While she got her start young, her path to fame hasn’t always been an easy one.
Despite the ups and downs, Rihanna has steadfastly remained true to herself.
Her life has changed in many ways since her childhood in Barbados.
She’s gone from a small-town girl to an international superstar, and her transformation has been fascinating.
She helped raise her younger brothers
Rihanna’s early years were far from perfect.
Her father struggled with drug addiction, leaving her mother to support the family.
As the oldest, this left Rihanna in charge of her younger brothers.
“I think it made me very independent,” Rihanna said in the article.
“I’m very strong.
I’d always been a daddy’s girl.
I was Daddy’s girl.
And I found out who was doing right and who was doing wrong.
And I turned into a mommy’s girl.”
Rihanna told Allure in 2009 that she was often teased in school for having lighter skin than her classmates.
The teasing would often escalate to fist fights.
“I was cultured in a very ‘black’ way,” said Rihanna.
I didn’t understand."
“It’s still a thing,” she said.
“And it’s the thing that makes me want to prove people wrong.
That military training came in handy years later as Rihannaprepped for a rolein the 2012 film “Battleship.”
To get ready for filming, Rihanna was drilled by a Naval officer.
“It’s not a walk in the park,” she told Marie Claire.
Still in school, she turned towards music as a distraction from her family troubles.
She auditioned for music producer Evan Rogers with two classmates, but it was Rihanna who stood out.
Be that example they can follow.
I always wanted to make a difference in the world.
I was always trying to figure out how can I change the world.”
Rihanna has turned that early desire to do good into many philanthropic pursuits.
“That’s how we speak in the Caribbean,” she said.
She has beenknown to go braless, unafraid to let her girls be seen.
“I have always freed the nipple,“she told Vogue in 2016.
“It was never to get attention.
It was a topic of discussion, and eventually other girls started defending me.
And now there’s this whole ‘Free the Nipple’ movement.”
The singer is alsoa fan of getting inked, rocking more than twenty tattoos.
She was appointed creative director at Puma in 2014, which led to her line Fenty x Puma.
In 2017,she was honoredby the Parsons School of Design for her contributions to fashion.
While some celebrities simply lend their names to fashion lines, Rihanna takesa hands-on approach.
I’m really enjoying it.”
“I’d love to get there one day,” she told The Sun in 2017.
“Who doesn’t want to be told they’re doing a great job?”
She’s a strong feminist
It should come as no surprise that Rihanna isan ardent feminist.
Not only does she wear what she wants, but she also stands up for women’s rights.
So proud of the women around the world who came together today for pro-choice!”
She’s also giving back to the community in a big way.
She started theClara Lionel Foundationin 2012 to “fight against injustice, inequality, and poverty.
There is truly nothing I’m more proud of and we’ve just gotten started.”
In 2016, she was named a Global Ambassador of theGlobal Partnership for Education.
In 2015, she told Vanity Fair that there are times when fame can become overwhelming.
Oh my God this is scary and sad all at the same time," she said.
“I literally dream about buying my own groceries.
Because it is something that is real and normal.
Something that can keep you a little bit uncomfortable.”
The singer set out to create an inclusive line suitable for people with a variety of skin tones.
“I wanted everyone to feel included,” Rihanna said in an interview withGrazia.
“That’s the real reason I made the line.
Beauty for all, that’s what I believe in.”
“I used to feel guilty about taking personal time,” she admitted toVoguethat year.
Now, when I come to work, I’m all in.
Because before you know it, the years will go by.
I’m glad I’m taking the time.
I’m happy."
So how does Rihanna feel about her billionaire status?
At the end of the day, though, she’s just grateful.
Just three words: “God is good” (viaET).
In the months that followed, though, it became clear that love was blossoming.
In May 2021, Rocky called Rihanna “the love of my life” in an interview withGQ.
They sparked engagement rumors in May 2022 after Rihanna was seen wearing a diamond on her ring finger.
“It’s all an exciting journey so far,” she said.
“I’m just taking it as it comes every week.”
I’m sorry it’s too much fun to get dressed up," she toldVogue.
