Superstar Rihanna is a personal favorite to many of her fans. She has rocked the entertainment industry back-to-back.
Rihanna has achieved so much in her career at only 31. She is not only a singer but also a talented actress.
Her image is not the same as it was a decade ago. A lot has changed.
20 Things You May Not Know About Rihanna
You think you know Rihanna? Wait until you learn of some of the things you didn’t know about her.
1. Maid of Honor
Everything was planned. Rihanna was to be the maid of honor of Katy Perry.
The two had been pretty close friends. However, Rihanna never made it to the wedding, leave alone being the maid of honor!
She really let down her friend. The two fell apart but have since made up.
2. Fight with Topshop
Rihanna did not take it lightly to see her face branded on a t-shirt. The Topshop store had used her face without her permission.
If it were, you may be happy about it. Rihanna was absolutely furious!
They had to settle the matter in court. The high court ruled in Rihanna’s favor.
3. Never graduated high school
One would not picture Rihanna not graduating high school. Well, that’s just it, she never graduated high school!
While still a teenager, she met American producer Evan Rogers. She was flown to the U.S. for auditions and eventually signed a contract with Def Jam.
She could not return home to complete her studies. Her career had already taken off.
4. National holiday
Did you know Barbados has a national holiday just for Rihanna? I mean, isn’t that amazing!
Barbados, the home country of Rihanna, has a special day to honor her. This is done because the government takes pride in Rihanna’s success.
Rihanna day is the name of the national holiday. She is truly loved and appreciated in her county.
5. Tomboyish nature
While growing up, Rihanna didn’t consider herself girlish. Her dressing said it all.
She was a military cadet in a sub-military program. Even when she started her music, she dressed like a tomboy.
6. Beauty pageant
There is no argument that Rihanna is naturally beautiful. As such, she was prompted to participate in a beauty pageant while in school.
She won the beauty pageant and was crowned Miss Combermere. However, it was a dare that made Rihanna join the pageant. I bet you didn’t know that!
7. No makeup
Rihanna’s mother did not allow her to wear any makeup. Her mother disapproved of it.
However, anything beauty-related came from seeing her mom work. Her mother worked at a beauty counter.
8. Umbrella song
I bet you remember Rihanna’s umbrella song that was a big hit. Can you imagine that song had not been written for her?
Initially, the song was written for Britney Spears, who rejected it. Mary J. Blige was also offered the song but did not finalize the deal eventually.
Def Jam Records went ahead and purchased the song for Rihanna. Just like that, she made millions from a song that was not hers in the first place.
9. Pre-show rituals
Yes, you heard me right, pre-show rituals are what Rihanna engages in. Why? You ask? To calm her nerves.
What Rihanna does is take a sneak peek at the audience before she gets on stage. She also has a habit of taking a diluted shot before every show.
10. Insured her legs
Rihanna has had her legs insured by Gillette. The insurance was done at the cost of $1 million.
In 2007, Rihanna held the prestigious title of Gillette, Celebrity Legs of a Goddess. That title carries the insurance with it.
11. Old Russian beauty therapists
When you are a celebrity, getting a bikini wax can be pretty uncomfortable. That is precisely what happened to Rihanna.
She once got recognized when having a bikini wax. She had to do an autograph in the middle of the session.
Since then, Rihanna insists on old therapists who are Russians. Why? Because they won’t recognize her and they don’t understand English.
12. Guinness World Records
Rihanna has managed to earn six Guinness World Records. This is credited to her eight studio albums.
She is the first female artist to have a U.K. Number One for five years consecutively. Best Selling Digital Artist in the U.S., among others.
13. Tattoos
Can you guess how many tattoos Rihanna has? Ten, you say? Nooo, you are wrong!
Rihanna has a total of 25 tattoos and doesn’t seem to stop there. Interestingly each of those tattoos has a meaning.
14. Movies
Apart from singing, Rihanna is also an actress. If you have not watched her movies, you are missing out big time.
So far, she has been in at least eight movies. Please make a point of watching one of them.
15. Banned umbrellas
You can never attend any of Rihanna’s shows with an umbrella. She has since banned them.
The song umbrella was Rihanna’s best-selling song ever. It was a big hit.
Due to that, many of her fans used to come to her concerts with umbrellas. They would end up hurting each other hence Rihanna has to ban them.
16. Grammys
Rihanna has nine Grammys to her name. She won the first one when she was just 19.
Over the ten years, she has been nominated for 24 Grammys. However, she has managed to take home nine of them.
17. Witnessed an exorcism
Rihanna usually speaks up and says she has witnessed a good number of exorcisms. This came from her religious community.
There was a time she saw a girl speaking in a foreign language and screaming. The people around her were praying for her life.
18. Vocal training
Ne-Yo has played a significant role in Rihanna’s life. He takes pride in giving Rihanna vocal training.
At that time, Rihanna was 19 and starting her music career. Ne-Yo would jump right in and give her some quick lessons.
19. Can’t wink
I find it quite funny that Rihanna can’t wink. I mean, how can she not!
Of all the things Rihanna can do, winking is not one of them. She is completely unable to shut only one eye.
20. Psychology
Rihanna didn’t leave school without a backup plan. She knew you could either make it in the music industry or not.
Her backup plan was to go back to school and study Psychology. But she doesn’t love school, as she once said. She is better at doing what she is doing now.
Conclusion
When you think of Rihanna, what comes to mind? Beautiful, talented, inspiring, legendary; all describe her.
Rihanna commands a sensational stage presence. Her sense of fashion is out of this world.
What is there not to love about this iconic star!