His real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, but the world knows primarily her middle name, and in recent years it has also begun to recognize her surname – thanks to the artist’s non-musical activities. RiRi is one of the biggest pop stars in the world, even though she hasn’t released an album in eight years. The singer even jokes about this fact when fans keep asking: “When is the new album?” The star also has a history of mishaps, for example concerts during which it was clearly visible that she overdid it with partying, but strangely enough, none of these scandals harmed her.
Childhood Rihanna it was not a dream come true. The star’s father was addicted to alcohol and drugs and used domestic violence, which the artist often witnessed. No wonder the teenager did everything she could to get out of this situation, and most often she simply escaped into music. The singer started her career by starting a girl band with two school friends. She dared to do it, even though – as she recalled – she was morbidly shy at the time. However, the group did not make a career, but not because it was weak. One artist simply outshone the others.
The young singers didn’t have any songs yet, they didn’t even have a name for the band, they only knew that they wanted to sing, so they auditioned for an American producer. Evan Rogers. The musician had already collaborated with many pop stars, and it happened that he was in Barbados on a family vacation. A friend of a friend mentioned an ambitious girl group to the producer’s wife, so Evan decided it wouldn’t hurt to listen.
“As soon as Rihanna walked into the room, it seemed like the other two girls didn’t exist. She carried herself like a star even though she was only 15, but the real blow came when she started singing,” Rogers admitted in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. For the next year, the artist trained her voice under the supervision of the producer, and then she moved to the United States. The singer initially lived with Rogers and his wife, and finished school with the help of a tutor. Evan prepared a demo tape of the singer and sent it to his friends from record companies. An employee responded quickly Def Jam Recordingswho presented the songs to his boss. Jay-Z he invited RiRi to an audition and it was enough for the company to sign a contract with the future star for several albums. Rihanna’s first single was the song “Mon De Replay“, one of the songs that Rogers recorded with her.
You can play in a local band, or you can be an artist who sells out stadiums – scale doesn’t matter when it comes to the great enemy of musicians: stress. Some singers admit that every time they go on stage, even after many years of playing, they are terrified. The fear usually goes away after a few songs, but it’s not easy until they sing them. Rihanna, among others, struggles with such stress. Star so she has a pre-concert ritual that helps her calm down a bit. The artist admitted that she moisturizes her throat with steam, which is very popular among singers, then puts on makeup and connects to a singing teacher via the Internet to warm up her vocal cords.
In 2011, RiRi revealed another element of her preparations to Esquire magazine. “My assistant, like a bartender, brings me a shot, of course diluted with orange juice or carbonated water so that it is not too strong. (…) I think too much about what will happen. This drink calms me down a bit. Sometimes I drink it when I watch support performances from behind the scenes,” she said.
Some fans found out that it wasn’t just from behind the scenes. The star admitted that sometimes he puts on a hoodie to avoid making a fuss – and watches concerts in the audience like an ordinary fan. This was witnessed, among others, by the participants of Open’er in 2013. Rihanna was in Gdynia the day before her performance. The singer appeared on the festival grounds and decided to watch her colleagues’ concerts. That day they played, among other things Miguel and the Kings of Leon. The artist, with a drink in her hand, entered the moat for photojournalists and listened to the music in peace for a moment, but when the crowd realized that Rihanna was in front of the stage, security had to quickly take the singer backstage.
If you watched the movie “Battleship: Battle for Earth”, you probably noticed Rihanna there. The singer played a non-commissioned officer Cora Raikes. Few people know that this was not the artist’s first contact with a uniform. The singer completed military training in her homeland, which is, of course, Barbados. Although it was not obligatory, many young people willingly volunteered, so Rihanna also went to the training ground. Cadets had no concessions at all, they had to learn how to shoot, crawl around the training ground and practice discipline just like their older colleagues. The difference was that the teenagers were not sent into any combat.
Another Barbadian singer was trained with Riri at that time, Shontelle, who was responsible for the drill. By the way, when the ladies later hit the scene, they had the same team of managers. Perhaps the prospect of a hundred push-ups as punishment for being late for drills is not the most pleasant one, but in the end, being in the army gave Rihanna a lot. He certainly strengthened the singer mentally and taught her something that she didn’t think would ever be useful to her. At the age of 15, the artist won a beauty contest. “I always laughed at these stupid competitions, but my friends from school talked me into it. Military training taught me how to walk with an upright body, thanks to which I easily learned how to walk down the runway with books on my head,” Rihanna told the Daily Mail.
The lessons at the training ground paid off once again when the star was preparing for a role in the film “Battleship”. The singer didn’t have to spend long hours at the shooting range, and like many actors, she didn’t have any problems with discipline, although it wasn’t easy. “My coach was a soldier. I can’t even count how many times he shouted at me, straight to my face. He never called me Rihanna and never responded to anything,” the singer admitted in an interview with the BBC.
“I had the best teacher: my mother” – yes Rihanna she explained to Vogue magazine where her interest in cosmetics came from. Monica always told her children to take care of their appearance because “when they see you, that’s how they judge you.” Without exaggeration, of course. It was mainly about looking neat, because, for example, the teenage singer was forbidden to wear make-up. The singer recalled that her mother did not allow any negotiations: “no” means “no”.
Monica worked in a drugstore, so her daughter often visited her at work and looked at new products. Years later, Rihanna was inspired by these memories. The artist first collaborated with a large cosmetics brand, then endorsed several fragrances, but in 2016 she decided that it was not enough. So the star created her own cosmetics company, this time under her own name. Not much later, the singer added clothing, including underwear, to foundations and powders, but this business was quickly closed.
It must be admitted that Rihanna is doing well in business, because her cosmetics have achieved success on the market. The brand took advantage of the popularity of online influencers, but the singer herself also promotes the products at every possible opportunity. Do you remember how during the performance on Super Bowl did the singer fix her makeup in front of the camera? It was no coincidence, just as the brand of powder in the star’s hand was not accidental.
Rihanna is still one of the most popular people from Barbados and a living advertisement for her country. No wonder the singer is treated there like a real star. The artist became the official ambassador of Barbados, and in 2021 she joined the group of “National Heroes”. This is a special distinction awarded to particularly meritorious people. Do you think that’s all? Well, no. The street where the singer grew up now bears her name. The former Westbury New Road is now Rihanna Drive. The singer also has her own celebration in Barbados. February 22 is Rihanna Day in the country. It must be admitted that the artist takes her role as an ambassador seriously, because she willingly comes to all award ceremonies, and also boasts about photos from official events and praises Barbados. If the star received a bonus for every tourist who visited the country thanks to her, her fortune would probably increase by a good amount.