Robyn Rihanna Fenty, born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, started her music career in 2005. She was signed by Def Jam and gained international recognition at the age of 17 when her first two albums reached the top ten on U.S. Billboard. Since then, she has won 9 Grammys, 13 American Music Awards (including the Icon Award), 12 Billboard Music Awards, 4 Teen Choice Awards, 4 People’s Choice Awards and 7 MTV VMAs to name a few. (Wordisk, 2022) Her “Anti” album reached number one twice on Billboard within eight weeks of its release, making it one of the few music albums to have done this. (Ryan, 2018) She released a fragrance in 2011 and her “Fenty Beauty” line in 2017, which outsold “Kylie Kosmetics”, followed by her “Savage X Fenty” line – a luxury lingerie brand. In 2020, she released her “Fenty Skin” care brand. On the 4th of August 2021, Forbes declared Rihanna a billionaire.
She is not just a successful musician, singer, songwriter, and businesswoman. Rihanna has been an advocate for change since the start of her career. In 2006, she launched the Believe Foundation which helps terminally ill children and in 2007 she raised awareness around HIV/AIDS as an ambassador for “Cartier Love Charity Bracelet”. In 2008 she continued to raise awareness around HIV/AIDS by designing clothes for an H&M “Fashion Against Aids” clothing line. She’s contributed to the alleviation of cancer by supporting and donating to cancer research in line with the objectives of the Clara Lionel Foundation which she founded in 2012. She’s donated to the World Food Bank, continued to contribute to organisations that support those living with HIV/AIDS, voiced her support for the LGBTQ+ community, marched alongside women in protest against Trump and criticised Trump’s immigration policies. In 2017, Rihanna was named Harvard’s Humanitarian of the Year.
In 2009, Rihanna voiced how she was assaulted by her then-boyfriend, Chris Brown. Since then, she’s supported women’s causes and has raised awareness about the very serious issue of domestic abuse. In 2020, she donated money in support of women and girls suffering domestic violence during Covid-19 lockdowns.
This year, Rihanna has redefined pregnancy fashion. In February, Rihanna announced that she and her partner, A$AP Rocky, were expecting their first child. She wore her baby pump unclothed and with pride, defying the conventions of maternity wear. In an interview for Vogue, Rihanna said, “I’m hoping that we were able to redefine what’s considered ‘decent’ for pregnant women. My body is doing incredible things right now, and I’m not going to be ashamed of that. Why should you be hiding your pregnancy?” (Cochrane, 2022)
Rihanna gave birth to a baby boy on the 13th of May 2022. In October 2019, Rihanna told Extra that it is her dream to be a mother and in 2020, she told British Vogue about her wishes to start a family. Rihanna explained that she had been planning for family life working “incredibly hard now so she won’t have to in future in order to fully focus on family life” (Cochrane, 2022). Rihanna said that she believes that the only thing that matters in a healthy relationship between a parent and a child is “happiness” and “love”. The world waits for the ways Rihanna will redefine motherhood too.