On Thursday, Rihanna was in Barbados, her home country, for a Fenty Beauty event. It was clearly an emotional moment for the star, because she decided to give a speech discussing her career and life trajectory over the last decade.
In her reflections, Rihanna said, “I always say music was the thing that got the attention, but God had other plans for me.”
She continued, “I was able to create in other ways that were very sincere, genuine, organic and authentic to the things that I love so it doesn’t even feel like a job. But when you bring it home, I can express to you guys what this day means for me to be able to celebrate with the people that deserve it the most.”
In February 2023, Rihanna performed at the Super Bowl Halftime Show, simultaneously revealing she was expecting her second child. The star welcomed her first son, RZA, in May 2022 with boyfriend A$AP Rocky. Riot Rose was born in August 2023. While her last album, ANTI, came out eight years ago, the star has released tracks for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, “Born Again” and “Lift Me Up.”
In addition to her Fenty Beauty empire, the star has created her lingerie line, Savage x Fenty, and the newer Fenty Skin, a skincare brand. Her fashion line co-owns with French luxury retailer LVMH and she is the creative director of Puma. She became an official billionaire in 2021.
In September of that year, she spoke with The New York Times about her new financial status.
“It’s tricky because it’s hard to even accept that’s where you’re at because I know where I’ve come from,” she said. “At the same time, it feels good to be able to inspire young women and boys, who like me, come from humble beginnings, who come from parents who are immigrants or who are immigrants themselves, to be able to do this.”
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.