Rihanna

The world’s wealthiest female musician knows how to work, work, work. Beyond her legendary music career, Rihanna is a business powerhouse and a mainstay on Fortune’s 40 Under 40.

Rihanna hails from humble beginnings and was forced to learn self-sufficiency early: She was born in Barbados to an accountant and a warehouse supervisor.

While her family would’ve been middle class, financial stability was stifled by her father’s serious addictions. He was physically abusive to her mother, which forced Rihanna between them.

She says, “My mother raised me with certain standards,” one of those was never to give up her convictions or stop fighting for what she knows is right. This became a defining feature in her career; Rihanna “could never identify with that word, ‘weak,’” and learned her own strength.

From a young age, Rihanna was industrious and well-rounded. When her father was out of work, she sold clothes from a stall on the street with him to make ends meet. In school, she did relatively well, even enrolling in Barbados’s Cadet Corps.

Amid hard work and difficulty, music became Rihanna’s sanctuary. Her drill sergeant was Shontelle, a Barbadian singer-songwriter, who encouraged her to pursue reggae music. As she grew older, she discovered Madonna and Mariah Carey and looked to them to hone her arresting vocal skills.

In 2003, at age 15, Rihanna formed a music group with two of her school friends. While vacationing in New York City, the group auditioned for music producer Evan Rogers. When asked about her performance, he said, “The minute Rihanna walked into the room, it was like the other two girls didn't exist.”

Rogers was so impressed that he invited Rihanna to record some demo tapes in the U.S., but progress was slow because she was still in school. After about a year, her demo was finished and shipped to Def Jam Records, another record label.

Luck struck quickly: Jay-Z heard her demo and invited her to audition. When she did, executives were so impressed they told Jay-Z “not to let her leave the building” until she was signed with their label.

Rihanna released her debut album in 2005. The album’s hit single, “Pon de Replay,” reached number 2 on the U.S. Hot 100, solidifying her place as an emerging pop star.

Following her album’s success, Rihanna quit school to pursue music full-time. Putting together an album takes time, but Rihanna knew that her 15 minutes of fame wouldn’t last—she had to strike again while the iron was hot.

Her second album, A Girl Like Me, was released in 2006, less than a year after her first. It became platinum shortly after its release and blended pop, R&B, and reggae, paying homage to her beginnings.

Disaster struck in 2009 when singer Cris Brown, Rihanna’s at-the-time partner, physically assaulted her. Rihanna garnered much public sympathy from the reports but felt exposed and vulnerable. She says, “Women are powerful, powerful beings. But they’re also the most doubtful beings.”

Over the following years, Rihanna released a few more albums, including Rated R (2009),  Loud (2010), Talk That Talk (2011), and Unapologetic (2012).

It was during this time that Rihanna stepped out on her own. Her record label had crafted a ‘pop princess blueprint’ for her career, making her feel “claustrophobic.” She said, “They had a brand, an idea of what they wanted me to be without figuring out who I was.” Rihanna stood up for herself to her label, uniquely understanding her personal brand and crafting an authentic sound and style to match.

To mark her unique identity, she released ANTI in 2016. The album instantly succeeded, peaking at number 1 on the Hot 100. It also represented a break from her ‘norm’ with a more bass-heavy sound.

Eager to expand her empire, Rihanna launched Fenty Beauty, her first large business venture, in 2017. Inspired by her desire to impact women positively, Rihanna told her team, “There needs to be something for a dark-skinned girl; there needs to be something in-between.” Her beauty line marked a first in the industry with over 40 shades to appeal to people of all skin tones.

Fenty Beauty was an instant success, and TIME magazine marked it as one of the “25 Best Inventions of 2017.” The brand's focus on marketing to all women and empowering them to feel their best characterizes its popularity. It made over $550 million in sales over its first year.

Today, the self-made icon is worth $1.4 billion, with stakes in music, clothing, skincare, and, most notably, beauty. Rihanna remains involved in her business’s inner workings, and spends much time working in philanthropy.

Here’s what we can learn from Rihanna about brand power, authenticity, and mentorship.

Lessons

Never underestimate brand power. Through music, Rihanna cultivated a robust audience of over 150 million Instagram and 100 million Twitter followers, all of whom remain loyal brand advocates of both her music and her merchandise. In other words, when she speaks, followers listen. While music made her famous, much of Rihanna’s billion-dollar fortune comes from her fashion and beauty ventures, all of which fall under the umbrella label Fenty. But without a robust music platform and celebrity status, it’s unlikely that Fenty Beauty would’ve made such waves upon release, particularly in the hyper-competitive beauty industry. According to PR expert Brenda Gabriel, “[Rihanna’s] team successfully leveraged [her] star power and brand loyalty to launch one of the most successful beauty lines in the world.” By leveraging her previous successes and strong branding, Rihanna became a cross-promotion genius—this practice further creates synergy within her personal and business brands: Rihanna is Fenty, her music, and her products.

Don’t let success dilute your ambition. Rihanna says, “So the reason why people become successful is the same reason someone may come in second or third place. It's because they keep trying. They don't give up.” After Rihanna released “Pon De Replay,” critics called her a “one-hit wonder.” Taylor Swift, also a talented musician, experienced something similar. Like Swift, Rihanna used the experience as a motivator. In her case, the experience and criticism inspired Rihanna to “never stop working” to elevate her music, propelling her to achieve more and more over the course of her career. She turned to business when she’d achieved all she conceivably could in music. Her release of Fenty Beauty was ambitious, but quality products and strong branding yielded great success. This is one of the most important takeaways from Rihanna’s career: Resilience in the face of failure is one thing, but resilience in the face of success is another. Unlike other artists, who slow down releases after a few hit albums, Rihanna never stopped to rest on her laurels: She continued releasing hit albums one after another. Rihanna is relentlessly ambitious, even in the face of decades of success.

Authenticity is a powerful USP. Rihanna believes, “The key, I think, is knowing yourself, being comfortable in your skin, and never setting up limitations. If you do that, then the sky's the limit.” Rihanna’s reputation is her brand: She’s known for no-bullshit honesty and artistry, which contribute to her brand’s success. While these are valuable qualities, her adherence to these and her authenticity make her feel more realistic in the eyes of fans. In other words, Rihanna’s unapologetic authenticity and radical honesty contribute to the parasocial relationships she can cultivate with her audience. More than that, however, Rihanna has openly stood up for these traits and her authenticity; in fans' minds, this fact makes her feel like an underdog. In an interview with Oprah, Rihanna revealed that her label was “giving me a blueprint…They had a brand, they had an idea of what they wanted me to be without figuring out who I was.” In other words, her brand had cultivated a cookie-cutter pop-star image for Rihanna, one that didn’t align with who she was. Following push-back from the star herself, her label re-evaluated, understanding the importance of an authentic brand. When speaking of the experience, Rihanna says, “I stand up for what I believe in, and a lot of the time, that can be against people’s opinions.” More so than many, Rihanna has cultivated a brand around authenticity; she’s relentlessly authentic in her personal style and stands by her morals unwaveringly, further cultivating a sense of authenticity and relatability. Both translate to a strong fanbase and business ventures, yielding further success.

Raise industry inclusivity standards and use your brand as an authenticity tool. In 2017, Rihanna launched her makeup brand, Fenty Beauty. While a celebrity beauty brand is far from a revolutionary concept, Fenty is different: Rihanna launched one of the largest and most inclusive shade ranges at the time, catering to women of all races. She was heavily involved in the entire process, saying,  “I always wanted [my makeup brand] to be something that was respected…So I did my research, working on it independently.” Following the launch, Rihanna said, “I never could have anticipated the emotional connection that women have with the products and the brand as a whole…That's something I will never get over.” Inspiration for Fenty came from Rihanna’s experiences on set: Often, makeup artists didn’t have a good shade for her skin tone due to failings in the beauty industry. She says, “I wanted everyone to feel included. That's the real reason I made this line.” Not only was her shade range large, but her products were also very high quality, inspiring other luxury beauty companies to adopt a similar model. Furthermore, because Fenty Beauty is Rihanna, she uses her brand to speak out against matters that align with her personal values. For example, Fenty Beauty stopped operations in solidarity with the 2020 protests. Time and again, Rihanna uses her brand as an advocacy point, making her feel more authentic to her target audience. Today, Fenty Beauty maintains a 13% market share in the hyper-competitive luxury beauty market, with a large cult following.

Study masters in your industry. As a child, Rihanna’s family couldn’t afford formal music lessons. Instead, Rihanna used what she had—a music player and her mind toward craft. Rihanna cites Madonna as her greatest musical and business influence, saying, “I think that Madonna was a great inspiration for me, especially on my earlier work. If I had to examine her evolution through time, I think she successfully reinvented her clothing style and music every single time.” To that end, Rihanna carefully crafted a reinvention strategy similar to the 80s pop star, understanding its role in her continued success. Madonna wasn’t the only person Rihanna uses as a mental mentor: She says that Mariah Carey’s song, “Vision of Love,” is the one that inspired her to pursue music. Additionally, she said this of Bob Marley, a fellow Caribbean musician, “He's one of my favourite artists of all time – he paved the way for every other artist out of the Caribbean.” Rihanna used mental mentors as the foundation for her music practice, especially as a child. Her goal? “To make music that could be heard in parts of the world I'd never been to.” She mimicked Madonna and Carey’s sound and career, trying to combine stylistic tools with craft. As she developed, she “tried to make my own tone,” primarily as she explored pop, rap, and R&B music. These mentors’ careers and music provided Rihanna with a master class in what the public wants to hear and how to craft a successful music career. During a time when she had little resources, Rihanna’s resourcefulness brought her to a greater understanding of the music business more broadly.

Rihanna Quotes

On authenticity: “I always believed that when you follow your heart or your gut, when you really follow the things that feel great to you, you can never lose because settling is the worst feeling in the world.”

On failure: “Never a failure, always a lesson”

On determination: “When a door closes, you have two choices: Give up or keep going. Let them shut you down, or prove them wrong. We all start somewhere; it’s where you end up that counts.”

On her artistry: “Sometimes a person looks at me and sees dollars. They see numbers and they see a product. I look at me and see art.”

On cultivating her brand: “There’s a long way to fall when you pretend that you’re so far away from the earth, far away from reality, floating in a bubble that’s protected by fame or success. It’s scary, and it’s the thing I fear the most: to be swallowed up by that bubble. It can be poison to you, fame.”

On taking risks: “I take risks because I get bored. And I get bored very easily.”

Speeches

• 2005 Rihanna - UK Interview (Rare)---An early interview.
• Rihanna: A Dream Come True—An early interview transcript.
• My Journey To Success | Rihanna | Motivational Speech | With English Subtitles | Winner Girls—Rihanna shares the secrets behind her success.
• Rihanna Delivers POWERFUL Speech at the 2020 NAACP Image Awards—Rihanna speaks on her activism.
• REPLAY - Rihanna's speech in full as she is honoured at Barbados Independence Day ceremony | AFP—Speech in Rihanna’s home country.
• Rihanna: 'I was Really Really Nervous Before Meeting Jay Z' | Interview | TMF—An early interview.
• Watch Rihanna’s Super Bowl LVII Halftime Press Conference—Post-Superbowl interview.
• Rihanna Grants An Extremely Rare 10 Minute Interview Backstage At Her Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 2—Rihanna speaks on her beauty brand.

Videos

• Rihanna 777 Documentary—Rihanna’s tour documentary.
• ROBYN | Rihanna Documentary—Long-form documentary.
• Rihanna: Rebirth (2023) Documentary | Pop | Music | Icon | Singer | Artist | Fashion—A long-form profile.
• Rihanna’s $600 Million Fortune; Jay Z Becomes A Billionaire | Forbes Flash—Forbes looks at how Rihanna built her empire.
• Rihanna Documentary: History Life & Career—Documentary covers the star’s personal and professional career.
• This Is How Rihanna Became A Pop-Culture Icon—Story behind Rihanna’s career.
• Rihanna: Good Girl, Bad Girl | Full Music Documentary—A long-form profile.
• How Rihanna Built Her Billion Dollar Empire—Rihanna’s business strategy.
• How Rihanna’s $4B Brand is Expanding This Industry—Bloomberg looks at Rihanna’s business influence.

Book Recommendations

• The Rihanna Book—Self-created photo autobiography.
• Rihanna: Multi-Industry Mogul (Gateway Biographies)--Details the star’s career.
• Artists: Rihanna: The Biography of an Incredible Barbadian Billionaire singer, Actress, and Businesswoman—Rihanna’s biography.

Further Readings

• Fenty Beauty: How make-up helped Rihanna become a billionaire—Details Rihanna’s key business venture.
• Rihanna's Marketing Magic—LinkedIn user examines Rihanna’s marketing genius.
• L.A. Reid Recalls Meeting 17-Year-Old Rihanna for the First Time: Exclusive Memoir Excerpt—The star’s big break.
• 10 Things You Can Learn from Rihanna as a #Brand—Lessons learned from Rihanna.
• Caribbean Queen: Rihanna—A personal profile and major moments.
• Rihanna Is the First Black Woman to Head a Luxury Brand for LVMH—Vanity Fair looks at Rihanna’s accomplishments.
• Rihanna: Beauty Chameleon—Rihanna and the value of reinvention.
• Rihanna: the pop star who became a fashion powerhouse—A career overview.
• 7 Essential Steps Rihanna Took to Become a Billionaire—Key lessons.
• Rihanna Biography: The Journey from Barbados to Global Superstardom—An extensive profile.
• Rihanna learned to sing by mimicking Celine Dion—How Rihanna developed her craft.
• Rihanna Career Timeline—An overview of the star’s career.
• Rihanna Exclusive Interview: ‘I Break The Rules Even When I Don’t Intend To’---Breif profile and interview.
• Rihanna revitalizes tired musical style—Rihanna’s impact on the music industry.
• Rihanna 'Felt Stifled' By Def Jam's Pop-Princess Blueprint—Rihanna on taking her brand into her own hands.
• Rihanna, Queen of Pain: Rolling Stone's 2011 Cover Story—Key cover story and major career shifts.
• Rihanna—A career profile.
• Rihanna appointed as ambassador by Barbados—Rihanna’s political and cultural impact.
• How Rihanna Became A Billionare–Forbes examines the star’s key business decisions.
• Rihanna makes history with new fashion label Fenty—The star’s shifting business strategy.
• Fenty’s Fortune: Rihanna Is Now Officially A Billionaire—Rihanna’s business success.
• Special Interview (2005): Rihanna Tells How She Got Started, Getting Her Label Deal, And Her First Album—Rihanna shares how she got her start.
• How Fenty Beauty Changed The State Of Play In The Industry—Rihanna’s impact on beauty and fashion.
• Rihanna Now Biography—An extensive personal profile.
• Rihanna's Fenty Beauty: A case study in accelerating innovation by tapping new markets—Lessons learned.