Thanks to her powerful music career, fashionable appearance, and successful businesses, Rihanna has officially joined the billionaire club, turning her into the wealthiest female musical artist and the second-richest female entertainer in the world.
Born in 1988 to a Barbadian father and a Guyanese mother, she grew up in Barbados and spent her childhood listening to Caribbean music, as well as American R&B and hip hop.
Her talent and love for music led her to release her first studio album in 2005. Since then, seven other award-winning studio albums have followed.
However, despite her incredible music career, it is her business skills that propelled her to billionaire status at age 33.
“I had one dream and that was for my music to be heard all over the world,” she once said. “I didn’t even think about the fame part, and then that came, and I was like, ‘Oh, shoot. Do I really want to do this?’ But the thing that keeps me alive and passionate is being creative. With every business outlet, I’m making something from a vision to a reality, and that’s the thing I really enjoy.”
In 2014, for example, she became a creative director for Puma, helping increase its sales. Three years later, she launched her makeup line, Fenty Beauty, a 50-50 joint venture with French luxury goods corporation LVMH aiming to provide more inclusivity in the makeup industry. The cosmetics brand offers foundations in a wide range of colors that suits every skin tone on the planet.
The following year, she launched her lingerie joint venture company, Savage x Fenty. Again, she banked on the strategy of creating a product line inclusive to all women, models, and sizes.
Since her beginnings, she has dominated the music industry, been featured on the covers of major magazines, and has often been presented as fashion trendsetter. Among all her achievements, it is in the business world that she truly shines, leading her to be ranked 16th on Forbes’ list of 2021 America’s Self-Made Women.