Rihanna celebrated her 35th birthday on Monday night with the most Rihanna celebration possible: A private party at her favorite Santa Monica spot, Giorgio Baldi. TMZ noted that her boyfriend, A$AP Rocky, joined her, and the restaurant was filled with balloons for the birthday girl.
Rihanna dressed like the star of the night, pairing a sheer white bra with a matching bodycon mini dress and oversized black coat. She accessorized with silver sandal heels, silver jewelry, and a white fluffy bag. The fête comes one week after Rihanna performed at the Super Bowl and announced her second pregnancy.
TMZ reports in addition to Rocky, Rihanna’s best friend Melissa Forde and brother Rorrey Fenty were also among the guests there.
Rihanna opened up about her priorities this year in her British Vogue interview last week. Among them really is releasing a new album in 2023. “I want it to be this year,” she said. “Like, honestly, it’d be ridiculous if it’s not this year. But I just want to have fun. I just want to make music and make videos.”
Rihanna has been recording music for years following the release of 2016’s Anti, her last album. She admitted she has been a bit perfectionist about it and is trying not to let that get in the way as much of her releasing new songs. “I realized that if I keep waiting until this feels right and perfect and better, maybe it’s going to keep taking forever and maybe it’ll never come out and no, I’m not down to that,” she said. “So I want to play. And by play, I mean I have my ideas in my head, but I can’t say them out loud yet.”
Senior News and Strategy Editor
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.