she hasn't collaborated with Ed Sheeran, he revealed to fans in March 2024 that he almost offered 'Shape of You' to the Barbadian singer.
How did Rihanna become famous?
Check out Rihanna's incredible career timeline below, from how she became famous to all of her incredible achievements ever since...
2005: First signing
In 2005, Rihanna was discovered by American record producer Evan Rogers in her home country of Barbados. The 16-year-old's demo was then sent to Def Jam Recordings, where it was played to the company's new CEO Jay-Z. Jay-Z invited Rihanna to audition and RiRi left the audition with a six album record deal... easy as that!
2005: 'Pon de Replay'
It wasn't long before RiRi then released her first album 'Music of the Sun', which sold over two million copies worldwide. It was then in May 2005 the world was graced with the anthem that is 'Pon de Replay' - meaning 'play it again' in Bajan Creole, one of the official languages of Rihanna's home country Barbados. The track had appeared on her original demo that landed her that record deal. The song sold a whopping two million copies, charting top 10 in the UK, US and across the globe.
2006: Ri's first Number 1 single
2006 saw the release of Rihanna's second studio album 'A Girl Like Me', containing bangers such as 'Unfaithful' and 'We Ride'. The album also featured what became her first ever number 1 single 'SOS'.
2007: 'Good Girl Gone Bad'
2007 saw Rihanna go from teen-popstar to legendary icon. With the release of the chart topping hit 'Umbrella', RiRi showcased her new, sleek look that has been described by critics as a turning point in her career. The star well and truly ditched her innocent teen look, opting for an edgier, bad girl vibe.
2008: Rihanna's first grammy
After receiving four nominations for the 2008 GRAMMYs, including 'Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals', 'Record of the Year' and 'Best Dance Recording', Rihanna walked away from the annual award ceremony the winner of the 'Best Rap/Sung Performance' award - her first ever GRAMMY crown!
2009: 'Rated R'
2009 warmly welcomed the hard-hitting album 'Rated R', including hits such as 'Rude Boy', 'Te Amo' and 'Russian Roulette'. The mature album reflected on the star's recent struggles and was described by critics as her most layered and heartfelt effort.
2010: 'LOUD'
Now 2010 was quite the year for this superstar; after ditching her signature dark hair, the star opted for a vibrant red do. Oh, and she also released her fifth studio album 'Loud' that landed her her first ever GRAMMY nomination for 'Album of the Year', featuring her and Drizzy Drake collab for the first time ever. The legendary collab 'What's My Name' featured on the album alongside 'S&M', 'Only Girl (In The World)' and 'Love The Way You Lie (Part II)'. Since then, Rihanna and Drake have gone on to team up on multiple other tunes, including 'Take Care'.
2011: 'We Found Love'
In 2011 the world welcomed with open arms one of Rihanna's most iconic songs 'We Found Love'. Featuring on her sixth studio album 'Talk That Talk', the star teamed up with Scottish DJ Calvin Harris to produce this, how do you say it... masterpiece. Other than becoming a staple song at any teen disco and/or house-party, the song went on to win the singer awards for 'Best R&B/Urban Dance Track', 'Best Commercial/Pop Dance Track', 'Video Of The Year' and 'Best Short Form Music Video'. WOWZA.
2012: Acting career begins with Battleship
Queen Ri's talent didn't stop there. In 2012 the Barbadian beauty made her big screen debut in summer blockbuster 'Battleship' as Petty Officer Cora Raikes. This lead to her winning the Teen Choice Award for 'Choice Movie Breakout Star - Female'.
2012: First number 1 album
That same year (2017) Rihanna's seventh studio album 'Unapologetic' became her first No. 1 album, winning her the GRAMMY for 'Best Urban Contemporary Album' in January 2014. The album boasts hit tracks such as 'Diamonds' and 'What Now'. Also featured on the album was the incredible 'Stay', which after being released as a single from the album made no. 1 in Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic and Denmark, as well as charting in the Top 5 in the UK, Australia, France, Germany, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland.
2013 - 2014: Win win win!
Throughout 2013 and 2014, Rihanna took the crown for various awards, including the GRAMMY Award for 'Best Music Video', the Billboard Music Award for 'Top R&B Artist', 'Top R&B Song' AND 'Top R&B Album', the NRJ Music Award for 'International Female Artist of the Year', the BET Award for 'Best Female R&B/Pop Artist' and the GRAMMY Award for 'Best Urban Contemporary Album'...you know, just to name a few.
2014: Puma
2014 saw the superstar named the creative director of, and a brand ambassador for, Puma. These roles lead to her launching the 'Fenty x Puma' range, responsible for fashion trends such as fur sliders and suede creepers.
2016: 'Anti'
After three years of waiting, fans were not disappointed with Rihanna's surprise release of 'Anti' - her eighth studio album. Shooting to number 1 just two weeks after its initial debut, going on to spend 159 weeks on the Billboard Hot 200. 'Anti' graced us with hits such as 'Work', 'Kiss It Better' and 'Love on the Brain'.
2017: The launch of Fenty Beauty
Welcoming 2017 by being awarded Humanitarian of the Year by Harvard University, it was set to be a good year for the singer/actor/fashionista extraordinaire with her also launching her incredibly successful beauty line Fenty Beauty. September 8th, 2017 saw the line officially hit Sephora's website. The line was praised for boasting 40 different foundation shades, with many describing this as the new 'standard of inclusivity for skin tones'. Fenty Beauty went onto be listed by Time Magazine as one of the best inventions of 2017. The brand has gone onto release body shimmers, eye shadows, highlighters, concealers and the infamous Fenty Beauty Fairy Bomb (ie a massive fluffy pink pom pom full of glitter).
2018: Savage Fenty
In 2018, the the popstar-turned-entrepreneur launched her largely anticipated lingerie line 'Savage x Fenty'. The collection was launched with 90 pieces of lingerie, sleepwear, and accessories with an extensive sizing range. "I can only hope to encourage confidence and strength by showing lingerie in another light," she told Vogue.
2020: PARTYNEXTDOOR Collab
In March 2020, Rihanna finally gave us some music when she teamed up with PARTYNEXTDOOR on the hit 'BELIEVE IT'.
2020: Fenty Skin
In July 2020, Rihanna announced the launch of beauty brand Fenty Skin. Sharing a video of herself using all the products she wrote, 'Ima try my best to be humble about this but, @fentyskin is coming July 31st exclusively at FENTYSKIN.COM!! "Y'all ain't hear it from me 🤫 but you can shop it early if ya drop me your email through the link in my bio...'. (sic)
It was then in December 2020 that the range became available in the UK.
2021: Rihanna's new music
With Rihanna's last album, 'Anti', being released way back in 2016, it's no secret that RiRi fans are desperate for new music from the star! In 2019 reports broke that Rihanna was working on her ninth album, with the singer revealing to Vogue in 2020 that she was "very aggressively working on music", with her new material being on a "different level" and "worth the wait". After testRihanna's savage response to a fan requesting her new album in 2021, here's hoping that we get to hear it soon!
2021: Rihanna is officially a BILLIONAIRE
Queen RiRi was announced as a billionaire in August 2021. She's now worth an estimated £1.2 billion according to Forbes, making her the wealthiest female musician on the planet due to her shares in Fenty Beauty and Savage x Fenty. She's now the second richest female entertainer behind Oprah Winfrey.
In July 2022, Rihanna's worth increased further, de-throning Kim Kardashian to become America's youngest self-made female billionaire, with a net worth of $1.4billion.
2022: Rihanna pledges $15million to help climate change
In January 2022, it was revealed that Rihanna pledged $15 million (£11.1million) to fighting for climate justice through her Clara Lionel Foundation, which is named after her grandparents. The donations were spread across 18 climate justice organisations working in seven Caribbean nations and the US.
2022: Rihanna promises new music following pregnancy announcement
Rihanna sent her fans into a frenzy as she revealed that she was pregnant in January 2022, with the singer expecting her first child with her boyfriend A$AP Rocky.
The exciting announcement had many fans thinking that they would have to wait a little bit longer for new music from RiRi, however the singer put all our minds at ease as she revealed that despite expecting baby No.1, we will still get new music from her. She said: "Yes, you're still going to get music from me." before joking: "My fans would kill me if they waited this long for a lullaby!"
2022: Rihanna makes debut on Forbes billionaires list
Despite Forbes revealing in 2021 that Rihanna was officially a billionaire, it wasn't until April 2022 that the singer was officially listed in the business magazine's billionaires list. Forbes reported Rihanna's fortune to be around £1,400,000,000.
Ranking at number 1729 (on 5th April), the singer joins the Forbes billionaires list alongside other huge names such as Kanye West, Jay-Z and director Peter Jackson.
2022: Rihanna announced for Super Bowl 2023
In September 2022, Rihanna was announced for the Super Bowl 2023 Half Time Show with an iconic photo.
2022: Rihanna releases new single 'Lift Me Up'
The moment we were all waiting for! After Marvel teased that Rihanna may have some involvement with their upcoming film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the singer soon confirmed the news that she was releasing a new single for the huge film. Then, on 28th October 2022, Rihanna dropped the track 'Lift Me Up'.
The song serves as the lead single for the Black Panther 2 soundtrack, with the rest of the film's songs being released on 4th November.
2023: Savage x Fenty release Super Bowl collection
In January 2023, a month ahead of the Super Bowl, Rihanna's brand Savage x Fenty released a Super Bowl collection, including a 'surprise tee' which included a photo of Rihanna on the inside!
2023: Oscars nomination
Rihanna received an Oscars nomination in January 2023 for 'Lift Me Up', which features on the soundtrack of Marvel's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She was up against Lady Gaga and Bloodpop for 'Hold My Hand' from Top Gun: Maverick, as well as songs from Tell It Like a Woman, Everything Everywhere All at Once and RRR.
2023: Super Bowl performance
Rihanna took to the stage during the Super Bowl Half-Time show performing 17 years of hits in just 13 minutes - and casually announced she was pregnant by rubbing her baby bump as she appeared on stage! She welcomed her second baby in August 2023.
2023: Savage x Fenty maternity range
Rihanna shared new photos of her son RZA as she launched her new clothing range in August 2023 - a maternity collection of her underwear brand, Savage x Fenty. Rihanna was praised around the world as she shared some empowering photos of herself breastfeeding RZA, along with some other pics of her modelling some of her new range.
2023: First female to have 10 songs with 1B Spotify streams
In June 2023, RiRi became the first female artist to have 10 songs with 1 billion Spotify streams! She celebrated the news on Instagram, writing: 'Bad Gal billi … wit no new album lemme talk my sh-- 😜🇧🇧'. (sic)
What films has Rihanna been in?
In 2006, RiRi turned her talents to acting, first appearing in 2006’s ‘Bring It On: All or Nothing’. However, she’s most known for her roles in ‘Battleship’, ‘Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets’ and completing the all-star female cast list of ‘Ocean’s 8’ alongside Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway, Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling and Helena Bonham Carter.
Rihanna’s makeup range
Fenty Beauty has certainly made its way into all of our makeup bags! After much teasing, the range finally arrived on the market in September 2017 and got snapped up at record-breaking speed.
Most lusted-over is the foundation that comes in a seriously impressive 50 shades. Speaking about her range, Rihanna said: "It was essential that women everywhere would be included."
Rihanna was inspired to set up Fenty Beauty after noticing a void in the makeup market for products for all skin types and tones. In the UK, the range was initially available online at FentyBeauty.com and in Harvey Nichols, with prices starting at £21 for Shimmer Skinstick and £30 for the Longwear Foundation. The range is also now widely available at Boots!
In May 2019, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton - the company who own Fenty Beauty - revealed that Fenty Beauty had raked in an incredible €500 million in 2018.
Her skincare range
What beauty routine is complete without the perfect pre-make-up skincare routine?! Well, RiRi has got us covered, of course! The Fenty Skin range launched in 2020 and comprised of the Total Remove-It-All Cleanser, £20, Fat Water Pore Refining Toner Serum, £25, and the Hydra Vizor Invisible Moisturizer Spf 30, £32.
Initially the products were only available on the US site, however they have finally made their way over to the UK in 2021, and are widely available in Boots. Hooray!
The products all boast a clean, vegan, gluten-free and oil-free formula, and if that wasn't good enough, they all rock cute and quirky packaging! Fenty Skin even took to their Instagram to brag: 'Our #FENTYSKINSTARTRS are almost as fun to look at as they are to use 😍' (sic). We certainly agree!
The range now also offers an Instant Reset Overnight Recovery Gel-Cream, priced at £36.
If, for some reason, you're not convinced yet, just listen to DJ Khaled, who has said: "People always ask me how I got my glow. Two things - God, and Fenty Skin."
Rihanna's maternity range
Rihanna now has a maternity range, the singer's Savage x Fenty new maternity capsule collection has a selection of nursing bras available at just £13.50 - £21 for VIP members.
The collection has been designed by Rihanna herself and includes maternity bras and an oversized T-Shirt. Sizes range from XS to 5XL.
Speaking about the launch, Rihanna said: "The new maternity capsule is about bringing that confidence and comfort to moms at every stage of their journeys. I want to remind people that you can still channel sexiness and feel good while being a parent."
Fenty Kids
Although not confirmed by Rihanna, her company has registered a US trademark for Fenty Kids. In the description it looks like the new range will include all types of kids clothes.
You can hear Rihanna's biggest hits on the heat radio playlist!
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