Rihanna's Secret Moments
Photo by Terry Richardson/CR Fashion Book
Although Old Hollywood legends and royal princesses alike may have been revered for their enviable style and penchant for luxury, they also grappled with troubled upbringings and tumultuous relationships throughout their lifetimes. Delving past the curtain of glamorous celebrity, Secret Moments is a series humanizing the icons of yesterday.
Singer, designer, actress, businesswoman, philanthropist: Rihanna can do it all. Ever since she stepped onto the music scene in 2005, she has continuously topped the charts and solidified her status as a leader in the industry. Beyond her music career, Rihanna has made enormous strides for women in both the fashion and beauty realms, becoming a pioneer for inclusivity and diversity. The Barbados-born star and CR cover girl is highly regarded around the world as a modern style icon and one of the most famous multi-hyphenates.
CR takes a look at some of Rihanna's most personal moments that have made her the influential woman she is today.
SHE WAS BORN AND RAISED IN BARBADOS
Before becoming the celebrity that she is today, Rihanna was born in Saint Michael, Barbados on February 20, 1988. She is the daughter of accountant Monica Braithwaite and warehouse supervisor Ronald Fenty.
HER GIVEN NAME ISN'T RIHANNA
Rihanna's given name was actually Robyn Rihanna Fenty. Although she goes by Rihanna now, her close friends and family still call her Robyn.
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SHE HAS TWO YOUNGER BROTHERS
Even though Rihanna's parents divorced when she was 14 years old, she is still close to her mom and dad, as well as her two younger brothers, Rajad and Rorrey Fenty.
SHE WAS MISS COMBERMERE
In 2004, while attending Combermere High School in Barbados, Rihanna won a school beauty pageant. She performed Mariah Carey's "Hero" and earned herself the title of Miss Combermere.
SHE WITNESSED AN EXORCISM
Rihanna grew up in a religious community and has witnessed multiple exorcisms. She described one situation as a girl speaking in tongues and screaming, while everyone else prayed for her life.
SHE WAS AN ARMY CADET
The Navy isn't just the name of Rihanna's fanbase. While in high school, Rihanna had military experience as an army cadet in a sub-military program. Fellow Barbadian singer-songwriter Shontelle was her drill sergeant.
SHE COULDN'T WEAR MAKEUP GROWING UP
Although she's now known as one of the queens of makeup, Rihanna once admitted that her mom didn't allow her to wear makeup as a teenager. Her obsession with makeup originally came from watching her mother work at a cosmetics counter in a department store.
SHE NEVER GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL
After meeting with American producer Evan Rogers in her home country as a teenager, she was invited to move to the U.S. to record demo tapes. When her career took off, she did not return to Barbados to complete her schooling.
SHE WAS SIGNED BY JAY-Z AT 16
After sending her demo tapes to Def Jam Records, Rihanna was invited to audition for Jay-Z. At only 16 years old, she was instantly signed. L.A. Reid was also so impressed that he demanded she not leave the building until signing her contract.
HER FIRST ALBUM DEBUTED AT NUMBER 10
Rihanna released her first album, Music of the Sun, at only 17 years old. With the lead single "Pon de Replay," the album reached No. 10 on the Billboard 200 and received a gold certification.
SHE ORIGINALLY HATED "PON DE REPLAY"
Although it's now one of her biggest hits, when Rihanna first heard "Pon de Replay" in 2005, she thought it sounded like a nursery rhyme.
HER FIRST NUMBER ONE WAS S.O.S
"S.O.S.," the lead single from Rihanna's second album, was the star's first number one hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. She was 18 years old when the song was released.
SHE WAS VOCALLY TRAINED BY NE-YO
As Rihanna never officially received vocal training, singer-songwriter Ne-Yo helped the 19-year-old star when she was in the studio. "He'll tell me how to breathe and stuff," she once said. "And I'm like, 'What?' Like he'll call out these big fancy words: 'OK, I want you to do staccato.' And I'm like, 'OK, I don't know what that is.'"
MADONNA IS ONE OF HER BIGGEST INFLUENCES
Rihanna has cited pop star Madonna as one of her greatest musical influences, as well as Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson.
SHE BANNED UMBRELLAS AT HER SHOWS
After the worldwide success of her song "Umbrella," Rihanna had to ban fans from bringing umbrellas to her UK shows to prevent injuries from trying to copy her signature dance moves.
SHE CREATED THE BELIEVE FOUNDATION
In 2006, Rihanna founded The Believe Foundation, an organization that helps terminally ill children. Six years later, she also founded the Clara Lionel Foundation to support global education and emergency response. Rihanna's annual Diamond Ball has become a star-studded charity event to benefit CLF.
SHE ONCE INSURED HER LEGS FOR $1 MILLION
After awarding Rihanna the title of Celebrity Legs of a Goddess, Gillette insured the singer's legs for $1 million. In response to the insurance, Rihanna laughed it off and said, "I think I'm just normal.
FEBRUARY 22 IS NATIONAL RIHANNA DAY
Rihanna has a great relationship with her home country. In 2008, the former Prime Minister of Barbados, David Thompson, officially made February 22 Rihanna Day. The people of Barbados celebrate it every year by listening to her music, and occasionally Rihanna returns to perform. She is also the official face of tourism for Barbados and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. Plus, she has a street named after her. In 2017, Barbados renamed a bordering street to Rihanna's childhood home, dubbing it Rihanna Drive.
SHE CAN'T WINK
While it may seem that Rihanna can do everything, in 2016, fans realized that there was one thing the pop star cannot do: wink. Whether on The Ellen DeGeneres Show or in the crowd of an awards ceremony, Rihanna has failed to perfect shutting only one eye.
SHE HAS SIX GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS
With eight studio albums under her belt, Rihanna has earned herself six Guinness World Records including being the first female artist to have a UK Number One five years in a row (from 2007 to 2011), being the Best Selling Digital Artist in the U.S., and being the most-liked person on Facebook in 2014.
SHE TAKES A SHOT BEFORE PERFORMANCES
In addition to her pre-show rituals of steaming her throat, eating lozenges, and doing vocal warm-ups, Rihanna's personal assistant always brings her a diluted shot. “I have to have it. I take it very seriously, so there is a level of anxiety, always," she once said. "I overthink everything when it comes to my job. The drink calms my nerves."
SHE SNEAKS INTO THE AUDIENCE BEFORE SHOWS
According to the singer, she will occasionally put on a big hoodie and sneak into the audience before her shows. One time she even threw a bra on stage.
HER TOUR BUS IS STOCKED WITH JACK DANIELS AND CHEETOS
During her 2013 Diamonds Tour, Rihanna's bus had plenty of coconut water, Corona, Jack Daniels, Grey Goose, gummy bears, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, and garlic stuffed green olives on hand. She also requested that the air conditioning be set to 73 degrees.
SHE HAS 25 TATTOOS
Rihanna once admitted that tattoos are like an addiction to her. “I like hanging out in tattoo shops. I am so intrigued by tattoos. It’s an entire culture, and I study it. Sometimes I go with friends, or just by myself,” she said.
Her first tattoo, music notes on her foot, was done in 2006. Currently, she has 25 known tattoos, including stars down her back, a shark on her ankle, and the Egyptian goddess Isis on her chest.
PSYCHOLOGY WAS HER BACKUP PLAN
If Rihanna didn't become a pop star, she would have stayed in school and studied psychology. However, since she hates school, she once said "Thank god I'm doing what I'm doing."
SHE REQUESTS THAT HER BIKINI WAXERS ARE OLDER
After an awkward situation where a younger person recognized her at a bikini wax appointment, Rihanna now requests that her estheticians are older and non-English speaking.
SHE OWNS FENTY BEAUTY
In 2017, Rihanna launched her lucrative cosmetics company Fenty Beauty under LVMH. It has been highly praised for its inclusivity, touting 50 foundation shades.
SHE SPOKE AT HARVARD
In 2017, Rihanna was awarded by Harvard as the University's Humanitarian of the Year. In addition to speaking about her life-long instinct to help people, she notably joked, "So I made it to Harvard. Never thought I'd be able to say that in my life," while flipping her hair.
SHE'S BEEN AWARDED NINE GRAMMYS
Over the course of 10 years, Rihanna has won nine Grammys and been nominated for 24. Her first win at only 19 years old was for "Best Rap/Sung Performance" at the 2008 Grammy Awards for "Umbrella."
SHE'S BEEN IN NINE MOVIES
Rihanna's acting debut was in the 2006 film Bring It On: All or Nothing, and she has since starred in eight more movies. Most notably, she joined the all-female cast of 2018 box office hit Ocean's 8 as Nine Ball.
