rihanna biography childhood

International popstar Rihanna released her first album in 2005 and is known for such No. 1 hits as "Umbrella," "SOS," "Diamonds," and "Work."

Who Is Rihanna?

Popstar Rihanna signed with Def Jam records at age 16 and in 2005 released her first album Music of the Sun , which sold more than two million copies worldwide. She went on to release more albums and an array of hit songs, including "Unfaithful," "Umbrella," "Disturbia," "Take a Bow," "Diamonds" and "We Found Love." A global pop star with an unrelentingly edgy image, Rihanna has also won multiple industry accolades, including Grammys and MTV awards.

Singer Robyn Rihanna Fenty was born on February 20, 1988, in St. Michael Parish on the Caribbean island of Barbados. She is the eldest of three children born to Monica Fenty, an accountant, and Ronald Fenty, a warehouse supervisor. Rihanna's childhood was marred by her father's struggles with addictions to alcohol and crack cocaine and her parents' marital problems — they divorced when she was 14 years old.

Rihanna also struggled with crippling headaches for several years during her childhood, a condition she attempted to hide from her friends and classmates so that they would not think she was abnormal. "I never expressed how I felt," she remembered. "I always kept it in. I would go to school ... you would never know there was something wrong with me."

Move to the United States

As a teenager, Rihanna turned to singing as a release from her troubles at home. She formed a girl group with two classmates; when they were 15 years old, they scored an audition with music producer Evan Rodgers, who was visiting the island with his Barbadian wife. Rogers was awed by the precociously beautiful and talented Rihanna, to the unfortunate detriment of her two friends. "The minute Rihanna walked into the room, it was like the other two girls didn't exist," he admitted.

Less than a year later, when Rihanna was only 16 years old, she left Barbados to move in with Rogers and his wife in Connecticut and work on recording a demo album. "When I left Barbados, I didn't look back," Rihanna recalled. "I wanted to do what I had to do, even if it meant moving to America."

"Pon de Replay," "Unfaithful" and "SOS"

Only eight months later, in August 2005, she released her first single, "Pon de Replay," a reggae-influenced club track that reached No. 2 on the Billboard singles chart and announced Rihanna as the next up-and-coming pop star. Her first album, Music of the Sun , released later that month, reached No. 10 on the Billboard albums chart and also featured the single "If It's Lovin' That You Want." Rihanna released her second album, A Girl Like Me , the next year, spawning two major hits in "Unfaithful" and "SOS," Rihanna's first No. 1 single.

"Umbrella"

In 2007, Rihanna effected a transformation from cute teen pop princess to superstar and sex symbol with her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad , fueled by its smash hit lead single "Umbrella," featuring Jay-Z. "It shows such growth for her as an artist," Jay-Z said about the track. "If you listen to the lyrics to that song, you know the depth and how far she's come."

"Don't Stop the Music," "Disturbia" and "Hate That I Love You"

"Umbrella" topped the Billboard singles chart and earned Rihanna her first Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. The album reached No. 2 on the charts and also featured the singles "Shut Up and Drive" and "Don't Stop the Music," the latter featuring a sample of Michael Jackson 's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'." Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded , released the following year, scored further hits in "Disturbia," "Take a Bow" and "Hate That I Love You."

"Only Girl (In the World)" and "S&M"

Continuing her onslaught of hit albums, Rihanna released Rated R in 2009 with the singles "Hard" and "Rude Boy." Her 2010 album, Loud , was once again a commercial success behind the songs "What's My Name," "Only Girl (In the World)" and "S&M."

Besides her own laundry list of hit songs, Rihanna collaborated on a host of popular songs by other artists from around this time, including Jay-Z's "Run this Town," Eminem 's "Love the Way You Lie," Maroon 5's "If I Never See Your Face Again" and Kanye West 's "All of the Lights."

"We Found Love"

In 2011, Rihanna released her sixth studio album: Talk That Talk . The album included "We Found Love," a track with DJ Calvin Harris that won the 2013 Grammy Award for best short-form music video.

"Diamonds" and "Stay"

On her Grammy-winning 2012 album Unapologetic , Rihanna turned out such hits as the No. 1 Sia Furler tune "Diamonds" and "Stay," featuring Mikky Ekko. (Interestingly, Unapologetic was the first Rihanna album to hit No. 1 on the pop charts.) She also worked with Coldplay on the track "Princess of China" and, the following year, reached No. 1 again with another Eminem collaboration, "The Monster."

Known for her sexually provocative imagery and wild style, Rihanna made headlines for the sheer dress she wore to the Council of Fashion Designers of America awards ceremony in June 2014. She was there to receive the CFDA's Fashion Icon Award and told the crowd that "Fashion has always been my defense mechanism," according to an Associated Press report. Rihanna acknowledged that there were some rules to fashion, but explained that "rules are meant to be broken." Around this time, the singer made a bold professional move as well: She switched from the Def Jam label to Jay-Z's Roc Nation.

"FourFiveSeconds"

In August 2015, NBC announced that Rihanna would be the key adviser on The Voice 's ninth season. That same year she contributed vocals to the single "FourFiveSeconds," a collaboration with West and famed Beatle Paul McCartney , as well as releasing "B**** Better Have My Money," a tune allegedly inspired by court wranglings with her former manager that also featured a highly controversial, violent music video. In 2015 Rihanna also became the first artist in history to have 100 million singles digitally downloaded and streamed.

"Work"

In late January 2016, Rihanna released the album Anti , allowing Jay-Z's online streaming site Tidal to exclusively feature the collection of tracks for a week. The gambit paid off for the struggling service, with one million trial subscribers joining Tidal in less than a day to partake in a download promotion for Anti . The album's lead single, "Work," featuring rapper Drake , earned two Grammy nominations. In 2017, Rihanna scored another No. 1 hit as a featured artist on DJ Khaled 's "Wild Thoughts."

Branching out to screen work, Rihanna co-starred in the sci-fi flick Battleship (2012) and later voiced the lead character in the animated blockbuster Home (2015).

In 2017, Rihanna made recurring appearances in season 5 of Bates Motel , and earned a prominent role in the science fiction flick Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets . That year, fans also got their first glimpse of the pop superstar alongside Sandra Bullock , Cate Blanchett and Anne Hathaway in trailers for Ocean's 8 , a female-led spinoff of the popular Ocean's Trilogy which hit theaters in June 2018.

The following spring, Rihanna co-starred with Donald Glover , aka Childish Gambino, in the Amazon musical Guava Island .

Philanthropy and Personal Life

In 2012, Rihanna launched the nonprofit Clara Lionel Foundation, named after her grandmother, which supports and funds education and early response programs around the world. For her philanthropic efforts, she was honored with the President's Award at the 2020 NAACP Image Awards.

Rihanna has also made headlines in her personal life, although often for circumstances beyond her control. She first made gossip column headlines in 2006 when rumors swirled that she was having an affair with her mentor, Jay-Z, though she and Jay-Z dismissed such allegations as ridiculous. Later, she was romantically linked to billionaire Saudi businessman Hassan Jameel, before their split was reported in early 2020.

In late 2020, Rihanna began dating rapper A$AP Rocky . In January 2022, it was revealed that the couple is expecting their first child.

Chris Brown

In 2009, Rihanna was the center of a media firestorm after a domestic violence incident in which her then-boyfriend Chris Brown assaulted her before an awards show. The incident sparked a huge public outpouring of support for Rihanna, and she became a spokesperson against domestic violence. "This happened to me," she said in an interview with Diane Sawyer. "It can happen to anyone."

"I put my guard up so hard," she said in a separate interview with Rolling Stone . "I didn't want people to see me cry. I didn't want people to feel bad for me. It was a very vulnerable time in my life, and I refused to let that be the image. I wanted them to see me as, 'I'm fine, I'm tough.' I put that up until it felt real."

In 2012, Rihanna appeared to be reconnecting with Brown. The pair worked together on the song "Birthday Cake" released that year. Rihanna also spoke very candidly with Oprah Winfrey about her relationship with Brown that August. She told Winfrey that Brown may have been the love of her life and she has developed "a very close friendship" with him. The two officially dated again for a time, with Rihanna maintaining in a Rolling Stone interview that Brown had changed and that any form of abuse would be unacceptable.

QUICK FACTS

• Birth date: February 20, 1988
• Birth Country: Barbados
• Best Known For: International popstar Rihanna released her first album in 2005 and is known for such No. 1 hits as "Umbrella," "SOS," "Diamonds," and "Work."
• Astrological Sign: Pisces
• Combermere School
• Nationalities
• Antiguan/Barbudan

Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn’t look right, contact us !

• When the whole worlds turning left, it's when I'm going right. I need someone to let me be just who I am inside.
• I believe in second chances, I just don't believe everyone deserves them.
• Love isn't complicated—people are.
• I'm rebellious through my music, through my fashion, tattoos and my hair.
• I have been conservative in my love life.
• Boys will be boys!!! 'Cause they can't be men!
• People think because we're young, we aren't complex but that's not true. We deal with life and love and broken hearts in the same way a woman a few years older might.
• I could never identify with that word, 'weak.' I couldn't have come out of this if I was weak. No way.
• After being tormented for so many years, being angry and dark, I'd rather just live my truth and take the backlash. I can handle it.
• I decided it was more important for me to be happy, and I wasn't going to let anyone's opinion get in the way of that. Even if it's a mistake, it's my mistake.
• You know, when I started to ... have my race be highlighted, it was mostly when I would do business deals. ... And, you know, that never ends, by the way. It’s still a thing. And it’s the thing that makes me want to prove people wrong. It almost excites me; I know what they’re expecting and I can’t wait to show them that I’m here to exceed those expectations.

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Rihanna’s Life Story: From Island Tomboy to Platinum Pop Sensation

From singing into a hairbrush to selling millions of albums worldwide, Rihanna’s story is a mixed bag of strength, luck, and perseverance .

Now thriving as a fashion icon and music idol, she often refers to her childhood struggles as the driving force behind her many ventures. Her life wasn’t always about making headlines and performing concerts. On the contrary, Rihanna’s story begins on a small island with a drug-addicted father and a producer who didn’t think she could sing.

Here is Rihanna’s life story:

Growing up in a troubled home.

Robyn Rihanna Fenty was born on February 20th in 1988, in Saint Michael Parish on the island of Barbados. She was the eldest child born to humble parents. Her mother worked as an accountant and her father was a warehouse supervisor.

Rihanna grew up in a small bungalow along with her two younger brothers. Money was always low throughout her childhood. Yet her father would come home drunk having spent half his paycheck on alcohol and crack. His addictions put tremendous strain on the family and his drug-induced tempers would often turn physical. While her mother was the primary target, on one occasion he turned on Rihanna after she asked to stay 10 more minutes at the beach.

When her father lost his job, everything got worse. Food became scarce, the house was littered with drug paraphernalia, and Rihanna would walk in on her father smoking crack. She closed herself off and would barely speak to anyone. It became so stressful that she suffered from intense headaches, which led to countless exams and the belief that she had a tumor.

At school, things weren’t much better. Rihanna was a bright student, particularly in math and chemistry, but her grades began to decline. She was constantly bullied over her light complexion – due to her father’s Irish descendence. But Rihanna had been toughened by her father’s behavior and would settle the tauntings with her fists.

At seven years old, Rihanna found an escape from her life’s chaos. She’d turn on the radio and sing into a hairbrush along with her idols Madonna, Mariah Carey, and Janet Jackson. During these short-lived moments of happiness, Rihanna felt like she belonged. She knew in her heart that her future was in music – although it seemed unlikely to happen while on the small island.

A teen with a dream

At 14, her parents divorced and she was finally free from her crippling headaches. But now her mother had to work full-time, meaning Rihanna had to grow up fast. She helped make ends meet by working a cash register and selling clothes in a stall on the street.

Rihanna was now the primary caretaker of her youngest brother, but she also nurtured her love of music. She drew inspiration from reggae legend Bob Marley , who she considered an example to follow for aspiring artists in the Caribbean.

As time passed, Rihanna couldn’t shake the feeling that she could become a star if only the right person heard her sing. So she raised her chances by singing at the beach, at social gatherings, and at her high school talent show – which she won after singing Mariah Carey’s “Hero”.

Although becoming a singing sensation wasn’t her only aspiration at the time. Growing up with brothers also gave her the need to prove she was tough. She embraced a tomboy dress sense and became a cadet, rising to the rank of corporal. After years of bullying and witnessing her father’s abusive behavior, Rihanna refused to appear vulnerable to anyone – an attitude she upholds to this day.

Young Rihanna with friend, Ella. / Image credit: Rihanna Instagram

First big break

At 15, Rihanna formed a musical trio with her classmates. They performed at every possible venue, mostly covering songs by Destiny’s Child. One day, Rihanna’s friend revealed that her mother was acquainted with the record producer Evan Rogers, who just happened to be on holiday in Barbados with his wife. Rihanna jumped at the opportunity and asked her friend to set up an audition. The trio had no band name or formal training, but she couldn’t miss the chance to be heard.

Soon after, the group arrived at Evan Rogers’ hotel suite and waited nervously in the lobby. Rihanna fidgeted while deeply regretting her fashion choice of pink capris with a pink shirt. She hoped her makeup looked passable, considering her mother had never allowed her to wear makeup before.

Finally, the three girls were called in. As soon as Rihanna stepped inside, Evan was instantly taken by her Bajan beauty. Her fierce, green eyes and carefully applied makeup graced her with a presence that made him forget the two other girls existed. However, from experience, Evan  suspected “the pretty one” of the group couldn’t sing.

He was wrong. The group performed two songs, and it was clear to Evan that Rihanna was meant for music. The audition ended, he thanked the girls and sent them on their way. It was unclear whether he would follow up or not, but Rihanna clung to the hope that he would.

Soon enough, Evan called and requested that Rihanna and her mother fly over to the United States for a demo recording. Rihanna was over the moon, and after a few visits, she gained her mother’s permission to move to Connecticut and live with Evan and his wife while she recorded her very first album.

You may never be good enough for everybody, but you will always be the best for somebody.

Still from Rihanna’s Pon de Replay music video / Image credit: YouTube

The debut that topped the charts

Over the next year, 16-year-old Rihanna recorded four tracks, including a bubbly dancehall jam called “ Pon de Replay “. The demo was sent out to various labels, one being Def Jam Recordings , where rapper Jay Z  was just appointed as CEO. The rapper was impressed but considered the songs were ‘too big’ for the girl singing them. Nevertheless, Jay Z asked her to audition for him so he could see for himself.

Rihanna was now 17 and already on her way to audition for her first record label. She had spent the entire night choosing an outfit and was shaking at the thought of singing in front of Jay Z. Although the moment she began to sing Whitney Housten’s “For the Love of You”, Jay Z was sold. He could tell by the resolute look in her eyes that she was going to be a star – with or without him. So he asked her to sign with his label. They ended up staying until 3 am sifting through all the details of the contract. But Rihanna didn’t mind, her life-long dream was officially afoot.

Over the following month, Rihanna happily worked with various producers to complete her debut album. She chose her favorite track “Pon de Replay” as the lead single and in May 2005, it came second on the US Billboard and was among the top five hits worldwide. Rihanna was now on the map and quickly became a recognized name in the music industry.

Only eight months later, Rihanna released her second album A Girl Like Me , which launched two more hits. The track “SOS” became her first number one single and went Platinum. But before the glitz and glam of fame swept Rihanna away, Jay Z gave her a few words of advice which she still follows today,

Don’t change who you are, never forget where you came from, and always stay humble.

Relationship with Chris Brown

At only 19 years old, Rihanna was topping the charts and living the dream. She continued to work with Jay Z and released the smash hit “Umbrella”, which won Rihanna her very first Grammy Award.

For her next albums, Rihanna assumed creative control and reinvented her music. As someone who quickly grows bored of the same things, she decided it was time to transform her cutesy image into something risque and sexy. Her music videos became more suggestive and controversial, but her fanbase grew along with her worldwide acclaim.

At 21 years old, her fame gained a different kind of attention. Rihanna began dating Chris Brown, a rapper from an equally turbulent childhood. The relationship was rocky, and on the night before her performance at the 51st Grammy Awards, Rihanna found suspicious texts on his phone. She promptly confronted him while they drove home, only to discover he had cheated on her with a former employee. The argument became heated and Chris threw the first punch. Rihanna, a tough woman with military training, fought back. It became a full-on battle inside the car, where she emerged severely cut and bruised – with marks of strangulation around her neck.

The traumatic event ensued in a media firestorm. But just like she did back in her teens, Rihanna put up her guard and refused to show herself as a vulnerable victim. Instead, she chose to use this experience as another step in her success story. Rihanna became a spokesperson and collaborated with artists such as  Eminem and Kanye West in songs about domestic violence.

However, her familiarity with abusive men made it hard for her to leave the relationship completely. After the restraining order was reduced to enable a professional relationship, Rihanna became involved with Chris once again. Although it didn’t take long before she finally decided enough was enough and left him for good.

Sure, you wish you did some things differently. But there is no sense in becoming burdened with regret over things you have no power to change.

Rihanna hosts the 2017 Diamond Ball to raise money for health and education initiatives in Malawi and the Caribbean. / Image credit: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

Business ventures and influencing generations

Despite her young age, Rihanna’s dream of getting her music out into the world falls short of her current reality. Within a decade, she has become a best-selling songwriter, singer, and actress. She has sold over 540 million albums worldwide, won countless awards, and is the youngest solo artist to score 14 Billboard music hits. She has appeared in Hollywood blockbusters, named a major cultural influencer, and even has a national holiday under her name in Barbados.

But Rihanna has never been one to settle. She has also established herself as an edgy entrepreneur in the realms of fashion and beauty. Her latest business venture being her new cosmetic company Fenty Beauty , the first makeup line to offer a largely diverse variety of skin shades.

For all the wealth and fame she has gathered since her debut, Rihanna is eager to put her influence to good use. At only 18, she created Believe Foundation to help terminally ill children. From then on, she has funded countless charity ventures for causes ranging from cancer research to medical supplies for disaster victims. Former President Barack Obama has personally praised her work, stating “ You’ve become a powerful force in the fight to give people dignity.”

With a headstrong character and a heart of gold, Rihanna is in a league of her own. She maintains a tenacious resolve to live her life on her own terms while helping others and inspiring upcoming generations to do more. Regardless of the bumps along the way, Rihanna is proud to say she always follows her heart, and encourages you to do the same.

When you follow the things that feel great to you, you can never lose.

• success stories

Jenny is a freelance writer in the areas of tech and productivity. She also enjoys writing unusual stories of success and giving tips to new freelance writers. You can read her useful ramblings on Medium. or find her on Twitter @JenMedWrites.

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Rihanna   Biography

Robyn Rihanna Fenty was born in Bridgetown, Barbados, on February 20, 1988. She is a well-known singer, songwriter, model, dancer, actress, fashion designer, entrepreneur, and music producer of Barbadian and American nationality.

Rihanna is the daughter of Monica Braithwaite, a retired public accountant, and Ronald Fenty, a commercial supervisor from both Barbados and Ireland. She has two brothers of his parents and three half-brothers by his father side. She went to Charles F. Broome School, where she attended elementary school, and Combermere School, where she won both the talent contest and the beauty pageant in 2004. As a child, she suffered from severe headaches, associated with the constant arguments her parents maintained due to Ronald Fenty’s addiction to cocaine. However, when Rihanna was 14 years old, they divorced, and the headaches ceased.

Her musical career began when she formed a musical trio with two of her classmates in 2003 . By that time, the American music producer Evan Rogers was vacationing with his wife in Barbados. A friend of Rihanna contacted his wife and told him about her. Convinced by his wife, Evan called the trio to an audition, in which Rihanna prevailed before her two companions with her voice, singing Emotion , of the band Destiny’s Child, and Hero , of the singer Mariah Carey. Evan Rogers then arranged a second audition, but this time without her partners and with the presence of her mother. Pleased with what he heard, he invited Rihanna to record a demo in the United States, which was sent to different record companies.

This model went through several hands, up to rapper Jay-Z, who had just obtained the position of president and CEO of the label Def Jam. Jay-Z was only able to listen to Rihanna singing Pon de Replay to feel enthusiastic, although he had his doubts. So, he called Rihanna for an audition in New York, where he convinced both Jay-Z and L.A. Reid that they wanted her in Def Jam. After signing with the label, Rihanna rejected the other offers she had and went to live with Evan Rogers and his wife in the United States.

In 2005, his song Pon de Replay was in the top five of the summer music charts of fifteen countries, among which we can mention the UK Singles Chart and the Billboard Hot 100. She even reached the number one spot in the Hot Dance Club Songs. By August of that same year, Rihanna released her first album, Music of the Sun, with which she obtained the gold certification of the Association of the record industry of the United States because it sold more than half million units. Rihanna also sang her album at the pre-gala of the MTV Premios Vido Music Awards that same year.

The following year she released her second album, A Girl Like Me , which was very well received as well, as it was ranked number five of the most listened to songs in the United States and the United Kingdom, and in Canada ranked first. On May 31, 2007, Rihanna releases her third album Good Girl Gone Bad. It was with this that she achieved global recognition because beyond the numerous sales of the album made all over the world, which today totals more than 6 and a half million copies , she took it on a tour with more than 80 presentations both in Europe and in North America. In addition to giving her the nomination of several Grammy Awards in 2008, of which she won the Best Collaboration of Rap/Sung.

By November 2009, released her fourth album, Rated R, with which she began her tour The Last Girl on Earth, which featured 57 shows that started in Europe and ended in Australia. The following year she collaborated with Eminem on the song Love the Way You Lie , which was the best-selling song of 2010 in the United Kingdom. That same year, she released her fifth album, Loud , which contained the single Only Girl (In the World) , with which she won the Best Recording Dance Award at the Grammys. In 2011, she released another successful album, Talk That Talk, and in 2012 she collaborated with Coldplay on Princess of China and with Drake on Take Care.

She was also chosen as the best international artist at the Brit Awards for the second consecutive time and won the MTV Music Award for the best video of 2012, being the first woman to receive it several times. In September, she released her seventh album Unapologetic , and in 2013 she won the Grammy for Best Short Music Video thanks to We Found Love . By 2015, the Recording Industry Association of the United States revealed that the artist had sold more than 100 million copies. In 2016, Rihanna released her eighth album and last so far, Anti .

Beyond her musical career, Rihanna participated in 2006 as an actress in Bring it On All or Nothing , although with terrible criticism. She also produced the Styled to Rock series in 2012. She also participated in This Is the End , 2013; Home, of 2015; and It is known that she will appear in the Bates Motel series. She has acted in commercials for Kodak and Samsung, has launched her own fragrance, Rebelle, and has helped in multiple charity events.

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Fernando Botero

Fernando Botero Biography

Fernando Botero Angulo (April 19, 1932 – September 15, 2023) was a sculptor, painter, muralist, and draftsman, hailing from Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia. He was a Colombian artist known and celebrated for infusing a substantial volume to human and animal figures in his works.

Early Years and Beginnings

Fernando Botero was born into an affluent Paisa family , composed of his parents, David Botero and Flora Angulo, along with his older brother Juan David, who was four years his senior, and his younger brother, Rodrigo, who would be born four years after Fernando, in the same year that their father passed away. In 1938, he enrolled in primary school at the Ateneo Antioqueño and later entered the Bolivariana to continue his high school education. However, he was expelled from the institution due to an article he published in the newspaper El Colombiano about Picasso , as well as his drawings that were considered obscene. As a result, he graduated from high school at the Liceo of the University of Antioquia in 1950.

In parallel to his studies, Fernando attended a bullfighting school in La Macarena at the request of one of his uncles. However, due to an issue related to bullfighting, Botero left the bullring and embarked on a journey into painting. In 1948, he held his first exhibition in Medellín. Two years later, he traveled to Bogotá where he had two more exhibitions and had the opportunity to meet some intellectuals of the time. He then stayed at Isolina García’s boarding house in Tolú, which he paid for by painting a mural. Once again in Bogotá, he won the second prize at the IX National Artists Salon with his oil painting “Facing the Sea” .

“Ephemeral art is a lesser form of expression that cannot be compared to the concept of art conceived with the desire for perpetuity. What many people fail to understand is that Picasso is a traditional artist”- Fernando Botero

Due to the prize from the IX Salon and the sale of several of his works, Fernando Botero traveled to Spain in 1952 to enroll at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid. There, he lived by selling drawings and paintings in the vicinity of the Prado Museum. In 1953, he went to Paris with filmmaker Ricardo Irrigarri, and later, they both traveled to Florence. Here, he entered the Academy of San Marco, where he was heavily influenced by Renaissance painters such as Piero della Francesca, Titian, and Paolo Uccello.

Career and Personal Life

In 1955, Botero returned to Colombia to hold an exhibition featuring several of his works created during his time in Europe, but it was met with a lukewarm reception from the public.

Woman With a Mirror / Foto:Luis García (Zaqarbal) / Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Spain (CC BY-SA 3.0 ES)

In 1956, he married Gloria Zea, with whom he would later have three children: Fernando, Juan Carlos, and Lina. The couple traveled to Mexico City, where Fernando Botero was eager to see the works of Mexican muralists, but this experience left him disillusioned. Consequently, he began searching for his own artistic style, drawing influence from both the Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo and the Colombian artist Alejandro Obregón . In this quest, he started experimenting with volume, initially in still lifes, and gradually extending this approach to other elements.

In 1957, he successfully exhibited in New York, showcasing his new artistic sensibility. The following year, he returned to Bogotá, where he was appointed as a professor at the School of Fine Arts at the National University of Colombia . He presented his work “La Camera Degli Sposi” at the X Colombian Artists Salon , winning the first prize and becoming the country’s most prominent painter. This piece sparked some controversy as it was initially censored for being almost a parody of Andrea Mantegna’s “La Cámara de los Esposos”. However, it was later reinstated in the exhibition on the advice of Marta Traba. Subsequently, Fernando Botero exhibited his works in various spaces in the United States, where a businessman from Chicago purchased “La Camera Degli Sposi” .

“Fernando Botero and his works are the finest ambassadors of our country in this land of navigators and discoverers, of poets and fado singers”- Juan Manuel Santos

In 1960, Botero separated from Gloria Zea and traveled to New York. He led a modest life here as the New York art scene was primarily inclined towards abstract expressionism. Consequently, Botero was influenced by artists like Pollock, which led him to experiment with color, brushwork, and format, to the point of nearly abandoning his distinctive style characterized by the manipulation of volume. Aware of this, Botero returned to his usual style of flat colors and figurative representations.

Starting in 1962, he began a series of exhibitions in both Europe and the United States, as well as in Colombia. By 1970, the year his son Pedro was born to his second wife, Cecilia Zambrano, Fernando Botero had already become the world’s most sought-after sculptor. However, in 1974, his son Pedro tragically died in a traffic accident, leading to his second divorce and leaving significant marks on his artistic endeavors.

In 1978, the Colombian painter married Sophia Vari , a renowned Greek artist with whom he shared a significant part of his life, until sadly, she passed away in May 2023.

Since 1983, Fernando Botero has been exhibiting his works and donating them to various cities around the world. As a result, we can find his pieces in the streets of Medellín, Barcelona, Oviedo, Singapore, and Madrid, among others. In 2008, the Autonomous University of Nuevo León in Mexico conferred upon him an honorary Doctorate.

Renowned Colombian artist, Fernando Botero, died on September 15, 2023 , in Monaco at the age of 91 due to pneumonia . His artistic legacy will endure forever. In his hometown, seven days of mourning were declared.

Pedrito a Caballo, Fernando Botero (1975).

Top 10 Famous works by Fernando Botero

Some of the most recognized works by Colombian painter and sculptor Fernando Botero:

• “Pedrito on Horseback” / “Pedrito a Caballo” (1974): This is an oil painting on canvas measuring 194.5 cm x 150.5 cm. For Botero, this work is his masterpiece and a refuge during a personal tragedy. The child depicted is Pedro, his son from his second marriage, who tragically passed away in an accident when he was young.
• “Mona Lisa at 12 Years Old” / “Mona lisa a los 12 años” (1978): This piece stands out as a unique version of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting, the Mona Lisa . Painted in oil on canvas and measuring 183 cm x 166 cm, Botero incorporates his characteristic style of voluptuous and rounded figures into this work, which has become one of his most distinctive pieces.
• “Woman’s Torso” / “Torso de Mujer” (1986): It is a majestic bronze sculpture that rises to an impressive height of approximately 2.48 meters. It is often affectionately referred to as “La Gorda” (“The Fat One”). This artwork finds its home in Parque de Berrío, located in the captivating city of Medellín.
• “Woman with Mirror” / “Mujer con Espejo” (1987): An imposing bronze sculpture weighing 1000 kg. It is located in Plaza de Colón, in the heart of Madrid, Spain. The artwork captivates the gaze with the portrayal of a woman peacefully lying face down on the ground, holding a mirror in her hands. Her expression reflects deep introspection and enigmatic melancholy.
• “The Orchestra” / “La Orquesta” (1991): In this oil on canvas artwork, measuring 200 cm x 172 cm, Botero presents a band of musicians with a singer, all immersed in a spirit of celebration. The artist aims to convey a sense of harmony and joy through his portrayal.
• “Woman Smoking” / “Mujer Fumando” (1994): It is a creation executed in watercolor, spanning dimensions of 122 cm x 99 cm. In this work, Maestro Botero skillfully captures the essence of a woman elegantly holding a cigarette between her fingers. His meticulous focus on voluptuous forms, posture, and the serene expression of the figure masterfully combine to emphasize the sensuality and profound intimacy of the moment captured in the artwork.
• “Man on Horseback” / “Hombre a Caballo” (1996): This bronze sculpture is one of the most iconic works in the artist’s career. It depicts a rider in a majestic and proud posture. Over the years, this imposing work has been exhibited in multiple cities around the world, solidifying its place as a prominent piece in the sculptor’s body of work.
• “The Horse” / “El Caballo” (1997): This iconic sculpture showcases a horse of majestic presence and a distinctive rounded form, sculpted in bronze and measuring approximately 3 meters in height. This masterpiece reflects Botero’s profound passion for horses while also serving as a powerful representation of the mythical Trojan Horse.
• “The Death of Pablo Escobar” / “La muerte de Pablo Escobar” (1999): This artwork, created using the oil on canvas technique, has dimensions of 58 cm x 38 cm. While not considered a masterpiece, this artistic piece represents one of the most significant moments in Colombia’s history. Fernando Botero captures, in his distinctive style, the moment of the death of the drug lord Pablo Escobar , addressing issues related to violence and criminality that have marked the country’s history. An interesting detail is that, although Pablo Escobar admired Fernando Botero’s art, it cannot be said that the admiration was mutual. The painter created two works depicting the death of the drug trafficker.
• “Boterosutra Series” / “Serie Boterosutra” (2011): This work by Botero is part of an erotic art collection called Boterosutra , marking a milestone in the history of Colombian art as the first artistic representation of sexual intimacy between lovers. This series comprises around 70 small-sized pieces created using various techniques, including colored drawings, watercolors, brushstrokes, and also black and white, all of which constitute one of the most contemporary works by the painter.

Ryan Reynolds

Biography of Ryan Reynolds

Ryan Rodney Reynolds was born on October 23, 1976 in Vancouver, Canada, and he is a well-known actor. When Ryan was born, his mother, Tammy, was a student and a salesperson, while his father, Jim, worked in wholesale food sales and also excelled as a semi-professional boxer. In addition, Ryan has three older siblings.

He studied in his hometown of Vancouver until 1994 when he decided to join a theater group as an extracurricular activity while attending Kwantlen College. However, his passion for acting became a vocation, and Ryan dropped out of college to devote all his time and energy to his acting career.

Debut as an actor

He quickly landed small roles in successful and memorable TV series such as “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” and “The X-Files”. In 1998, his big break came with the series “Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place”, which ran until 2001 and catapulted him to fame. The show became very popular thanks to its great comedic content, an area where Reynolds demonstrated perfect skill, but this was not the first time that Ryan had made a name for himself in a Hollywood comedy, as he had already been in “Life During Wartime” in 1997.

After working in several minor jobs, Ryan got his first major role as a protagonist in the crazy “Van Wilder – Animal Party”, where he played a college party organizer. The success of the film opened doors for him to work alongside Michael Douglas in “Till Death Do Us Part”, support Wesley Snipes in “Blade Trinity” or star in the horror movie “The Amityville Horror”. However, at this stage of his career, Ryan stood out mainly as a protagonist in comedies such as “Just Friends”, “Waiting” and “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle”. This led him to want to leave his comedic side behind, getting involved in different projects such as the thriller “Smokin’ Aces”, the independent film “Adventureland” and the action film “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”. Later on, he also participated in romantic films such as “The Proposal” and “Definitely, Maybe”. However, recognition of his acting ability did not come until Ryan was nominated for a Goya Award for his demanding role in “Buried”. It is worth noting that he also brought to life the comic book hero “Green Lantern” and the renowned “Deadpool”.

Contracts, curiosities

Prestigious brands like Hugo Boss have not been oblivious to Ryan Reynolds’ popularity, charisma, and good looks, offering him contracts to be the face of one of their fragrances : Boss Bottled Night, a fragrance that, through great advertising, managed to convey an irresistible seductive effect.

Two curiosities can be highlighted from his work: first, the nearly 10 kilos of solid muscle he gained thanks to rigorous physical training to bring Hannibal King to life in “Blade: Trinity”; and second, his appearance on the animated TV series Zeroman, in which he lent his voice to the character Ty Cheese. In addition, like many Hollywood stars, Ryan Reynolds has an eccentricity outside the world of entertainment: a great passion for motorcycles , of which he owns three collector’s items, one of which was designed exclusively for him and is none other than a Harley Davidson.

Romantic relationships

Regarding his personal life, Ryan Reynolds was in a romantic relationship with singer Alanis Morissette from 2002 to 2007. The couple got engaged in 2004, but in July 2006, People magazine reported that they had separated, although neither of them officially confirmed the news. Shortly after, in February 2007, they decided to end their engagement by mutual agreement. In May 2008, Reynolds announced his engagement to actress Scarlett Johansson , and they got married on September 27 of the same year. However, in December 2010, the couple announced in a statement to People magazine that they had decided to end their marriage.

So, on September 9, 2012, he married the actress Blake Lively in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. In October 2014, they announced that they were expecting their first child, and in December of that same year, Ryan Reynolds and his wife Blake Lively became parents with the birth of their daughter: Ines. Later, on April 14, 2016, his wife’s second pregnancy was confirmed, and on September 30, 2016, he became a father for the second time to a boy named James.

Biography of Tom Hanks

Thomas Jeffrey Hanks, born July 9, 1956 in Concord, California, United States, is an actor known as Tom Hanks. Hanks was raised by his father Amos Mefford Hanks, who worked as a cook of English food, and his mother Janet Marylyn, a nurse. He was raised with the values of the Catholic and Mormon religion. During his time at Skyline High School in Oakland, he attended theater classes with his best friend. During his adolescence, Hanks demonstrated his acting talent and won the Best Theater Actor award at his institute. Later, he enrolled in Chabot College in Hayward, California and two years later did a exchange at California State University, Sacramento.

1981 – Debut as an actor

In 1979, the Hanks family moved to New York, which gave Tom the opportunity to debut as a supporting actor in the horror film “Sabe que estás sola” in 1981. Two years later, he landed a lead role in another film. Additionally, he did his first television work in the comedy series “Bosom Buddies.” Later, he decided to move to Los Angeles to participate in “Despedida de soltero” in 1984, although the film was not very successful, it allowed him to be discovered by Ron Howard, who later contacted him to offer a role in “Splash” in 1984.

Since then, Tom starred in several comedy films such as “Amigos del alma” (1980), “Esta casa es una ruina” (1986), “Big” (1988), “No matarás… al vecino” (1989), “Socios y sabuesos” (1989), and “Joe contra el volcán” (1990). His father was always very important in his career, constantly encouraging him to keep fighting for his dream. On several occasions, he helped him to get small roles. He also supported his participation in the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival in Cleveland, Ohio. Tom had already made some appearances in series like “Vacaciones en el mar”, “Happy Days”, “Taxi”, or “Family Ties”.

“The King of Comedy”

After a small role in the horror film “He Knows You’re Alone” (1980) directed by Armand Mastroianni, he starred in several comedies that typecast him in comedic roles. His charming personality and natural talent contributed to his growing popularity. Definitely his consecration came in the eighties, he was cataloged as the king of comedy . Thanks to “Big” (1988), he achieved great success for his performance, receiving the Los Angeles Critics Award and an Oscar nomination . Although he had a bit of a downfall after that, he regained momentum as a disillusioned former baseball pitcher who trains a women’s team in “A League of Their Own” (1992).

Tom considered it appropriate to change direction and tackle other stories, to move away from comedy a little. So, he eagerly sought more intense themes where he could showcase his versatility. With his work in “The Bonfire of the Vanities” (1989), directed by Brian de Palma, he attempted to take the first step to break away from light comedies, but the result was not as expected. However, his career took off again with his portrayal of an AIDS-stricken lawyer in “Philadelphia” (1992), directed by Jonathan Demme, an intense character that was quite a challenge. His effort was rewarded with an Oscar. He renewed his commercial success with “Sleepless in Seattle” (1993), directed by Nora Ephron, where he teamed up with Meg Ryan, and worked with her again in “You’ve Got Mail” (1998).

Some of his most acclaimed performances

In the mid-90s, Hanks established himself as one of Hollywood’s brightest stars. It’s worth mentioning that his career enjoyed significant success. For his role in Robert Zemeckis’ “ Forrest Gump ” (1994), this has been one of the most striking films of the decade, he was again deserving of an Oscar , a prize that increased, turning him into one of the best-paid actors in Hollywood. With the comedy “The Wonders” (1996), he made his directorial debut.

Later, he did the same in the field of production with the TV series “From the Earth to the Moon,” a work that took him several years. Hanks had the lead role in the feature film “Saving Private Ryan” (1997), directed by Steven Spielberg , with this role he was nominated for the Academy Award, although the film received five Oscars. In 2000, he worked with Robert Zemeckis again in the film “Cast Away,” a film in which his solo performance was praised, for which he received an Oscar nomination.

Between 2003 and 2004, he repeated his collaboration with Spielberg in “Catch Me If You Can” and also in “The Terminal.” In 2006, he starred in the hit film “The Da Vinci Code,” the cinematic version of Dan Brown’s controversial work. Starting in 2014, Hanks’ films have grossed over 4.2 billion in countries such as the United States and Canada, and over 8.4 billion in the rest of the world, he is definitely an actor who ensures great success for films. His fame is such that the asteroid (12818) Tomhanks bears his name.

Marriages, children.

The actor has had several marriages throughout his life. His first marriage was to Samantha Lewes in 1978, from which two children were born: Colin Hanks in 1977 and Elisabeth Ann in 1982. However, the couple divorced in 1985. Later, in 1988, he married actress and producer Rita Wilson , with whom he had two additional children: Chester Marlon in 1991 and Truman Theodore in 1996. In recent years, the actor has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, which requires a strict diet and daily care to maintain his health.

Marc Anthony

Biography of Marc Anthony

Marc Anthony (born September 16, 1968) is an American salsa singer and actor , born in New York. His real name is Marco Antonio Muñiz Rivera . From a young age, he has been involved in music, growing up with rock and rhythm & blues. His parents, Felipe Muñiz and Guillermina Rivera, discovered his passion and musical ability when he was a child. During his teenage years, to earn money, he began singing at bars and nightclubs , and quickly gained popularity. He was contacted by one of the members of the Latin Rascals group, and their producer Louie Vega invited him to record several albums with the Atlantic Records label.

Beginnings as a singer

One of Marc Anthony’s most successful musical products was the album “Rebel”, which achieved some success on the disco music charts. In 1992, his career in the salsa world took off when the famous Tito Puente took him as an opening act for a concert at Madison Square Garden. A year later, he recorded a salsa version of a song by Juan Gabriel that received excellent reviews and great popularity in the musical circles of New York. Soon, Marc Anthony appeared in several television productions and began to receive offers for concerts. After a few years, he was recognized as the new “king of salsa”. During the 1990s, his lyrics occupied the top position in Latin America and also in the United States.

The new “musical phenomenon”

Marc Anthony became a massively successful musical phenomenon , comparable to the success of Héctor Lavoe. At the same time, he continued to develop his acting career, appearing in films such as “Bringing out the Dead” directed by Martin Scorsese; “Big Night” directed by Stanley Tucci; “Hackers,” and “The Capeman,” a Broadway musical directed by singer and songwriter Paul Simon. He also performed the main theme of the soundtrack of “The Mask of Zorro” (1998), in which Antonio Banderas was the lead actor.

Third salsa album “Against the Stream”

That same year, he worked on the production of his third salsa album: “Contra la Corriente,” undoubtedly many salsa critics and aficionados affirm that it was the best album of his career, for which he received a Grammy for Best Latin-Tropical Album. In 1999, he released the album “Marc Anthony” to the market, this album undoubtedly demonstrates a new stage in his musical career, as it combined salsa with pop and also featured songs in English, in order to reach and conquer the Anglo-Saxon audience and market.

The first single, “I Need to Know,” put him in the top positions of the North American charts: it remained in the Top 10 of the Billboard for eleven weeks and eight more weeks in the Top 40. He also released the Spanish version, titled “Dímelo.” With this song, he won the Grammy for Best Latin Song of the Year and was number one on the Latin Billboard chart. He quickly released the second single, “You Sang to Me,” repeating the success of the previous one and selling over two million copies of the album.

Starting the new millennium, he released a greatest hits salsa album titled “Desde el principio.” After that, Marc Anthony went on a extensive tour that took him through the United States. All magazines and press talked about his triumphant concert at Madison Square Garden. Then he was in Canada and Central America. At that time, Marc Anthony received the admiration of his fans when he helped with his charitable work for the victims of Hurricane George, in sum, he founded a foundation that bears his name.

International tours

In 2011, he started the Dos Mundos Tour, with the company of Alejandro Fernández , a concert across Latin America. The following year, he was in Colombia at the Manacacías Summer Festival, many people from different parts of the country traveled to attend his concert. He had a significant participation in the 53rd International Song Festival of Viña del Mar, Chile, where he sang the song “¿Y cómo es él?” from his album “Iconos”. He received the highest distinction.

On March 3, 2012, Marc returned to Uruguay after 17 years and gave his performance at the Charrúa Stadium in Montevideo with an attendance of 25,000 spectators. In the GIGANT3S TOUR, he performed in several North American cities alongside Chayanne and Marco Antonio Solís . In 2013, he released his album 3.0. In 2014, he was the big winner of four of the five awards for which he was nominated at the Premios Lo Nuestro. Additionally, his career was recognized as one of the most successful Latin music artists. In 2016, he released a song called “Deja que te bese” with the collaboration of Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz, the song has over 50 million views on Youtube.

In September 2016, he carried out his “Marc Anthony Live” tour which included 5 dates at Radio City Music Hall. His private life has been somewhat controversial and has been exposed to various comments. He had his first daughter in 1994, Arianna Rosado-Muñiz, a product of his relationship with a former police officer from New York. In 2000 he married for the first time to Dayanara Torres, with whom he had two children. He later helped Jennifer Lopez in the production of the song “Sway” for the soundtrack of the movie Shall We Dance?. They then fell in love and after only one month of relationship, they got engaged in March 2004.

The couple had twins and Jennifer sold the exclusive photos of the children to People Magazine. However, after a few years, the couple decided to end their marriage on April 9, 2012. It is said that everything started when Jennifer Lopez met dancer Casper Smart and began a relationship with him two months after her separation from Marc. Later, Marc started a relationship with Venezuelan model Shannon de Lima, whom he married in 2014. Despite this, his relationship with Jennifer, the mother of his children, is harmonious, and he even participated in her song “Olvídame y pega la vuelta” in 2016. Two years earlier, the Puerto Rican singer made an impact with the hit song “Flor Pálida”.

On January 28, 2023, he married Nadia Ferreira in an incredible wedding surrounded by stars from film, music, and sports. The ceremony took place at the Perez Art Museum in Miami, with David Beckham as the best man.

  Ver esta publicación en Instagram   Una publicación compartida por Nadia Ferreira (@nadiatferreira)

Paul McCartney

Biography of Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney (born June 18, 1942) is a singer. He was born in Liverpool, England. His mother, Mary Patricia, was a nurse, while his father, James McCartney, was a volunteer firefighter. During Paul’s birth, his father was not present as he was fighting in the Battle of England during World War II. Paul grew up in a religious and strict environment, with his mother Catholic and his father Protestant, but later became agnostic. After returning from the war, his father devoted himself to selling cleaning products and, in his free time, played in bars.

Death of his mother

That’s why his son developed a deep love for music. He stood out in school for his intelligence and discipline and studied at Liverpool Institute secondary school, a good free secondary school. In 1954, he met George Harrison, with whom he quickly formed a strong friendship. At the time, McCartney’s mother was the one who kept the household and for work reasons they moved to Allerton, where they lived until 1964. On October 31, 1956, when McCartney was 14 years old, his mother died from a stroke.

After his mother’s death, McCartney was devastated. It took some time for him to return to normal. H is father saw music as a refuge to help his son feel better, so he took him to listen to the Jim Mac’s Jazz Band, where his father played trumpet or piano. He also gave him a trumpet, but when rock and roll became popular, he chose an acoustic guitar. The first song he composed was “I Lost My Little Girl” on that guitar, a Zenith. He also composed “When I’m Sixty-Four” on the home piano.

1957 – Met John Lennon

He met Lennon on July 6th, 1957. McCartney joined The Quarrymen, a school band led by Lennon, in 1958 as the lead guitarist. The band mixed rock and roll and skiffle, a popular music style, with jazz and blues. After several name changes, the band decided to call themselves The Beatles in August 1960 and recruited drummer Pete Best for their move to Hamburg. In 1961, one of its members, Sutcliffe, left the band and McCartney was forced to take over as bassist. They recorded as a backing band for English singer Tony Sheridan on the single My Bonnie.

1963 – “Beatlemania”

They managed to attract the attention of Brian Epstein, who became their manager in January 1962 and a key figure in their later success. With their first hit, “Love Me Do” in 1963, the “Beatlemania” began. John Lennon and Paul wrote a large number of songs together, but later their egos collided and they preferred to write separately. In 1970, The Beatles disbanded. But Paul continued his successful career with songs that reached number one. He recorded his first solo LP, “McCartney”, with songs very different from those that Lennon would write, with commercial melodies for varied tastes.

1980 – Paul McCartney Guinness Records

In 1980, he entered the Guinness Book of Records as the highest-selling songwriter in the world. His theme Yesterday , one of the most celebrated by The Beatles , has around 2,500 versions in the most diverse musical styles. Some of his solo hits are: Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey, Live and Let Die for the James Bond film received the Oscar for best musical theme; Coming Up from his solo album Paul McCartney II. He joined George Martin and Ringo Starr in 1982 for the recording of Tug of War. On Press to play, his next album, was recorded with Eric Stewart.

Awards, arrest, record.

Winner of 18 Grammy Awards, including two Lifetime Achievement Grammy Awards (one with the Beatles and another as a solo artist). He is a vegetarian and an animal rights advocate. He was arrested for marijuana possession in Tokyo in 1980 and was briefly in jail. He participated in the “Live Aid” concert against hunger in Ethiopia in 1985. I n 1990, he achieved the record for the largest attendance at a concert with 184,000 people in Rio de Janeiro. Since 1997 he is Sir Paul McCartney, invested as a knight by Queen Elizabeth II.

2013 – Other awards, marriages.

On February 10, 2013, he received a Grammy for “Best Traditional Pop Album” for his album “Kisses On The Bottom”. Later, he received a special award from PRS for Music in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the composition of his most famous song, “ Yesterday “. These songs, as well as “And I Love Her,” “You Will Not See Me,” and “I’m Looking Through You,” were written inspired by his relationship with British actress Jane Asher. After five years of engagement, the couple broke up due to his infidelity with Francie Schwartz. He married Linda Eastman on March 12, 1969, and together they formed the musical group Wings after the dissolution of the Beatles . In 1999, he presented his collection of poems entitled “Blackbird Singing: Poems and Lyrics (1965-1999)”. After the death of his wife, McCartney experienced deep sadness.

In 2002, Paul McCartney married former model Heather Mills in an Irish castle. After a long legal battle in the London Supreme Court, in 2008 Mills was authorized to collect one fifth of the 250 million dollars she had demanded from McCartney for their four-year marriage. In 2011, McCartney married Nancy Shevell in a civil ceremony in London on October 9th of that year.

Relevant aspects of his life and musical career

• With 60 gold records and the sale of over 100 million albums and singles as a solo artist and with The Beatles, McCartney is recognized as one of the most successful composers and artists of all time.
• As a solo artist in 1999 and as a member of The Beatles in 1988, he has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
• As a solo artist and with The Beatles, he has been recognized with twenty-one Grammy Awards.
• 32 of the songs that McCartney has written or co-written have reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
• As of 2014, he had sold over 15 million certified units by the RIAA in the United States.
• In 1997, McCartney was elevated to the rank of knight for his services to music.
• In 1965, McCartney, Lennon, Harrison and Starr were named members of the Order of the British Empire .
• He has been married three times and is the father of five children.
• He has participated in projects to help international charities related to issues such as animal rights, seal hunting, landmine cleaning, vegetarianism, poverty and musical education.
• He ranks 11th on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest Singers.
• He ranks first on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest Artists as a member of The Beatles.
• He ranks third on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest Bassists.
• Only surpassed by Bob Dylan , he ranks second on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest Songwriters.

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The fabulous life of Rihanna, from her Barbados roots to the Super Bowl, and Fenty Beauty's game-changing role in makeup

• Rihanna is one of the most influential artists of her generation.
• Among other achievements, she has 14 No. 1 songs and nine Grammy Awards.
• She has also made her mark as a humanitarian, entrepreneur, and makeup mogul.

At just 35 years old, Rihanna has already achieved icon status.

Over the course of her relatively short career, Rihanna has positioned herself as one of the most influential artists of her generation. She is the most successful artist in the history of Billboard's Pop Songs Chart — not to mention her already-lasting mark as a humanitarian, entrepreneur, and makeup mogul.

Here's a complete timeline of Rihanna's biggest achievements and most iconic moments.

As a child in Barbados, Rihanna reportedly used music to escape from "anxieties of a violent home life."

Rihanna — born Robyn Rihanna Fenty on February 20, 1988 — was raised in Barbados. She has said that growing up, her father was addicted to drugs and physically abusive towards her mother .

She has also joked that she " annoyed every one of [her] neighbors," and her mom referred to her voice as an "annoying little husky man voice."

Record producer Evan Rogers met Rihanna in 2003, while he was vacationing in Barbados with his wife . The 15-year-old singer told Rogers that being in the music business was "all I've ever wanted to do." She had no formal training in music or dance, but Rogers remembers her remarkable "presence."

"It was more likely a much more urgent need to escape from the anxieties of a violent home life into the illusion of security and boundless love that a life onstage seemed to offer," he told John Seabrook, as recounted in his book "The Song Machine."

"That desire, more than any inborn talent, is what fans will connect to, and that is what record men look for in a new artist. It's the one thing they can't manufacture."

Rihanna signed to Def Jam in 2005. She was taken under the wing of the label's then-president, Jay-Z.

In December 2004, Rihanna recorded the Caribbean jam "Pon de Replay" and sent the song off to several record labels .

In early 2005, a then-16-year-old Rihanna flew to New York City to audition for Def Jam's newly appointed president and CEO, Jay-Z . According to a 2007 interview with The Guardian , she sang a Whitney Houston cover ("For the Love of You") and two originals, one being "Pon de Replay."

"I was like, 'Oh God, he's right there, I can't look, I can't look, I can't look!'" she told The Guardian. "I remember being extremely quiet. I was very shy. I was cold the entire time. I had butterflies. I'm sitting across from Jay-Z. Like, Jay-Z. I was star-struck."

"The audition definitely went well," she continued. "Jay-Z said, 'There's only two ways out. Out the door after you sign this deal. Or through this window.' And we were on the 29th floor. Very flattering."

Rihanna's debut single "Pon de Replay" was an immediate hit.

The studio version of "Pon de Replay" was released in May 2005. The dance-pop, reggae-infused track hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 when Rihanna was just 17 years old.

One year later, in May 2006, she scored her first No. 1 single.

"S.O.S." was the debut single from Rihanna's sophomore album, "A Girl Like Me." It reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 three months after its release on Valentine's Day and maintained its reign for three consecutive weeks.

The game-changing track "Umbrella" was released on March 29, 2007.

As Billboard's Joe Lynch writes, when "Umbrella (feat. Jay-Z)" dropped , "Rihanna already had two albums and four top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits under her belt. But for a burgeoning pop icon, she was short just one thing: An instantly iconic pop smash that would prove she was in it for the long game."

"'Umbrella' was that ubiquitous smash," Lynch writes, "an inescapable hit that hit No. 1, soundtracked the summer of 2017 and introduced Bad Gal RiRi to your mom, dad, grandma, grandpa…basically, anyone with a set of ears."

She took home her first Grammy Award in 2008.

Rihanna earned four nominations for the 50th annual Grammy Awards , which was the first time she was recognized by the Recording Academy.

On February 10, 2008, Rihanna and Jay-Z took home the trophy for best rap/sung collaboration. Their smash hit "Umbrella" was also nominated for record of the year, but lost to "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse.

She collaborated with Drake for the first time in 2010.

Just months after they sparked reports of a romance , Rihanna and Drake debuted their first collaborative track, "What's My Name?"

The steamy track was released as the second single from Rihanna's fifth studio album on October 26, 2010. It peaked at No. 1 and even earned the duo a Grammy nomination for best rap/sung collaboration. (It lost, but to another Rihanna song: her 2010 collaboration with Kanye West , "All of the Lights").

"What's My Name?" is especially notable for marking the beginning of the duo's beloved creative relationship , which would later yield hit songs like "Take Care" and "Work."

Rihanna's fifth studio album "Loud" earned her first Grammy nomination for album of the year.

"Loud" was released on November 12, 2010, and spawned three No. 1 songs: "What's My Name?," "Only Girl," and "S&M."

"Loud" earned Rihanna her first and, to date, only Grammy nomination for album of the year , the show's most coveted award. It lost to Adele's "21."

She made her big screen debut with "Battleship" in May 2012.

The summer blockbuster "Battleship" was loosely based on the board game of the same name. It was critically panned , but praise-worthy for Rihanna's big screen debut — for which she was chosen specifically by the film's director, Peter Berg .

"Her videos are super hot and I'd watched them a lot. It clicked for me though after she got assaulted and she went on Diane Sawyer's show and talked very frankly about that night and what happened," Berg told GQ, referring to Rihanna's 2009 assault by then-boyfriend Chris Brown .

"She was so intelligent and articulate," he continued. "I remember thinking, 'Wow. There's much more to this woman than I'd thought.' I then saw her do this stupid little skit on 'Saturday Night Live' where she was in a classroom giving a hard time to these boys. She was funny as all hell! I knew in that moment that the girl could act. No question."

In November 2012, "Unapologetic" became Rihanna's first No. 1 album.

Rihanna's seventh studio album shot to the top of the Billboard 200, becoming Rihanna's first No. 1 album , and won the Grammy for best urban contemporary album on January 26, 2014.

The album's "stark, shadowy R&B," wrote Rolling Stone's Jon Dolan , "is confrontationally honest and sung within an inch of its life, whether she's turning a strip-club anthem into a declaration of independence ('Pour It Out') or pleading at the piano ('Stay')."

Rihanna was given the American Music Awards' first-ever Icon Award in 2013.

The 2013 American Music Awards hailed Rihanna as " the voice of our time" (Bill Maher's words) and the best-selling digital artist of all time (Nielsen's official title).

After performing the "Unapologetic" hit single "Diamonds," Rihanna was presented with the first-ever Icon Award by her mother, Monica Braithwaite.

"I know the journey and your career has not always been an easy one," Braithwaite said, according to Rolling Stone . "But tonight, I applaud and admire you for being so strong and so positive and so humble and so focused. I'm so blessed to be part of this historic moment."

She received the CFDA Fashion Icon award in 2014.

Rihanna walked the 2014 Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) red carpet in a sparkling, sheer gown and little else. But when asked about the daring fashion choice, she laughed it off in a classic Rihanna style: "Do my tits bother you? They're covered in Swarovksi crystals, girl!"

Rihanna was named the creative director of Puma in 2014.

As reported by Time , Rihanna was tapped to oversee a women's line of clothing for Puma, focusing on fitness and training clothes. 

"It really came from her," Adam Petrick, Puma's global brand and marketing director, told The New York Times . "Though we originally started talking about it in terms of advertising, she wanted to express herself in this way. They said to us, 'We can change the face of the brand from a product perspective.'" She did not just want to be a "face."

She was also named a "brand ambassador" for the company, alongside star athletes like Usain Bolt.

The role ultimately led to Rihanna's Fenty x Puma venture, which has yielded fashion moments like the award-winning suede Creepers, iconic fur sliders, and haute-couture athleisure.

Rihanna dropped her most celebrated album yet, "Anti," on January 28, 2016.

Rihanna's eighth studio album "Anti" was surprise-released after three years of anticipation. It was unlike anything the pop star had ever released . It went to No. 1 two weeks after its debut (stalled by a Tidal-exclusive release). It eventually became the first album by a Black female artist to spend 300 weeks on the Billboard 200.

Rolling Stone's Brittany Spanos called it "a sprawling masterpiece of psychedelic soul" and "a rich full-length statement."

"After more than a decade as a superstar of the singles chart, Rihanna has become an album artist," Spanos wrote. "After years as a singer largely defined by her production, it finally feels like Rihanna is in charge of her own sound, remaking pop on her own terms."

"Anti" was nominated for best urban contemporary album and best recording package at the 2017 Grammy Awards.

The album's biggest hit, "Work," was nominated for record of the year. Two of the album's sleeper hits, "Needed Me" and "Kiss It Better," were nominated for best R&B performance and best R&B song, respectively.

Rihanna's Grammy nominations that year also included album of the year for her work on Drake's "Views" and best rap/sung performance for her vocals on Kanye West's "Famous." She didn't leave the ceremony with any awards ( and fans will never forget ).

Rihanna accepted the Video Vanguard Award at the 2016 VMAs.

Before Rihanna accepted the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards — presented by Drake, who also casually confessed his love to her — she performed a medley of her greatest hits, including "Only Girl in the World," "Rude Boy," and "Bitch Better Have My Money."

Instead of putting on one career-spanning performance of hits, as per tradition for the award, the pop star gave four such performances over the course of the show .

Rihanna was Harvard's Humanitarian of the Year in 2017.

In March 2017, the Harvard University Foundation honored Rihanna as Humanitarian of the Year , in recognition of her dedication to promoting educational programs.

In 2012, Rihanna founded the Clara Lionel Foundation Global Scholarship Program, named after her grandparents, for students from Caribbean countries going to college in the United States.

She also supports the Global Partnership for Education and Global Citizen Project, which provides education access to tens of millions of young students around the world.

Rihanna launched Fenty Beauty in September 2017.

Rihanna made her foray into the world of beauty products on September 8, 2017 , when Fenty Beauty was officially made available online and at Sephora.

The makeup line's tour de force was its whopping 40 shades of foundation , which many hailed as the new standard of inclusivity for skin tones. The darkest shades appeared to sell out in record time .

Time magazine even listed Fenty Beauty among its best inventions of the year for 2017, in large part thanks to Rihanna's mission of representation.

"It was important that every woman felt included in this brand," Rihanna told  Time . "We are all so different, with our own unique skin tones, so we started with the 40 foundation shades out the gate."

"I never could have anticipated the emotional connection that women are having with the products and the brand as a whole. Some are finding their shade of foundation for the first time, getting emotional at the counter," Rihanna said. "That's something I will never get over."

She launched Savage x Fenty in May 2018.

Savage x Fenty launched on May 11, 2018. The size-inclusive lingerie line was immediately praised for including people of "all shapes, sizes, and colors," a reputation that it still boasts to this day .

Rihanna channeled the pope at the 2018 Met Gala, for which she was a co-chair.

In one of her more iconic fashion moments, Rihanna attended the 2018 Met Gala in a silver, bedazzled gown  and accompanying robe.

She completed her elaborate look with a Stephen Jones Millinery hat crafted in the style of the pope's tiara. This headdress is normally reserved for religious ceremonies — a nod to the night's theme, "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination."

The complete outfit took 250 hours to sew and 500 hours to hand-embroider .

Rihanna starred in the ensemble film "Ocean's 8," released on June 5, 2018.

Rihanna was cast as a hacker named Nine Ball in the heist comedy, which was conceived as an all-female spinoff of the popular "Ocean's 11" series.

While the film received mixed reviews , Rihanna was praised for adding "extra mischief and attitude to the octet," in the words of Film Journal International's Kevin Lally .

She welcomed her first child with A$AP Rocky in May 2022.

Rihanna began dating A$AP Rocky, her longtime friend and collaborator , in late 2020. Two years later, she gave birth to the couple's first child, a son named RZA Athelston Mayers.

Rihanna described motherhood as "legendary" in the family's cover story for British Vogue .

"It's everything. You really don't remember life before, that's the craziest thing ever," she said. "You literally try to remember it — and there are photos of my life before — but the feeling, the desires, the things that you enjoy, everything, you just don't identify with it because you don't even allow yourself mentally to get that far, because… Because it doesn't matter."

Rihanna headlined the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show, where she also revealed her second pregnancy.

Despite not releasing a new album in seven years , Rihanna was tapped to headline the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show, joining the ranks of legends like Beyoncé, Madonna, and Prince.

For her first live performance since 2019, Rihanna delivered a show-stopping medley of hits , from "We Found Love" to "Wild Thoughts," and broke the internet by revealing her growing baby bump .

She reportedly gave birth to her second child in August 2023.

Sources told People that Rihanna feels her family is "complete" after welcoming her second child with Rocky.

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How Rihanna manifested her success: from fashion and beauty to music and motherhood

A tweet that has resurfaced from a 2008 interview suggests the star's global domination was exactly what she has always set out to do.

Rihanna's Fenty Beauty cosmetics brand has helped to redefine inclusivity in the make-up world. The singer, who was born Robyn Fenty, is now worth $1.7 billion, according to Forbes.

Rihanna has come a long way since she first emerged on to the music scene in 2005, aged merely 17. Fast-forward 17 years, and she’s conquered much more than the music industry.

With several fashion partnerships and a beauty empire under her belt, earning her billionaire status last year, as well as eight studio albums, the star has been busy cementing her global superstardom for the best part of two decades.

And now, she is about to embark on a new journey – motherhood. Rihanna and boyfriend, rapper ASAP Rocky, announced they are expecting their first child in a typically stylish way, debuting her bare bump, decorated with jewelled body chains, from beneath a vintage pink Chanel coat during a stroll around Harlem, New York on Monday.

As it turns out, Rihanna has seemingly manifested her dream life. In a 2008 magazine interview that has resurfaced on social media, the star was asked where she saw herself in 10 years’ time.

14 years ago, Rihanna manifested everything in her life now pic.twitter.com/HvYs9aMeDW — Fenty Cop (@FentyCop) January 31, 2022

“That’s a cool question,” she replied. “In 10 years, I want to have already started my family and have some businesses of my own. A fashion line, a makeup line, and I still want to be doing what I am doing at a much bigger capacity – by the grace of God!”

Following her pregnancy announcement, the star’s tweet has gone viral, with many pointing out how she has achieved everything she set out to, and then some.

Here’s a closer look at exactly how she did it:

Rihanna was discovered by American record producer Evan Rogers, who invited her to the US from her native Barbados to record demo tapes. The trip led to her being signed with Def Jam in 2005, and quickly releasing her first two albums, Music of the Sun in 2005, and A Girl Like Me in 2006, both of which gained critical acclaim.

However, her status as a pop super-force was really cemented in 2007, with the release of single Umbrella, which topped the charts in Australia, Canada, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, the US, and the UK, where it remained at No 1 for 10 consecutive weeks. It also earned the singer her first Grammy award. She has been nominated 33 times, winning nine gongs overall.

During her career, Rihanna has collaborated with the likes of Drake, Eminem, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Adam Levine, Paul McCartney, Ne-Yo and Shakira, to name a few.

It’s been five years since the star has released new music, much to her fans' disappointment. And it looks like they will have to wait a little longer now for a ninth studio album.

Just as she shook up the music industry back in 2005, Rihanna took her disruptive vision into the world of beauty in 2017, when she launched Fenty Beauty . The brand was a game-changer in the world of cosmetics, offering one of the first truly inclusive make-up lines at affordable prices.

Initially launched with foundations, highlighters, bronzers, blush compacts, lip glosses and blotting sheets in a diverse range for all skin colours, the brand has gone from strength-to-strength, and now includes a skincare arm.

Dubbed the “Fenty effect”, the brand forced other mainstream make-up companies to assess the lack of diversity in make-up shades, with many quickly expanding ranges to be more inclusive.

The company is estimated to be worth $2.8 billion, making Rihanna’s 50 per cent stake in the company worth $1.4 billion, according to Forbes , which last year officially named the star in its list of new billionaires .

Rihanna has also ventured into the world of fashion and lingerie. In 2018, she launched her Savage X Fenty underwear brand, which again, was designed to be inclusive for all body shapes and sizes. The brand debuted at New York Fashion Week in 2018, and has held annual star-studded fashion shows in the years since, often featuring supermodels and A-list celebrities, with the likes of Gigi and Bella Hadid, Lizzo, Travis Scott and Normani featuring.

In 2019, she also announced the launch of her high-end fashion label Fenty , released under LVMH, the luxury powerhouse that owns the likes of Louis Vuitton, Dior and Fendi. It was the first new luxury label launched by the company since 1987.

The brand launched with a pop-up in Paris, however, owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the brand was put on hold so she could focus on her Savage x Fenty collection.

_____________________________

See Rihanna's style evolution in 62 photos:

Rihanna, in a sequinned vest and cropped jeans, poses backstage during a MTV Networks Tempo Channel launch event on October 22, 2005, in Barbados. Getty Images

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The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women+

Rihanna is the 21st century's most influential musician.

Jenny Gathright

Rihanna performs on stage at the BRIT Awards in 2016. Photo Illustration: Ian Gavan/Getty Images and Angela Hsieh/NPR hide caption

Rihanna performs on stage at the BRIT Awards in 2016.

It's not enough to make list after list. The Turning the Tables project seeks to suggest alternatives to the traditional popular music canon, and to do more than that, too: to stimulate conversation about how hierarchies emerge and endure. This year, Turning the Tables considers how women and non-binary artists are shaping music in our moment, from the pop mainstream to the sinecures of jazz and contemporary classical music. Our list of the 200 Greatest Songs By Women + offers a soundtrack to a new century. This series of essays takes on another task.

Turning The Tables

Women Are The Fabric Of 21st Century Pop

The 25 arguments writers make in these pieces challenge the usual definitions of influence. Some rethink the building legacies of popular artists; others celebrate those who create within subcultures, their innovations rippling outward over time. As always, women forge new pathways in sound; today, they also make waves under the surface of culture by confronting, in their music, the increased fluidity of "woman" itself. What is a woman? It's a timeless question on the surface, but one deeply engaged with whatever historical moment in which it is asked. Our 25 Most Influential Women Musicians of the 21 st Century illuminate its complexities. –Ann Powers

The cover of Rihanna 's 2016 album ANTI , created by artist Roy Natchum and commissioned by Rihanna, features the singer as a young child with a crown that's fallen down over her head so that it covers her eyes. She holds a balloon and red paint drips down over her from the top corner of the canvas. Overlaying the entire painting is a poem rendered in Braille, written by the poet Chloe Mitchell in collaboration with Rihanna and Natchum.

"I sometimes fear that I am misunderstood," it starts. "It is simply because what I want to say, what I need to say, won't be heard. Heard in a way I so rightfully deserve. What I choose to say is of so much substance that people just won't understand the depth of my message..."

Rihanna at the album artwork reveal for ANTI in 2015. Christopher Polk/Getty Images for WESTBURY ROAD ENTERTAINMENT LLC hide caption

Rihanna at the album artwork reveal for ANTI in 2015.

What does it mean to think of Rihanna, global superstar, as unheard? Her music has soundtracked most of this century, and that kind of ubiquity is easily taken for granted, like air. She released a full-length studio album every single year between 2005 and 2012, save for a one-year break in 2008. Of the 61 Rihanna songs on the Billboard Hot 100, 14 of them were No. 1 hits, and 31 of them were top 10 hits. No album has landed as many No. 1 songs on Billboard 's Dance Club Songs chart as ANTI , the album Rihanna released in 2016 after an unprecedented (for her) hiatus.

For most of my life, there has been a Rihanna single — or multiple Rihanna singles, or multiple songs defined by a Rihanna hook — playing prominently on Top 40 radio. So it's not enough to say Rihanna is the air. Rihanna shaped the texture and taste of the air by consistently doing what pop, at its very best, is supposed to do: taking disparate genres — rock, EDM, dancehall, trap and even dubstep — and turning them into something that makes sense to us, to everyone. If she's not seen as taking musical risks, it's only because so many of them paid off.

Rihanna is the most important pop artist of the century because of these contributions to music — and her music is beloved. It's still worth asking, however, how we as an audience can adequately love Rihanna the person.

When Rihanna received the Video Vanguard Award at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, Drake introduced her. His speech is memorable for his cute, unsurprising and ultimately distracting faux-confession: "She's someone I've been in love with since I was 22 years old." Equally instructive, though, are the parts of Drake's speech that were about Rihanna and not Drake. He mentioned her achievements in music but ultimately asserted that what was "most impressive" was Rihanna the person.

"She succeeds by doing something that no one in this music industry does, which is being herself," Drake said. "We love the music, which can change styles from album to album, we love the videos, which change their artistic vision from year to year, but most of all, we love the woman, who hasn't changed since day one."

Rihanna was gracious in her acceptance speech. She spoke about how her success is never just about her — it's about Barbados, her family, her fans and "women, black women." She also went on to thank the directors who went along with her "crazy ideas" — her subtle way of asserting what Drake did not: that she is pop music's vanguard, and that the work itself is where her prowess lies. Drake's speech focuses on the product : It was the music that changed styles and the videos that changed artistic vision. The only thing Rihanna did, according to this syntactical choice, was remain the same.

Rihanna performs during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images hide caption

Rihanna performs during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards.

In her lead essay for the first iteration of Turning the Tables, a list of the 150 greatest albums by women in the pop era, Ann Powers notes that descriptions of greatness are often gendered: "Women are linked to the natural and the timeless, while men innovate and make history. Men build civilizations and create great works, while women animate spaces and connect people with their nurturing souls and alluring energy."

Those who claim to love Rihanna often say it's because of her soul, or her energy. Miranda July wrote about this phenomenon in her 2015 profile of the pop icon , where she describes how various people responded when she asked them about Rihanna: "A lesbian art history professor told me that she's 'the real deal.' Others used the words 'magic' and 'epic.' But when I tried to get anyone to pinpoint things she had said or done — particular interviews or incidents — everyone became lost in inarticulacy." When July told her Uber driver he was taking her to interview Rihanna, he responded, "You kidding? That's my girl," he said. "I love her. She's so down-to-earth."

But after meeting Rihanna, words fail July, too. Her final observation of the star is about her soul: "Souls don't really care about good or bad, right or wrong — they're just true. Everlasting. It makes you sound dumb to talk about this stuff, which is why no one could tell me exactly what it was about Rihanna. But millions of fans don't seem to need it explained to them. A soul just knows a soul."

"My understanding, from the moment she sat down, was that we were in love," July continues. It is a bold presumption of emotional access.

In a 2012 profile for GQ , Jay Bulger says Rihanna comes across as more authentic than her peers: "She sometimes gets grouped with theatrical pop stars like Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and Nicki Minaj. But those are one-woman masquerade balls, their real selves hidden behind the next costume change. Rihanna, on the other hand, comes off as wild, weird, unfiltered, a little unhinged, which just makes everyone else go all unhinged."

The scholar Esther L. Jones has argued that as Rihanna established more and more narrative authority over her public image, she began to author a woman "simultaneously ordinary and exceptional, intimate and distant, known and inaccessible." Her social media feeds exemplify this: She promotes her wildly successful global fashion brands, but she also loves to post memes . For MTV News, Doreen St. Felix wrote that "a cultivation of lifestyle — her trips back home to Barbados, her tattoos, her laughter, her love of family, her social media presence — in the moment that every other person of her caliber is trying out reclusivity, and the secondary group is trying out diva-hood, makes Rihanna the last rock star."

It matters that Rihanna comes across as genuine, that her sense of self appears unshaken by celebrity , that she feels accessible to her fans. But this, as Jones and St. Felix are getting at, is not a persona that occurs without effort. Rihanna has been performing what it means to be in the thick of things — not above them, not outside looking in, not past them — for her whole career. That takes emotional and intellectual work, especially when you consider — as Jones does in her essay "'What's My Name?': Reading Rihanna's Autobiographical Acts" — that the public-private distinction Rihanna had spent years cultivating was shattered in 2009, when Rihanna's then-boyfriend Chris Brown physically assaulted her just ahead of the Grammys and the photo evidence spread across the Internet.

To really love Rihanna, one must respect that what we so often find lovable about her — her so-called relatability, the way she's able to de-emphasize the significant social and artistic distance between herself and her fans — is also her work.

"We Found Love," released two-and-a-half years after Chris Brown attacked Rihanna, is classic dance pop with an edge. It's meant to sound like joy, but the lyrics are vague enough to account for a whole range of human feeling. In the video, Rihanna chooses darkness. It's about two people who are not good for each other. There are fights that look unhealthy. There are plenty of drugs. It starts with an opening monologue about a relationship gone wrong. "When it's over, and it's gone," the English actress Agyness Deyn reads, "you almost wish that you could have all that bad stuff back so that you could have the good."

In a New Yorker profile, director Melina Matsoukas says it was completely unintentional that Rihanna's on-screen partner in the video looked eerily like Chris Brown — lightskinned, blonde. But she says the plot took inspiration from "[her] terrible love life and obviously [Rihanna's] terrible love life and every woman's terrible love life."

Matsoukas also told The New Yorker 's Alexis Okeowo that Rihanna was on board: "She was open to taking it there ... and with being honest and showing what life really is."

Rihanna had been taking it there for a while. "Russian Roulette," the lead single from her 2009 album Rated R , is about love with life or death stakes, with a video whose imagery comes a bit too close for comfort to police reports from Chris Brown's physical assault of her. Brown's assault of Rihanna took place in a car. A speeding car appears in the video multiple times; at once point, it hurtles towards a standing Rihanna.

When asked about the demand that she be a role model, Rihanna told Vogue : "That title was put on me when I was just finding my way, making mistakes in front of the world. I didn't think it was fair." The videos for "We Found Love" and "Russian Roulette" are not about looking back on hard moments that you've gotten over. They're about being in the messy present. It's not clear that this is what people are talking about when they call Rihanna "down-to-earth," but this too is evidence of the work of being real — dealing with patriarchy and racism and making art through it.

In the video for "S&M," which Matsoukas also directed, Rihanna wears a dress made of newsprint. She's immobile, bound up in plastic wrap as her body's literally covered in media commentary. "Rihanna's 'enjoyment' of the public flagellation with words and accusations is her attempt to speak back to the larger forces of dominance and power, forces that uphold Chris Brown's assault on her by prolonging it for their own entertainment and profit," writes scholar Donna Aza Weir-Soley in the paper "From 'F Love' to 'He Is the One'?: Rihanna, Chris Brown and the Danger of Traumatic Bonding."

As for Rihanna, she told Spin about the song: "I don't think of it in a sexual way, I'm thinking metaphorically ... People are going to talk about you, you can't stop that. You just have to be that strong person and know who you are so that stuff just bounces off."

On the album Unapologetic , which came out as rumors of Rihanna and Chris Brown's romantic reunion swirled ( they were later confirmed ), critic Jessica Hopper wrote for Pitchfork: "She's quite a distance from the tidy narrative we'd like, the one where she's learned from her pain and is back to doing diva triumph club stomp in the shadow of Beyoncé. Unapologetic rubs our faces in the inconvenient messy truth of Rihanna's life which, even if it were done well, would be hard to celebrate as a success."

But Unapologetic was also home to " Pour It Up ," the song and video in which Rihanna plays both the dancer and the client in a strip club. It's a meditation on financial independence and an assertion of control.

Rihanna's realness is not just about her carefree Instagram posts, or her habit of taking wine to-go . Her realness is popular art that cuts to the hard questions. She stretched the boundaries of genre, of course, but she also demanded that her vast audience grapple with the complexity of her inner life — both when it was empowering and when it was difficult. The worry that often accompanies this kind of bravery is that it won't be legible to your audience — or that you'll be misunderstood.

Last year, Jamila Woods , another artist who thinks a lot about authorial control, told me she was thinking about something Sonia Sanchez said: "I shall become, I shall become a collector of me. And put meat on my soul."

When your ears are always burning, I imagine it must be important to write against the stories you believe others are telling about you. "Sometimes a person looks at me and sees dollars. They see numbers and they see a product," Rihanna told GQ in that same 2012 profile. "I look at me and see art. If I didn't like what I was doing, then I would say I was committing slavery."

My favorite Rihanna moment is the line in "B**** Better Have My Money" where she sings, "Turn up to Rihanna while the whole club f****** wasted." It's an acknowledgement that she has the privilege of living in the sonic landscape she created herself — that she is a collector of herself. That line is delivered in the archetypical "Rihanna voice," which is, as Jayson Greene argued for Pitchfork , the most influential vocal of the past decade in pop.

"Umbrella" was the song that showed me all that a single note, sung on "eh," could contain. Rihanna sings the word "uuhm-buh-rella" like she invented it: unafraid of emphasis, letting each part of the word travel into the next. Her voice is so engaging that on "Live Your Life," which came out a year later in 2008, when she sings "live your life" all on the same D, then hovers around the neighborhood of that D for the majority of the hook, it doesn't feel dumb or boring at all.

Greene wrote of the title lyric in "What's My Name": "Who knows how many dozens of times Rihanna practiced that vocal take until she had distilled all of those competing emotions — pleading and playful, weary and sensual, even a little mocking — into three goddamn syllables, looping perfectly."

Rihanna's 'Birthday Cake': Reasons To Listen

I love Rihanna's voice mostly because I have always heard within it the feeling of mustering, an acknowledgement that being comfortable in our skin is possible with intention and effort. Apparently, she wears a chain with the word "Savage" on her neck, or at least she did for that Vogue interview. "Savage is really about taking complete ownership of how you feel and the choices you make," she says. "Basically making sure everybody knows the ball is in your court."

ANTI is this hard-fought confidence embodied. There's confidence, of course, in the lyrics (see: "Sex With Me" and "Needed Me"). But there's also confidence in the delivery: Rihanna stretches her voice to its breaking point on songs like "Higher" and "Love on the Brain," letting it crack in ways we haven't heard before, or linger in falsetto for longer than we're used to. In moments like this, when she takes the vocal template she designed to uncharted places, Rihanna becomes, according to Greene, "both the vandal and the monument."

The question I asked was about whether Rihanna's audience has ever adequately loved her — whether we've given her the kind of love that respects both what she's created and all the labor that went into creating it. But the answer Rihanna gives, through ANTI , is that Rihanna probably doesn't care about the question to begin with.

Rihanna Launches College Scholarships For Foreign Students

In a promotional video for ANTI , Rihanna is given a crown from a child who we can only assume is that same child on the album cover, a young Rihanna. The whole video leads up to this moment, when Rihanna takes the crown and places it on her head. The moment is a lesson: You can wait — wait for ANTI to get the Grammy it deserved, wait for the world to give the genius of your work its due — or you can crown yourself.

Rihanna (I)

• Music Artist

IMDbPro Starmeter See rank

• Contact info
• 96 wins & 327 nominations total

• Petty Officer Cora 'Weps' Raikes

• Gratuity 'Tip' Tucci (voice)

• Smurfette (voice)
• Pre-production

• Marion Crane

• Composer (as Robyn Fenty)
• Composer (music by)

• In-development projects at IMDbPro

Personal details

• Apple Music
• Robyn Rihanna Fenty
• 5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
• February 20 , 1988
• Bridgetown, St. Michael, Barbados
• Children RZA Athelston Mayers
• Parents Monica Braithwaite
• Relatives Reginald Leslie Forde (Grandparent)
• Other works CD: "A Girl Like Me" (Def Jam)
• 3 Interviews
• 48 Articles
• 21 Pictorials
• 665 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

• Trivia In the United Kingdom, she became the only female; and the only artist in 52 years to have three top ten songs at once on the "UK Official Chart". She also became the first female artist; in the history of the chart, to have a number one in five consecutive years.
• Quotes I love the high-risk (guys). I don't like cream puff, corny guys. Usually, they are the nice guys, the ones that won't hurt you. They will pull out the chair for you and the whole nine yards. Everything is perfect and boring. I like the risk, I like the edge. That's the thrill for me.
• Trademarks Leather outfits and revealing outfits
• The Caribbean Queen
• The Barbados Babe
• The Bajan Beauty
• The Princess of Pop
• The Princess of R&B
• How old is Rihanna?
• When was Rihanna born?
• Where was Rihanna born?

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Rihanna's epic career timeline: From iconic music to Fenty 🎶

Get to know the Barbadian singer

Queen Riri...where to begin! Born on 20th February 1988, fresh-faced Robyn Rihanna Fenty was just 16-years-old she began her journey to super-stardom. Since then, she's proven to us all that the sky is the limit when it comes to her talents, even performing at the Super Bowl 2023 while pregnant with her second baby - who was born in August !

From singing to songwriting, collaborating to hit-making , acting to make-up, there's no limit to what this mum can do! As the world patiently waits for her "worth the wait" ninth album , the singer made her music comeback with ' Lift Me Up' in 2022, which was the lead single from Marvel's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - and earned Rihanna her first ever Oscar nomination.

In order to celebrate Rihanna's iconic return to music, we've taken the liberty of gathering together all of RiRi's biggest career moments, from early days to now - you know, just in case you missed them...

Rihanna's biggest career moments so far:

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 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)

Despite covering almost all bases when it comes to expressing her never-ending talents, we're sure there will still be more to come! You go, girl!

You can hear Rihanna hits on the KISS playlist.

Rihanna's biggest and best collabs to date

Rihanna: Everything we know about her upcoming album 'R9'

Rihanna had a savage response to fan requesting a new album in 2021👀

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The Tragic, Real-Life Story Of Rihanna

In 2005, 17-year-old Robyn Rihanna Fenty broke onto the music scene with the release of the smash hit "Pon de Replay." Since then, the world has watched her grow into one of the most successful women on the planet. According to Forbes , Rihanna became the world's richest female musician in 2019, a result of her success with music and makeup, along with becoming "the first black woman in charge of a major luxury fashion house."

Yet, despite being so successful and popular, Rihanna has managed to keep her private life private for the most part. Though many fans are aware of her story during her rise to fame, her life prior to that is not as well known. Perhaps that's because information about the hitmaker's childhood in Barbados is not freely available, or because Rihanna is protective of her family and her secrets.

Whatever the reason, there's an interesting story there. Even if Rihanna makes her success look easy, it was anything but: she grew up in less than ideal conditions and faced more than her fair share of struggles, but it was largely because of her difficult past that she became the person she is today. Here is the tragic, real-life story of Rihanna .

Rihanna grew up with trouble at home

Rihanna remembers  growing up in Barbados as being "just a little island girl riding bikes, running around barefoot and flying kites in the cemetery," but her childhood home wasn't as free. Her father's drinking problems would lead to tense moments. "Fridays would be scary because he would come home drunk," she told Rolling Stone  in 2011. "He'd get paid, and half of it would go toward alcohol. He'd walk in the door, and it was all eyes on him."

The future pop star could feel the temperature in the house go up whenever domestic violence was around the corner, previously telling ABC News , "[My parents] had a very abusive relationship. My dad was the abuser. [He hit her] on numerous accounts." She added, "I don't want to say normal, but it wasn't a surprise when it happened. She never went to the hospital ... Domestic violence is not something that people want anybody to know."

Though her mother was the primary victim of her father's outbursts, Rihanna recalled a time when she was punished for wanting to stay at the beach 10 minutes longer. "He slapped me so hard," she revealed to  Rolling Stone . "I ran home with his handprint on me. I couldn't believe it. My mother saw my face, how traumatized I was. You know how, when you know you did something wrong, and you deserve to get beat? This was out of nowhere."

The origins of Rihanna's hardened entrepreneurial spirit

Rihanna is a musician first, but she's a powerful business woman, as well. As noted by Rolling Stone , "She's had endorsement deals with Nike, Gucci, CoverGirl and Clinique, not to mention her own scent, Reb'l Fleur." Her upbringing as the oldest child in the family made her staunchly independent, and her father helped mold her into the woman she would become. "He taught me how to fish, how to swim, how to run, how to ride," the singer-songwriter told the media outlet. "He really toughened me up."

When she was young, Rihanna's father sold clothes on the street or out of his car to make a living. Whether through want or necessity, she would sometimes join him. "She used to sell stuff on the side of the street like I did," Rihanna's dad, Ronald Fenty, said in a 2011 interview with The Sun . "She'd come outside of the store and put up a rack and sell hats and belts and scarves ... She would also buy sweets, put them in packages and take them to school to sell to her friends for a profit." It was that entrepreneurial spirit that had Rihanna's father thinking she would end up in business. In the end, he was right, in a way.

The breaking up of Rihanna's family

Addiction sadly took a substantial toll on this celeb's early life , when drugs planted their hooks in Rihanna's father and ran havoc through her family home. "My family broke up because of his addiction," she tearfully told Oprah Winfrey on Oprah's Next Chapter . According to the Mirror , dad Ronald Fenty bought drugs even when money and food in the house were low. "Even as a toddler, I learned that my mum and dad would argue when there was foil paper in the ashtray," Rihanna said, referring to drug packaging or freebasing paraphernalia.

When she was nine years old, Rihanna walked in on her dad smoking crack, as per Rolling Stone . "I did have a drug problem and Robyn did walk in and see me taking drugs in our house," Ronald told The Sun . "She was just a little kid and it made her look at me, and other things, differently. Around the same time we were walking down the street with the kids and there was a guy sleeping on the sidewalk. Her mother said to Robyn, 'Your dad is going to end up like that.' I did not want my children to see me sleeping on the sidewalk so I started making the changes."

Rihanna's father would eventually beat his addiction, but it cost him his marriage and damaged his relationship with his children. "I had to give up drugs for my family," he said. "I still kind of lost them."

Rihanna was bullied in school

Rihanna is loved and admired around the world, but she didn't always feel loved as a child in Barbados. Her father was a descendant of a poor Irish community , the members of which were  often referred to by derogatory names . Rihanna's last name, Fenty, was a common surname for this group of people. The future singer-songwriter also had a light skin shade, and this combination led to teasing at school.

"I was cultured in a very 'black' way," Rihanna said in a 2009  Allure interview. "But when I got to school, I'm being called 'white' ... They would look at me, and they would curse me out. I didn't understand." The future celeb didn't take it lightly, and she fought back , some times with her fists. "I got teased my entire school life," she said to Glamour . "What they were picking on I don't even understand. It was my skin color. Then when I got older, it was about my breasts." 

The constant bullying she faced, however, helped shape her and prepare her for a life in the limelight, a life that can be cruel and unforgiving. "This thick skin has been developing since my first day at school," Rihanna told  Harper's Bazaar  in 2015. "It didn't happen after fame; I couldn't survive fame if I didn't already have it. So sometimes the toughest thing in life is to be vulnerable."

Rihanna was a good girl gone bad

With Rihanna's father battling his own demons and the fights at home increasing, the future celeb's mental health understandably suffered . Though the trouble at home was kept private, the young Rihanna began to separate herself from the other kids at school. According to Rolling Stone , "She wouldn't talk, wouldn't even cry." It was around this time that the future singer's grades slipped along with her health. 

"She had always been a straight-A student, but she started to struggle," Rihanna's mother, Monica Braithwaite, said. "She would suffer from these terrible headaches. She had to get CT scans." The headaches went on from the age of eight until Rihanna was 14, but the doctors had no answers for the excruciating migraine-like attacks. Initially, they believed that Rihanna may have a tumor of some sort, with the singer herself once saying , "It was that intense." However, the test results always came back negative. 

It wasn't until her parents separated and the fighting stopped that the headaches finally went away. Rihanna believes that the pain was caused by the emotional stress of the arguing and domestic abuse.

Rihanna has suffered a history of violence

In February 2009, the world was rocked by reports that Chris Brown had abused then-girlfriend Rihanna . TMZ  later released photos of her battered face, and the abused singer became fodder for nearly every news outlet in the U.S., causing Rihanna to retreat from the public eye for months.

In her isolation, however, she began to worry about Brown, despite her being the victim. "If I feel this depressed , then what is he going through?" Rihanna later explained to  ABC News . "I had to protect him. I thought that I had to let him know, don't do anything crazy. Like just hang in there ... The whole world hates him now. His fans, his career. He just, he lost me, I just need to let him know; don't do anything stupid." Eventually, the two  reunited  and Rihanna  faced criticism  for it. 

For her part, Rihanna was disappointed because she'd made a promise to her younger self that she was "never going to date somebody like my dad" (via E! News ). She wasn't proud of her choice, but she had been overpowered by love. Fair or not, Rihanna found that her personal decisions had far-reaching consequences, and told  ABC News , "It's completely normal to go back. It's not right. When I realized that my selfish decision for love could result in some young girl getting killed, I could not be easy with that part. I couldn't be held responsible for going back."

Rihanna has faced non-stop rumors

Many high-profile celebrities contend with rumors, from exaggerated tales to outright lies. For Rihanna, it seems that every single celebrity she talks to becomes the target of a reported relationship . While working on a Rolling Stone  cover story, Rihanna happened to be in the same restaurant as Colin Farrell, someone she'd been rumored to be sending salacious texts. As Farrell left the restaurant, he stopped by the singer's table. "Our friends outside are gonna get some good mileage out of this," he jokingly said. "We're gonna be texting each other all f**king night!" The actor was right: the next morning, several tabloids suggested the two celebs ate dinner together and were romantically linked. 

To make matters worse, rumors have sometimes come from within. After Rihanna was assaulted by Chris Brown, her father sold information to the press . "That was the first time," Rihanna later told  Vogue  in 2011 (via Billboard ). "My dad went to the press and just told them a bunch of lies. Because he hadn't talked to me after ... that whole thing." She added, "He never called to find out how I was doing, if I was alive, nothing ... He went straight to the press and got a check." That wouldn't be the last time either, as Ronald Fenty would later sell more gossip on his famous daughter. "It really makes me question what I have become to my father," Rihanna wondered. "Like, what do I even mean to him?"

Rihanna's lawsuit against her father

After her challenges with Chris Brown, Rihanna found that she was spiralling into a dark place. She recalled on Oprah's Next Chapter   that she was "resentful," "angry," and struggling to overcome it all. When asked how she finally got through it, Rihanna said, "[I] repaired my relationship with dad." The singer had grown apart from her father after her parents' divorce years earlier. "I was so angry at him," she explained, adding, "I couldn't separate him as husband from him as a father."

After the reconciliation, however, Rihanna and Ronald Fenty continued butting heads. In some cases, it wasn't personal — it was business. According to CNN , Rihanna discovered that her father and his business partner, Moses Perkins, were allegedly using her name and brand, Fenty, to earn money. The singer and her representatives reportedly asked the pair repeatedly "to cease and desist all activity and efforts to exploit Rihanna's name and the goodwill associated with the Fenty brand." When that failed, they filed a lawsuit.

According to the 2019 suit, Rihanna's father reportedly launched a production and talent company called Fenty Entertainment in 2017, and negotiated 15 unauthorized Rihanna shows in Latin America, two at the Staples Center, and another at the T-Mobile Arena, all totaling nearly $15.5 million. He even reportedly attempted to use the Fenty brand to register a line of resort hotels. With the case set to move to a jury trial in June 2020,  The Blast  reports that it was later postponed due to the pandemic.

Rihanna became the family caregiver

Rihanna was exposed to things in life much earlier than most. In fact, she saw and experienced things as a child that most people never do. By the time the singer-songwriter was 16 years old, her father had moved out and her mother had returned to work to support the family. This left the young teenager at home to look after younger brother Rajad. Though it caused Rihanna to grow up quickly, she looks back at these times fondly, telling  Elle  that it was "probably the best summer I ever had."

But it was more than one summer that she would act as caregiver. While Rihanna takes on much of this willingly, such as gifting her mother a massive mansion , some of it has been imposed upon her. In 2008, she was forced to send her father home from her U.S. tour for drunken behavior. According to the Daily Mail , in order to save her father from going to jail for a California arrest, Rihanna agreed to pay $58,000 for him to enter a Malibu rehab program in 2013. And while speaking with Rolling Stone , Rihanna revealed that her dad once sent her a text with nothing but prices for furniture that he wanted to buy for his house. "It's fine," she explained. "I'll give my father anything. It's not something that's hard for me to help him with. It's just, like — damn, Dad. Hi."

She's scrutinized for small details

Being an international superstar is not easy (or so we assume). It comes with a lack of privacy and constant rumors, as well as incessant scrutiny, something of which Rihanna is, unfortunately, an expert. Rihanna has been criticized for a variety of reasons, a major one being her music. The last full album Rihanna released was "Anti" in 2016. It went number one on the Billboard 200 , and gave us hits like "Work" and "Needed Me." The album was a massive hit, and Rihanna sees it as her greatest work to date, but that does not mean fans are satisfied. Fans want more music from the star, and they are not shy about letting her know, especially on social media.

After posting a photo to Instagram stating her New Year's resolution, one fan commented, "Resolution should be releasing the album," in reference to R9 , the appellation used for the forthcoming album from the singer. Rihanna is not one to let people get her down, though, and she replied, "this comment is sooo 2019. grow up" (via Complex ).

Criticism of the singer is not limited to music, though. In 2022, while arriving at an event, Rihanna was heckled by someone yelling , "You're late," to which the singer replied "No sh*t." Sigh. Fame is not for the faint of heart.

She's endured public heartbreak

When you're famous, you can't go through a major life event without the world finding out. Even if you are a master at secret-keeping, eventually your business is made public. And for Rihanna, some of those major life events have tragically included heartbreak. The singer dated fellow musician and collaborator Drake on and off for several years. The couple delighted fans when they went from friends to partners, but the delight was short-lived, as the two ultimately split. The singer eventually told Vogue , "We don't have a friendship now, but we're not enemies either. It is what it is."

Drake isn't the only man Rihanna has dated publicly. For three years, the singer was with Hassan Jameel, a Saudi billionaire. Rihanna was focused on making the relationship work, sharing that she would clear her calendar for days at a time to be with Jameel, but unfortunately her efforts fell short as the two couldn't make their schedules work.

The news was especially saddening after reading the words she spoke to Vogue : "I'm actually in an exclusive relationship for quite some time, and it's going really well, so I'm happy." Even celebrities are not immune to heartbreak.

Rihanna's pregnancy and relationship have been questioned

Although Rihanna's had lots of tragedy in her life, she's also had lots of joy, like learning she's expecting a child with her boyfriend A$AP Rocky. In 2022, the singer made headlines for her pregnancy, particularly her bold style. "When I found out I was pregnant, I thought to myself, there's no way I'm going to go shopping in the maternity aisle. I'm sorry – it's too much fun to get dressed up," she told Vogue . She also told the magazine, "I just feel like I can do any part of life by his side," in reference to A$AP Rocky.

But because she is in the spotlight, no good part of her life can come without something overshadowing it. One shadow came in the form of a theory that Rihanna is faking her pregnancy. Tweets and YouTube videos have documented the outlandish theory, but the singer has not responded to the rumors. Who can blame her, though? There's only so much time in the day.

Another rumor came at the hands of an influencer who wrongfully claimed that A$AP Rocky was cheating on Rihanna. Although Rihanna did not respond to those rumors either, the woman he was supposedly cheating with, designer Amina Muaddi, responded on Twitter, saying , "I initially assumed that this fake gossip – fabricated with such malicious intent – would not be taken seriously," adding, "Therefore I have to speak up as this is ... related to people I have a great amount of respect and affection for."

She lost her cousin to gun violence

In 2017, Rihanna sadly lost her cousin. Tavon Kaiseen Alleyne was living in Barbados and was shot one evening near his house. Rihanna and her cousin were close, as she documented on social media. After learning of his death, she took to Instagram to pay tribute, sharing "can't believe it was just last night that I held you in my arms! never thought that would be the last time I felt the warmth in your body!!! Love you always man."

The singer attended his funeral and shared photos on social media. "Sleep well buddy..we are at peace knowing you're in a better place than we are. We will always have a void without you, but we will never stop loving you ... Hope you were happy with your going away celebration today," she said, as reported by Vibe.

The singer used the harrowing event to speak out against gun violence, using the hashtag #EndGunViolence in her first tribute post.

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Rihanna: A Biography of the Iconic Barbadian Singer

Rihanna , the Barbadian singer and fashion icon, has captivated the world with her extraordinary talent and undeniable style. Born and raised in Barbados, Rihanna quickly rose to prominence in the music industry with her mesmerizing voice and captivating performances. Her unique blend of pop, R&B, and Caribbean influences has garnered widespread acclaim, making her a global sensation. Beyond her undeniable musical prowess, Rihanna has also become an icon of fashion, setting trends and pushing boundaries with her daring choices. Her fearless attitude and bold sense of self-expression have solidified her status as a fashion icon. With numerous Grammy Awards and a string of chart-topping hits to her name, Rihanna continues to redefine the boundaries of music and inspire millions around the world. Join us as we delve into the life and achievements of this influential artist, exploring the journey of a true superstar.

Personal and Professional Details

Early life and rise to stardom.

Rihanna’s journey to superstardom began on the vibrant island of Barbados, where she was born and raised. Growing up in a household filled with music, she developed a deep passion for singing from an early age. Influenced by the sounds of reggae and soca, Rihanna’s Caribbean heritage would later become a defining aspect of her music.

Her incredible talent was discovered by music producer Evan Rogers, who was captivated by her unique voice and undeniable stage presence. At the age of 16, Rihanna moved to the United States to pursue her music career. It didn’t take long for her to make a lasting impression on the music industry.

Rihanna burst onto the scene with her debut single “Pon de Replay,” a catchy dancehall-infused track that instantly caught the attention of music enthusiasts worldwide. The song’s success served as a stepping stone for her highly anticipated debut album, “Music of the Sun.” With its release, Rihanna announced her arrival as a force to be reckoned with.

Her subsequent albums, such as “A Girl Like Me” and “Good Girl Gone Bad,” further solidified her status as a rising star. Hits like “Unfaithful,” “Umbrella,” and “Don’t Stop the Music” dominated the airwaves, showcasing Rihanna’s versatility as an artist and her ability to effortlessly transition between genres.

Rihanna’s undeniable charisma and stunning beauty made her a sought-after figure in the fashion world. Her distinctive style, marked by bold fashion choices and boundary-pushing outfits, quickly established her as a fashion icon. Her influence transcended the music industry, as she graced magazine covers, collaborated with renowned designers, and launched her own successful fashion and beauty brands.

From her humble beginnings in Barbados to her meteoric rise to stardom, Rihanna’s journey is a testament to her incredible talent, unwavering determination, and undeniable star power. Her impact on the music and fashion industries is immeasurable, and her rise to fame serves as an inspiration to aspiring artists worldwide. Rihanna’s legacy as a trailblazer and cultural icon continues to evolve, solidifying her place as one of the most influential artists of our time.

Music Career

Rihanna’s music career is a testament to her artistry and ability to continually push the boundaries of pop music. With a discography that spans various genres, she has captivated audiences with her powerful vocals, infectious melodies, and thought-provoking lyrics.

From the early stages of her career, Rihanna showcased her versatility as an artist. Her breakthrough album, “Good Girl Gone Bad,” propelled her into the spotlight with hit singles like “Umbrella,” featuring Jay-Z, which became an instant anthem. This marked the beginning of a string of chart-topping successes that would define her career.

Throughout her discography, Rihanna has seamlessly transitioned between different musical styles, effortlessly infusing elements of R&B, dance, reggae, and EDM. Songs like “We Found Love,” “Diamonds,” and “Work” have become international sensations, dominating the charts and earning her numerous accolades.

Her undeniable talent has been recognized by the music industry, as evidenced by her collection of Grammy Awards. With multiple wins and nominations, Rihanna has cemented her place among the industry’s elite. Each album release showcases her growth as an artist, both vocally and lyrically, while pushing the boundaries of mainstream pop music.

Rihanna’s influence extends into the world of fashion. Her unique style and daring fashion choices have made her an icon in the industry. Whether it’s her red-carpet appearances, music videos, or collaborations with renowned designers, Rihanna continues to captivate audiences with her fearless and ever-evolving fashion sense.

Rihanna has also made significant contributions to the fashion industry through her brands. Fenty Beauty, her inclusive makeup line, disrupted the beauty industry by offering a wide range of shades for all skin tones. Similarly, Savage X Fenty, her lingerie brand, celebrates diversity and body positivity, setting a new standard in the fashion world.

Rihanna’s ability to seamlessly blend her music and fashion endeavors has solidified her status as a true trendsetter. Her influence extends far beyond the stage, as she continues to inspire and empower individuals to embrace their individuality and express themselves freely.

Rihanna has become a cultural icon, leaving an indelible mark on the industry. Her artistry, combined with her entrepreneurial spirit and philanthropic efforts, have solidified her legacy as one of the most influential and impactful artists of our time. Rihanna’s music career continues to evolve, and fans eagerly await her next artistic venture, knowing that she will continue to push boundaries and leave an indelible mark on the world of music and fashion.

Famous Songs and Albums

Acting and entrepreneurship.

Rihanna’s artistic talents extend beyond music and fashion, as she has also made a mark in the acting industry and as a successful entrepreneur. Her ventures in acting have showcased her versatility and ability to captivate audiences on both the big and small screens.

Rihanna has taken on diverse roles that highlight her range as an actress. She made her film debut in the action-packed movie “Battleship,” where she portrayed a strong and fearless Navy officer. This marked the beginning of her foray into acting, opening doors to further opportunities in the industry.

One of her most notable acting roles came in the critically acclaimed film “Ocean’s 8,” where she starred alongside a stellar cast of talented actresses. Her portrayal of a skilled hacker demonstrated her ability to seamlessly transition from music to acting, earning praise for her performance.

While Rihanna’s acting career continues to evolve, it is her entrepreneurial ventures that have truly set her apart. Fenty Beauty, her makeup brand, disrupted the beauty industry by offering a wide range of inclusive shades for all skin tones. The brand’s emphasis on diversity and representation quickly resonated with consumers, propelling Fenty Beauty to great success and solidifying Rihanna’s status as a savvy businesswoman.

Similarly, Savage X Fenty, Rihanna’s lingerie brand, has revolutionized the fashion industry. With a focus on inclusivity and body positivity, the brand celebrates diversity and offers a wide range of sizes and styles. Through innovative marketing campaigns and runway shows, Rihanna has created a space that empowers individuals to embrace their unique beauty and feel confident in their skin.

Rihanna’s entrepreneurial skills and achievements extend beyond her successful brands. She has also collaborated with renowned fashion designers and luxury brands, further showcasing her business acumen and creative vision. Her collaborations have resulted in highly sought-after collections that blend her distinctive style with the expertise of established fashion houses.

Rihanna has also demonstrated a commitment to philanthropy. Through her Clara Lionel Foundation, she supports various charitable causes, focusing on education, health, and emergency response initiatives. Her philanthropic efforts have made a tangible impact on communities around the world, further solidifying her as an influential figure.

Rihanna’s ventures in acting and entrepreneurship have showcased her multifaceted talents and entrepreneurial spirit. Her ability to excel in different industries speaks to her creativity, determination, and business acumen. As she continues to explore new artistic avenues and expand her business empire, Rihanna’s impact will undoubtedly continue to be felt, inspiring others to pursue their passions and break barriers along the way.

Philanthropy and Activism

Rihanna’s influence extends far beyond the realms of music, fashion, and entrepreneurship. She has also made a significant impact through her philanthropic endeavors and activism, using her platform to advocate for change and support various causes.

Rihanna’s philanthropic efforts are channeled through the Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF), a non-profit organization she founded in 2012. The foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of life for underserved communities across the globe, with a particular focus on education, health, and emergency response initiatives. Through CLF, Rihanna has funded scholarships, built schools, and supported programs that provide vital resources and opportunities to those in need.

One of Rihanna’s notable philanthropic initiatives is the Clara Lionel Foundation Global Scholarship Program. This program provides scholarships to students from Barbados, Brazil, Cuba, Haiti, Guyana, Jamaica, and the United States, enabling them to pursue higher education and fulfill their academic aspirations. By investing in the education of young individuals, Rihanna empowers them to break barriers and create a better future for themselves and their communities.

Rihanna is a passionate advocate for various social issues. She has used her voice and platform to raise awareness and support causes such as gender equality, racial justice, and access to healthcare. Rihanna has been vocal about the importance of inclusivity in the beauty and fashion industries, challenging conventional standards and advocating for representation and diversity.

Her activism work extends beyond words and into action. For instance, she played a pivotal role in advocating for improved access to education in developing countries. In collaboration with the Global Partnership for Education and other organizations, Rihanna has championed initiatives to ensure that children worldwide have access to quality education, regardless of their socio-economic background.

Rihanna has been actively involved in raising awareness and funds for humanitarian efforts. In response to natural disasters and crises, she has used her influence to mobilize support and contribute to relief efforts. Whether it’s assisting communities affected by hurricanes, supporting healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, or aiding in the fight against poverty, Rihanna consistently demonstrates her commitment to making a positive impact in the world.

Rihanna’s philanthropic endeavors and activism reflect her genuine passion for creating positive change. By using her influence and resources, she has become a beacon of hope and inspiration for countless individuals around the world. Her commitment to addressing social issues and supporting vulnerable communities showcases her dedication to making a lasting difference.

Rihanna encourages others to take action, raise their voices, and contribute to causes that matter. Her work serves as a reminder that we all have the power to make a difference and create a more inclusive, equitable, and compassionate world. Rihanna’s legacy extends beyond her artistic achievements, solidifying her as a true global icon who uses her platform for the greater good.

Personal Life and Rise to Stardom

Rihanna’s personal life is as intriguing and captivating as her music career. Born Robyn Rihanna Fenty on February 20, 1988, in Barbados, she was raised in a close-knit family with a vibrant Caribbean culture. Her upbringing in Barbados, with its rich blend of music, rhythm, and vibrant traditions, had a profound influence on her artistic expression and continues to shape her unique sound.

Rihanna displayed a remarkable talent for singing, and her passion for music quickly became apparent. At the age of 15, she was discovered by music producer Evan Rogers, who was captivated by her powerful voice and undeniable star quality. This encounter paved the way for Rihanna’s journey into the music industry.

Rihanna released her debut single “Pon de Replay,” which instantly caught the attention of music enthusiasts worldwide. Her distinctive voice, combined with her Caribbean-infused melodies and infectious energy, set her apart from other artists. The release of her debut album, “Music of the Sun,” marked the beginning of her rise to stardom.

With subsequent albums like “A Girl Like Me” and “Good Girl Gone Bad,” Rihanna solidified her position as a global sensation. Her versatility as an artist became evident as she effortlessly transitioned between different genres, exploring elements of pop, R&B, dancehall, and reggae. Her chart-topping hits, such as “Umbrella,” “Disturbia,” and “We Found Love,” became anthems that resonated with millions of fans around the world.

Rihanna’s rise to stardom was not limited to her musical achievements. Her captivating beauty, unique sense of style, and trendsetting fashion choices quickly established her as a fashion icon. Her daring outfits, fearless experimentation, and boundary-pushing looks have earned her recognition as a fashion trailblazer and a fixture on red carpets and magazine covers.

Rihanna has ventured into acting, showcasing her versatility and talent on the big screen. She has appeared in films such as “Battleship” and “Ocean’s 8,” proving her ability to captivate audiences in different artistic mediums.

Rihanna has amassed a devoted fan base known as the Rihanna Navy. Her fans, hailing from all corners of the globe, admire her for not only her incredible talent but also her authenticity, resilience, and unwavering commitment to being true to herself. The Rihanna Navy stands as a testament to her ability to connect with people on a deeply personal level and create a sense of community and empowerment through her music and message.

Rihanna remains grounded and continues to push boundaries, both musically and creatively. Her journey from a young girl in Barbados to a global superstar is a testament to her determination, passion, and unwavering dedication to her craft. Rihanna’s personal life and rise to stardom have shaped her into an iconic figure, admired not only for her talent but also for her unapologetic authenticity and the profound impact she has had on the music industry and popular culture as a whole.

Rihanna’s journey from a talented young girl in Barbados to an international superstar has been nothing short of extraordinary. With her powerful voice, captivating style, and genre-defying music, she has left an indelible mark on popular culture. From her early hits to her chart-topping albums, Rihanna has consistently pushed boundaries and redefined what it means to be a pop star.

Rihanna’s influence extends to the realms of fashion and entrepreneurship. Her ventures like Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty have disrupted industries and championed inclusivity and diversity. As a fashion icon, she continues to inspire and set trends, captivating the world with her fearless style.

Moreover, Rihanna’s philanthropic efforts and activism reflect her commitment to making a positive impact. Her charitable endeavors, support for various causes, and championing of important social issues have solidified her status as an influential figure.

Rihanna’s exceptional music career, entrepreneurial spirit, and philanthropy have cemented her legacy as an artist who transcends boundaries and continues to inspire. Her Caribbean heritage, combined with her immense talent and unwavering authenticity, has made her a cultural icon loved by millions. Rihanna’s impact on popular culture will endure for generations to come, leaving an indelible legacy that will forever shape the music industry and beyond.

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Rihanna FAQs

How many grammy awards has rihanna won.

Rihanna has won a total of nine Grammy Awards.

What are some of Rihanna's hit songs?

Some of Rihanna's hit songs include "Umbrella," "Diamonds," "Work," and "We Found Love."

What is Rihanna's net worth?

Rihanna's net worth is estimated to be around $600 million.

Is Rihanna involved in philanthropy?

Yes, Rihanna is actively involved in philanthropy and has supported causes like education, healthcare, and disaster relief.

Has Rihanna acted in movies?

Yes, Rihanna has appeared in movies such as "Battleship" and "Ocean's 8."

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Rihanna opens up about motherhood, new music and more: 'Everything changes when you have a baby'

Rihanna is opening up about life as a mom.

In an interview with British Vogue , Rihanna, who is the magazine's March cover star, got candid about pregnancy, the birth of her son and parenting with her partner, rapper A$AP Rocky .

"Having a kid honestly unlocks another side of life where you're now in the matrix with the people who've already had kids," she said. "You come to have a different respect for moms and dads."

MORE: Rihanna unveils pregnancy during hit Super Bowl halftime performance

The singer and Fenty Beauty CEO added that "everything changes when you have a baby."

"Oh my God, it's legendary," she went on. "It's everything. You really don't remember life before, that's the craziest thing ever. You literally try to remember it -- and there are photos of my life before -- but the feeling, the desires, the things that you enjoy, everything, you just don't identify with it because you don't even allow yourself mentally to get that far because... Because it doesn't matter."

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How motherhood has changed her.

When her son was born in May 2022, Rihanna said that it was a "beautiful" experience.

"I cannot believe it," she said. "Essentially, from one person I became two. You walk into the hospital as a couple and leave as a family of three. It's nuts. And oh, my gosh, those first days are insane. You don't sleep. At all. Not even if you wanted to."

She added, "You're just going through the motions, and even then you're so paranoid. Because you're like: they trusted us to come home with this baby? This new life? With us?"

When asked about her relationship with A$AP Rocky amid this new chapter of their life, she said she is moved by his bond with their son.

"I'm just sitting on the sidelines when they're together," she said. "I'm literally the girl trying to get into the boys club, waiting for my turn. He is obsessed with his father. And I'm like: 'Didn't I give birth to you? What is going on?'"

"Their connection is undeniable," Rihanna added. "The second Rocky makes eye contact with him he is on fire."

MORE: A$AP Rocky cheers on Rihanna during singer's Super Bowl show

On being protective of her son.

Rihanna, who has been private about the details of her life and protective over releasing pictures of her child, is photographed in the March issue with photos of her 9-month old son, whose name has not yet been revealed.

The images, which were shot by photographer duo Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin on the beach in Malibu, California, show Rihanna with her son and A$AP Rocky.

During the photoshoot, according to British Vogue, the family was spotted by paparazzi; the couple worried were taking photos of their son.

"It's the thing you never want to happen," she said. "We get to decide as parents when and how we do that. End of story."

"Throw me to the wolves," she added. "Do what you want with me. But he doesn't have a say in any of this. We've been protecting him thus far and you don't have any consent to be posting photos or selling photos of my child, a minor. Get the hell out of here with that."

MORE: Rihanna 'excited to have Barbados' on the Super Bowl stage ahead of halftime performance

Being emboldened by motherhood.

In addition to the life changes that come with being a new mom, Rihanna talked about how motherhood has helped her take on new challenges.

"It's this knowing that you can do anything," she said. "Even things that seem the craziest."

One of those things was saying yes to performing in the Super Bowl.

To this day, she said she still can't believe she agreed.

"What the heck am I thinking? But you're geeked on a challenge like that because you know what your body just did [having a baby]. You feel this sense of 'Nothing is impossible,'" she said.

During her Super Bowl performance, the singer left many at home questioning whether she was expecting again. ABC News later confirmed that she was pregnant with baby No. 2.

MORE: Rihanna releases 'Lift Me Up' from 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' soundtrack

Rihanna told British Vogue that she had no idea that she would be pregnant again by the time of the performance.

"It was almost like an out-of-body experience," she said.

The Super Bowl marked Rihanna's first performance in seven years. The singer performed some of her popular hits, beginning with "B---- better have my money" and ending the show with "Diamonds."

In terms of new music, she said she wants to release a new album this year.

"It'd be ridiculous if it's not this year. But I just want to have fun. I just want to make music and make videos," she said.

Still, she wants to get it right, especially after the release of her last album, "Anti."

"['Anti'] really is my most brilliant album. I say that because in the moment, I didn't realise it. But it always felt like the most cohesive album I've ever made," she said.

She added, "... But there's this pressure that I put on myself. That if [then next album is] not better than that then it is not even worth it."

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45 Fabulous Facts About Rihanna

Did you know that singer-songwriter Rihanna won her High School beauty pageant when she was 16 years old?

Rihanna is one of the world’s most influential female singer-songwriters of the 21 st century.

Her elaborate live shows and catchy tunes have people of all ages dancing and singing along.

But do you know how it started for Rihanna? Or where she comes from?

Here are 45 fabulous facts about Rihanna that you should know.

Robyn Rihanna Fenty is 36 years old. She was born on February 20 , 1988. Her star sign Pieces, meaning she is dreamy and romantic.

Rihanna was born in Saint Michael, Barbados, and grew up in Bridgetown, Barbados.

Her father is Irish-Barbadian, and her mother is Afro-Guyanese. Her parents divorced when she was just 14 years old.

She has two biological brothers, two half-sisters, and a half-brother.

RiRi attended army cadets when she was at school, and her drill sergeant was singer Shontelle.

At age 15, she won a talent show by singing “Hero” by Mariah Carey.

Rihanna grew up listening to reggae music and started to study music at school.

When Rihanna was 16, she won her high school beauty pageant.

In 2003 alongside two classmates, she formed a girl band in Barbados .

American record producer Evan Rogers discovered the trio and invited them for an audition.

Rihanna stood out as being the powerful voice, so she was invited for a second audition.

Rogers invited Rihanna to record some sample tapes, including “Pon de Replay” in his studio in the US.

Rihanna’s sample tapes were sent to Def Jam Records, and it was Jay-Z who listened and signed her.

Rihanna’s debut album “Music of the Sun” was released in August 2005, which reached number 10 on the Billboard 200 list, and over two million copies were sold worldwide.

On Gwen Stefani’s “Harajuku Lover” tour in 2005, Rihanna was her opening act.

In August 2006, she had her first acting role in Bring it On: All or nothing .

Her second album, “A Girl like Me,” was released just a year after her debut in April 2006.

At the Barbados Music Awards in 2006, Rihanna won two awards; Best New Artist and Best Female Artist of the Year.

In 2006 Rihanna created the Believe Foundation, which was designed to help terminally ill children.

Her release of S.O.S in 2006 was her first number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100.

RiRi released her album “Good Girl Gone Bad” in 2007.

Good Girl Gone Bad was her redefining album, which exposed her fierce, strong personality through an R&B-inspired album.

She was ranked number eight on Maxim’s Hot 100 Women list in 2007.

In 2007 Rihanna was given the honorary title of “Ambassador for Culture and Youth” for Barbados.

In 2008 the former president of Barbados created “Rihanna Day,” which is held every February 22 .

Following the 2008 release of her single “Umbrella,” she had to ban umbrellas being brought to her concerts in fear of spectators injuring others.

Rihanna won her first Grammy Award for her hit with Jay-Z, “Umbrella.”

In 2008 Rihanna set up a series of free concerts called “A Girl’s Night Out,” any money earned by sponsors was donated to her charity Believe Foundation.

In September 2009, Rihanna appeared on the cover of Italian Vogue Magazine as part of their “Extreme Couture” edition.

In 2011 her hit “S&M” became her tenth number-one single to get onto the Billboard list.

At age 23, she was the youngest artist to have had ten number ones featured on Billboard.

For two consecutive years, 2011-2012, Rihanna won International Female Solo Artist at the BRIT Awards.

Rihanna has a Maltese poodle cross called Oliver, who she adopted in 2015.

By 2016 Rihanna had headlined six tours and released eight studio albums.

Rihanna launched her lingerie line “Savage X Fenty” in 2018 , which was designed to offer a wide range of lingerie to all skin colors and body sizes.

In 2018 Rihanna purchased a $7 million house in West London, England.

In March 2018, Snapchat issued an apology to Rihanna following an ad campaign in a “would you rather” game, asking users would they rather “slap Rihanna” or “punch Chris Brown.”

Rihanna has had a minimum of six Guinness World Records. On February 25 , 2020, Rihanna received a Guinness World Record for being the most tracked artist on Songkick, with 3,867,117 followers.

In May 2019, Fenty fashion was launched under Louis Vuitton, which made Rihanna the first woman of color to have a luxury fashion brand.

Rihanna is 5′ 7″ tall (1.73 meters).

Rihanna played Marion Crane in Bates Motel , the character was originally portrayed by Janet Leigh in the 1960 Hitchcock film Psycho .

Rihanna has had more than 75,000,000 downloads, making her the best-selling digital download artist of all time.

She has also earned over 30 top-ten songs in the UK and Australia, making her the only artist in the 21 st century to achieve this feat so far.

Across the globe, there are a total of eight wax figures of Rihanna at the Madame Tussauds museums.

Rihanna has 25 known tattoos , she got her first one back in 2006, which was a musical note on her foot.

Rihanna is an idol and inspiration for any woman across the globe.

Her successful career in singing and songwriting has expanded into acting and fashion.

Rihanna has changed lives around the world in a positive way and given hope to many people, especially to those who are part of her charity.

Her songs are catchy, and her styles change with the seasons, and that’s what makes her one of the most successful female artists today.

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About the author.

Becca Marsh

Becca Marsh is a travel enthusiast and a lover of nature. She is the co-founder of Global Convoy, a travel production company. When she is not filming, she enjoys writing about culture and travel.

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Rihanna opens up about motherhood, new music and more: 'Everything changes when you have a baby'

The singer and businesswoman talks about how being a mom has changed her life.

Rihanna is opening up about life as a mom.

In an interview with British Vogue , Rihanna, who is the magazine's March cover star, got candid about pregnancy, the birth of her son and parenting with her partner, rapper A$AP Rocky .

"Having a kid honestly unlocks another side of life where you're now in the matrix with the people who've already had kids," she said. "You come to have a different respect for moms and dads."

MORE: Rihanna unveils pregnancy during hit Super Bowl halftime performance

The singer and Fenty Beauty CEO added that "everything changes when you have a baby."

"Oh my God, it's legendary," she went on. "It's everything. You really don't remember life before, that's the craziest thing ever. You literally try to remember it -- and there are photos of my life before -- but the feeling, the desires, the things that you enjoy, everything, you just don't identify with it because you don't even allow yourself mentally to get that far because... Because it doesn't matter."

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MORE: Inside Rihanna's red hot Super Bowl 2023 style: All the glam details

How motherhood has changed her.

When her son was born in May 2022, Rihanna said that it was a "beautiful" experience.

"I cannot believe it," she said. "Essentially, from one person I became two. You walk into the hospital as a couple and leave as a family of three. It's nuts. And oh, my gosh, those first days are insane. You don't sleep. At all. Not even if you wanted to."

She added, "You're just going through the motions, and even then you're so paranoid. Because you're like: they trusted us to come home with this baby? This new life? With us?"

When asked about her relationship with A$AP Rocky amid this new chapter of their life, she said she is moved by his bond with their son.

"I'm just sitting on the sidelines when they're together," she said. "I'm literally the girl trying to get into the boys club, waiting for my turn. He is obsessed with his father. And I'm like: 'Didn't I give birth to you? What is going on?'"

"Their connection is undeniable," Rihanna added. "The second Rocky makes eye contact with him he is on fire."

MORE: A$AP Rocky cheers on Rihanna during singer's Super Bowl show

On being protective of her son.

Rihanna, who has been private about the details of her life and protective over releasing pictures of her child, is photographed in the March issue with photos of her 9-month old son, whose name has not yet been revealed.

The images, which were shot by photographer duo Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin on the beach in Malibu, California, show Rihanna with her son and A$AP Rocky.

During the photoshoot, according to British Vogue, the family was spotted by paparazzi; the couple worried were taking photos of their son.

"It's the thing you never want to happen," she said. "We get to decide as parents when and how we do that. End of story."

"Throw me to the wolves," she added. "Do what you want with me. But he doesn't have a say in any of this. We've been protecting him thus far and you don't have any consent to be posting photos or selling photos of my child, a minor. Get the hell out of here with that."

MORE: Rihanna 'excited to have Barbados' on the Super Bowl stage ahead of halftime performance

Being emboldened by motherhood.

In addition to the life changes that come with being a new mom, Rihanna talked about how motherhood has helped her take on new challenges.

"It's this knowing that you can do anything," she said. "Even things that seem the craziest."

One of those things was saying yes to performing in the Super Bowl.

To this day, she said she still can't believe she agreed.

"What the heck am I thinking? But you're geeked on a challenge like that because you know what your body just did [having a baby]. You feel this sense of 'Nothing is impossible,'" she said.

During her Super Bowl performance, the singer left many at home questioning whether she was expecting again. ABC News later confirmed that she was pregnant with baby No. 2.

MORE: Rihanna releases 'Lift Me Up' from 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' soundtrack

Rihanna told British Vogue that she had no idea that she would be pregnant again by the time of the performance.

"It was almost like an out-of-body experience," she said.

The Super Bowl marked Rihanna's first performance in seven years. The singer performed some of her popular hits, beginning with "B---- better have my money" and ending the show with "Diamonds."

In terms of new music, she said she wants to release a new album this year.

"It'd be ridiculous if it's not this year. But I just want to have fun. I just want to make music and make videos," she said.

Still, she wants to get it right, especially after the release of her last album, "Anti."

"['Anti'] really is my most brilliant album. I say that because in the moment, I didn't realise it. But it always felt like the most cohesive album I've ever made," she said.

She added, "... But there's this pressure that I put on myself. That if [then next album is] not better than that then it is not even worth it."

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An earthquake with a preliminary 4.8 magnitude rattles the Northeastern U.S., USGS says

Rihanna reveals how life changed after welcoming son: ‘everything matters now’.

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Rihanna has opened up about the ways her life has changed since welcoming her son, with the singer revealing that “everything matters now”.

The “Diamonds” singer, 34, spoke candidly about motherhood while speaking to Nate Burleson during the first episode of his podcast, The Process with Nate Burleson .

“My son, everything matters now. You really start to take a lot into account,” the Fenty Beauty mogul told the retired NFL player. Rihanna welcomed her son, whose name is not yet known, with boyfriend A$AP Rocky in May 2022.

According to Rihanna, activities such as skydiving are “on the backburner” for now, as she noted that “you really think about stuff like that. It’s not worth it”.

The billionaire entrepreneur also noted that “everything is different now” and that life before her and Rocky’s son “seems very obscure”.

“It’s very small and cloudy, it just got better with him,” she explained.

Rihanna, who will be performing the halftime show at the 2023 Super Bowl , also explained that it takes a lot for her to consider leaving the eight month old.

“It was kind of unexpected, to come back from zero to the Super Bowl,” Rihanna told Burleson of the moment she received the call inviting her to perform during the big game. “Getting back to anything right now has to feel worth it.

“Nothing is, like, worthy of your time away from your kid.”

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nathaniel Eugene Burleson (@nateburleson)

This is not the first time that Rihanna has opened up about the difficulties juggling work with motherhood ahead of the Super Bowl, as she revealed during a Super Bowl press conference this week that “the balance is almost impossible, because no matter how you look at it, work is always something that’s going to rob you of time with your child”.

“That’s the currency now, and that’s where it goes, the magnitude of how much it weighs. When you make decisions on what you’re going to say yes to, it has to be worth it,” she added.

Rihanna will take to the stage on Sunday 12 February as the Philadelphia Eagles face off against the Kansas City Chiefs at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

You can follow along with our Super Bowl liveblog here .

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Rihanna looks incredible in lingerie photos after baby number 3 confession

The umbrella singer was promoting her new fenty 'savage signature script' underwear collection.

Rihanna left her followers speechless when she dropped the new photos for her latest Fenty lingerie collection over Easter weekend.

The 36-year-old superstar – whose music career has taken a backseat since welcoming sons, RZA, one, and Riot , born in August 2023, with partner A$AP Rocky – posed in a lacy blue bra and matching thong to promote her 'Savage Signature Script' drop – and she's never looked better.

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Posing on a purple bedspread emblazoned with her company's branding, Rihanna proved she's Fenty's best sales weapon in the sultry snaps. She was photographed rocking a baby blue bra and matching briefs featuring a rather cheeky cut-out.

Rihanna on motherhood

Running her hands through her newly lightened locks, the Bajan beauty's extensive collection of tattoos was on full display.

A sweep of bronze eyeshadow, an overlined purple pout, and sparkling silver jewels completed the look.

Another series of photos saw Riri sporting a matching purple set comprising a bra, vest top, and high-waisted underwear while signing a hotel bill.

The Diamonds singer's post was captioned: "bill this long... put it on another room #savage . new ‘Savage Signature Script’ collection out now at savageX.com."

Rihanna on baby number three

RiRi's awe-inspiring photos come after the pop princess confessed she was already thinking about baby number three .

While chatting to E! News on the red carpet at the Fenty x Puma Creeper Phatty launch party, the chart-topping singer opened up about the possibility of a third child. 

Upon being quizzed, "Is there one thing you can't do so far?", she replied: "So far, have daughters!"

"I'm batting at 75 percent for a boy next time," she admitted. "So, we'll just keep our fingers crossed."

She also revealed her oldest son RZA is a little more reserved and isn't keen on all the media attention. "He loves his reflection, but the minute he sees me with my phone, he's like, I'm not entertaining you. Nope, nope," she said.

Rihanna isn't fussed about the traditional family unit and isn't sure whether a big white wedding is in her future.

"I always thought it would be marriage first, then a baby, but who the f**k says it has to be that way," she told VOGUE . "I'm certainly not gonna let that get in the way of me being a mom."

Branding motherhood so far "legendary", she explained: "It's everything. You really don't remember life before, that's the craziest thing ever."

Rihanna has made building her lifestyle and beauty empire a priority over the past few years, alongside looking after her kids.

It's been eight years since she released her last studio album, 2016's Anti, and it seems music isn't coming any time soon – much to her fans' collective chagrin.

 EXPLAINED:  How Hailey Bieber, Rihanna and Selena Gomez made celebrity beauty brands a $1 billion industry  

There is new material in the pipeline, however. When a fan asked A$AP about Rihanna's ninth album, which fans have been calling R9, he replied, "She's working on it."

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Breaking news, father describes agony of pulling 2-year-old son off life support after mom left him alone in nyc apartment that caught fire.

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A devastated dad said he made the agonizing decision to pull his 2-year-old son off life support after the toddler was left alone in a Washington Heights apartment that caught fire.

King Riley Corporan, 2, had been declared brain dead after he and his siblings were left alone by their mother in her Audubon Avenue apartment on the night of March 20, cops said.

“I didn’t take him off right away,” grieving father Francisco “Gus” Corporan told the New York Daily News , expressing shock at the mother’s decision to leave the helpless kids unattended. “That’s my son, I didn’t wanna just take the plug off. I couldn’t.”

The prospect of the tot’s organs living on as a donor gave him hope, he told the newspaper.

“I said, ‘Well, he might not be here physically but he still lives on,'” Corporan said. “Somebody else is living because of him.

“My son is still here, not with me, but he’s out there,” he added. “I know he’s still alive [because his heart is still pumping in somebody else’s body.”

King’s 1-year-old brother is still in critical condition, “bravely fighting as he continues to receive medical care,” according to a GoFundMe , started for the family by the father’s coworker, Princiee Norvil.

King’s 8-year-old sister barely made it out alive.

The boy’s mother, Skilyn Maldonado, 23, was charged with three misdemeanors of acting in a manner injurious to a child, according to police.

At Maldonado’s arraignment prosecutors asked for bail, but a judge instead enrolled Maldonado in an alternative to incarceration program.

When the blaze started, the 8-year-old girl ran out of the apartment and banged on a neighbor’s door, pleading for help, a neighbor told the Daily News.

“She was saying there is a fire in her apartment,” neighbor Jayden Zorilla, 14, said. “My mom and I were trying to see if we can bring out the kids, but the couch was on fire. When I entered, the window glass broke and there was blazing fire.”

Jayden’s mother, Yokania Germosen, 40, wrapped Maldonado’s daughter in a blanket and asked her 10-year-old son Justin to take her downstairs.

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Another neighbor told the News the mother had a habit of leaving her three children alone.

“She would just leave the kids home by themselves,” a neighbor, who wished not to be named, said. “She doesn’t have a job at all. She would leave them alone morning, day and night.”

The same neighbor said Maldonado and the children’s father could be heard fighting about the mother’s lifestyle.

“She’s young and wanted to enjoy her life,” the neighbor said about Maldonado. “[Corporan] been trying to get her out of the house for a bit. They fight all the time. You can hear him screaming, ‘Leave the house! You don’t do nothing. You been going into the street and never coming home!’”

Maldonado is scheduled to be in court again on April 25, according to officials.

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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs continues carefree Miami lifestyle by smoking and drinking after federal raids

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Sean “Diddy” Combs appears to remain unfazed as he continues to live a carefree lifestyle in Miami following the raids on his estates.

Photos captured the Bad Boy Records founder enjoying a day of smoking and drinking on his personal dock this week while he watched something on his phone. He walked away from his relaxing afternoon carrying a Perrier bottle and a pair of orange flip-flops.

TMZ also obtained photos of Combs happily riding his bike from his Star Island estate to South Beach, and at one point even flashed his now-signature peace sign for the cameras.

Combs, 54, has remained in Miami since the Department of Homeland Security descended on his Los Angeles and Miami mansions in connection to an investigation into allegations of sex trafficking stemming from a lawsuit filed by his former employee Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones and multiple claims of sexual assault by various women, including his ex Cassie .

The “I’ll Be Missing You” performer vehemently denied each allegation in Jones’ lawsuit and also has shot down claims of rape and abuse , but settled with Cassie 24 hours after she filed her federal lawsuit.

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“Just so we’re clear, a decision to settle a lawsuit, especially in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing ,” attorney Ben Brafman told Page Six in a statement after the settlement.

“Mr. Combs‘ decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims. He is happy they got to a mutual settlement and wishes [Cassie] the best.”

In the aftermath of the raids, the father of seven’s legal team blasted the feds for using an “excessive show of force.” Combs’ ex Misa Hylton also shared footage of the search in which her and Combs’ son, Justin, had “beams from firearms pointed at his chest.”

“The over zealous and overtly militarized force used against my sons Justin and Christian is deplorable,” she  wrote on Instagram . (Diddy shares  son Christian Combs  with the late Kim Porter.)

“If these were the sons of a non-Black celebrity, they would not have been handled with the same aggression. The attempt to humiliate and terrorize these innocent young BLACK MEN is despicable!”

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