It’s difficult to view Rihanna as anything other than iconic. The Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman has achieved levels of success that would have been unimaginable for many others, ranging from being the second-best selling female music artist of all time to reaching billionaire status thanks to the success of her cosmetics line Fenty Beauty.
The Grammy-winning superstar made headlines again recently when it was revealed that she rented out the home of an Arizona man at the cost of $500,000 during the week of Super Bowl LVII in February 2023. The cybersecurity expert revealed it was enough to pay the mortgage for two years on his $7.3-million home.
When Rihanna headlined the Super Bowl LVII halftime show (her first time ever performing at the Super Bowl), she revealed she was pregnant with her second child and performed solo on a wobbly platform suspended hundreds of feet in the air.
Robyn Rihanna Fenty was born on February 20, 1988, in Saint Michael, Barbados. Her beginnings were humble and fraught as she struggled through childhood with an abusive father who battled alcoholism and crack cocaine addictions. Upon graduating from high school she knew that she wanted to pursue a musical career, and she auditioned in the hotel room of American record producer Evan Rogers. He promptly flew her to the United States to record a demo, which was sent to Def Jam Records. After auditioning for Jay-Z’s boss L.A. Reid, he was so impressed that he told Jay-Z not to let Rihanna leave the building until a contract was in place. From there, she skyrocketed to fame.
Rihanna has sold over 250 million records worldwide, had 14 number-ones and 32 top-ten singles in the US, and 31 top-ten entries in the UK. She has won nine Grammy Awards, 13 American Music Awards (including the Icon Award), 12 Billboard Music Awards, six Guinness World Records, the NAACP's President's Award, and an Academy Award nomination.
In addition to her music, entrepreneurial ventures, and the fashion industry, Rihanna is known for involvement in humanitarian causes. She is the founder of the nonprofit organization Clara Lionel Foundation, which funds groundbreaking education and emergency preparedness and response programs around the world. She was appointed as an ambassador of education, tourism, and investment by the government of Barbados in 2018 and was declared a National Hero of Barbados.