Rihanna Through the Years: Look Back at Her Rise From Singer to Business Mogul

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Rihanna Through the Years: Look Back at Her Rise From Singer to Business Mogul

Rihanna has made a name for herself in not only the music industry but also the worlds of movies, fashion, beauty and beyond. Born Robyn Rihanna Fenty in Barbados in 1988, the singer was discovered by Jay-Z in 2005. After signing with Def Jam Records, she released first album, Music of the Sun in 2005. She became a household name three years later with the release of her hit “Umbrella,” which won her first Grammy Award. Rihanna also achieved mogul status with several lucrative business ventures. She started her own cosmetics, lingerie and skincare companies: Fenty Beauty, Savage X Fenty and Fenty Skin. In May 2022, Rihanna's life changed when she became a mother, welcoming a baby boy with partner A$AP Rocky. News broke one year later that the pair had named their son RZA Athleston Mayers, seemingly after the Wu-Tang Clan rapper of the same name. Rihanna also revealed during her halftime show at Super Bowl LVII that she and A$AP were expecting their second child together when she cradled her baby bump on stage. She gave birth to baby No. 2 in August 2023. Scroll down to see photos of Rihanna through the years:

Credit: Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock; Shutterstock; Cordoba Miguel/Action Press/Shutterstock; Zelig Shaul/Ace Pictures/Shutterstock; John Salangsang/January Images/Shutterstock; Shutterstock

Rihanna Through the Years: Look Back at Her Rise From Singer to Business Mogul

Rihanna has made a name for herself in not only the music industry but also the worlds of movies, fashion, beauty and beyond. Born Robyn Rihanna Fenty in Barbados in 1988, the singer was discovered by Jay-Z in 2005. After signing with Def Jam Records, she released first album, Music of the Sun in 2005. She became a household name three years later with the release of her hit “Umbrella,” which won her first Grammy Award. Rihanna also achieved mogul status with several lucrative business ventures. She started her own cosmetics, lingerie and skincare companies: Fenty Beauty, Savage X Fenty and Fenty Skin. In May 2022, Rihanna's life changed when she became a mother, welcoming a baby boy with partner A$AP Rocky. News broke one year later that the pair had named their son RZA Athleston Mayers, seemingly after the Wu-Tang Clan rapper of the same name. Rihanna also revealed during her halftime show at Super Bowl LVII that she and A$AP were expecting their second child together when she cradled her baby bump on stage. She gave birth to baby No. 2 in August 2023. Scroll down to see photos of Rihanna through the years:

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2005

Rihanna performed at one of Jay-Z’s Roc Nation events in July 2005 in the early days of her career.

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2005

The singer posed with Brown at Z100’s Jingle Ball in New York City in December 2005. She once said that they were “like brother and sister.”

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2006

She sang a duet with Elton John at the Fashion Rocks concert in NYC in September 2006.

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2007

After debuting a shorter, edgier haircut, Rihanna told Allure magazine in December 2007, “The label didn’t want me to do this look. But it made me stand out as an artist. I don’t care who likes it — this is me.”

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2008

Nearly one year after “Umbrella” topped the charts, the songstress debuted her own collection of umbrellas at a Macy’s store in the Big Apple in February 2008.

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2008

Rihanna took home her first Grammy later that month for “Umbrella” in the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration category.

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2008

After going public with their relationship, Rihanna and Brown returned to Z100’s Jingle Ball in December 2008 for a joint performance.

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2009

The multihyphenate canceled her scheduled Grammys performance in February 2009 after Brown assaulted her the night before the awards ceremony. He pleaded guilty that June and served five years of probation.

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2009

Rihanna changed the game in November 2009 with the release of her darkest album to date, Rated R.

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2011

To promote her fifth album, Loud, the actress performed 98 shows across North America, Europe and South America from June to December 2011, including a record-breaking 10 dates at London’s O2 Arena.

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2011

Rihanna mastered electronic music with the release of her and Calvin Harris’ hit “We Found Love” in September 2011. The song’s music video later won a Grammy.

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2012

To celebrate the release of her seventh album, Unapologetic, Rihanna embarked on her 777 tour in November 2012. She performed seven concerts in seven cities in seven countries and invited fans and journalists along for the ride.

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2016

The businesswoman dropped her critically acclaimed eighth album, Anti, in January 2016.

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2016

Drake professed his love for Rihanna while presenting her with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the MTV Video Music Awards in August 2016. The “Work” collaborators split less than two months later after dating on and off for seven years.

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2018

Fenty Beauty generated an estimated $570 million in revenue during its first year, according to Forbes.

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2018

Rihanna starred alongside Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina and Helena Bonham Carter in Ocean’s 8, which hit theaters in June 2018.

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2018

Rihanna showcased the first products from Savage X Fenty in September 2018 during New York Fashion Week.

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2020

Us Weekly broke the news of Rihanna’s split from billionaire businessman Hassan Jameel in January 2020, nearly three years after they were first linked.

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2020

The entrepreneur headed home to Barbados in December 2020 with her new boyfriend, A$AP Rocky, whom she had been friends with for years before their relationship took a romantic turn.

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2021

The Barbados native became the richest female musician, according to a Forbes report released in August 2021. That next month, Rihanna and A$AP made their Met Gala debut as a couple.

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2022

At the start of the new year, Rihanna and the rapper confirmed they were expecting their first child. The pair welcomed their first child, a baby boy, in May.

In September, news broke that the performer was chosen to headline the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show.

The “Umbrella” songstress also made her return to music in October after a six-year hiatus. Rihanna dropped “Lift Me Up” for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, a tribute song dedicated to the late Chadwick Boseman.  

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2023

During her halftime performance at Super Bowl LVII, Rihanna confirmed her second pregnancy when she showed off a baby bump. In August, multiple outlets reported Rihanna and A$AP welcomed baby No. 2.