Rihanna is undeniably one of the most remarkable artists globally, but her talents extend far beyond music. With eight albums already under her belt and a ninth in progress, she has also found success as an actress and is the mastermind behind the groundbreaking Fenty Beauty makeup and skincare line. Following her creative announcement of her second pregnancy and the arrival of her second son, Riot, in August 2023, we’ve delved into the depths of the internet to uncover some intriguing facts about Queen RiRi. Trust us, we’ve got all the details covered.
Rihanna’s isn’t actually her real first name
Rihanna’s full name is actually Robyn Rihanna Fenty, meaning that her makeup brand Fenty Beauty is named for her surname!
Rihanna has a documentary coming out
While the release date remains unconfirmed, Rihanna’s documentary has been in development for over six years. In January 2023, Peter Berg, the director of the documentary, provided an update on its progress to The Hollywood Reporter. He mentioned that they were awaiting Rihanna’s approval to proceed. “We’re waiting for (Rihanna) to approve it,” Peter explained. “It’s completed and sold, and Amazon is ready. She’s a perfectionist, so we keep making additions. After six and a half years of filming, it’s ready for release. We’re just waiting for her to give the green light. I don’t know, maybe it will turn into a 10-year project.”
‘Lift Me Up’ was Rihanna’s first Oscar nomination
Rihanna’s single ‘Lift Me Up’ was released in October 2022 and earned RiRi her first ever Oscars nomination for Best Original Song at the 2023 ceremony, although she lost out to ‘Naatu Naatu’ from RRR by M. M. Keeravani.
Rihanna released a behind-the-scenes clip of ‘Lift Me Up’
In a video uploaded to YouTube by Marvel, Rihanna’s reaction to hearing the finished version of ‘Lift Me Up’ can be seen. The singer, along with filmmaker Ryan Coogler, composer Ludwig Göransson and Roc Nation CEO Jay Brown, via FaceTime heard the song together.
Rihanna met A$AP Rocky all the way back in 2013
In May 2021, rapper A$AP Rocky revealed that he is dating Rihanna, admitting they spent the majority of summer 2020 together travelling. He even referred to Queen RiRi as the ‘love of his life’.
Rumours began to circulate about a potential romance between the two way back to 2013, when A$AP supported Rihanna on her ‘Diamonds World Tour’. This was also the year that the pair teamed up on their track ‘Fashion Killa’.
Rihanna revealed her baby to the world after being threatened by paparazzi
Rihanna later revealed her son RZA to the world in a TikTok after paparazzi threatened to share photos of him first. The super-cute video shows the tot attempting to grab Rihanna’s phone, doing the world’s most adorable yawn and watching the world go by out the window.
Her second baby was born in August 2023
Rihanna announced her second pregnancy in the coolest way possible – just casually revealing her baby bump to the world during her performance at the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show in February 2023!
It was widely reported that the baby was born on 3rd August, with the pair confirming in September that they had welcomed another little boy – Riot Rose! We love to see it! Congrats to RiRi and A$AP.
Jay-Z first signed Rihanna
…Sort of! Rihanna was discovered by American record producer Evan Rogers when they met in her home country of Barbados. Rogers liked what he heard (let’s face it, who wouldn’t), invited Rihanna to record some demos and she signed with his production company.
Rihanna’s demo got sent to Def Jam Recordings, where it caught the ear of Jay Brown who played the track to the company’s new CEO Jay-Z. Jay-Z invited Rihanna to audition, RiRi left the audition with a six-album record deal… And the rest is history.
Rihanna’s first song was ‘Pon De Replay’
Rihanna songs first started appearing in the charts with her track ‘Pon de Replay’. The track had appeared on her original demo that landed her that record deal. ‘Pon de Replay’ means ‘play it again’ in Bajan Creole, one of the official languages of Rihanna’s home country Barbados.
The track was released on 24th May 2005 and it sold a cool 2 million copies, charting Top 10 in the UK, US and across the globe and catapulting Rihanna into the international spotlight in the process.
