25+ Rihanna Facts You Didn’t Know Until Now

Bi**h better know every single, itty bitty detail about RiRi!

From her real name to her troublesome upbringing, we give you 26 interesting facts you may not have known about the Anti singer. If you truly want to be considered a part of Rihanna Navy, then we suggest you delve right in to our list of Rihanna facts…

1. Rihanna Isn’t Her Real Name!

Oh na na, what’s her name? To her friends and family, Rihanna goes by the name “Robyn”. “Rihanna” is actually the superstar’s middle name – Robyn Rihanna Fenty. Even her siblings’ names all start with the letter “R”, too. Her two younger brothers are named Rorrey and Rajad. It looks like the Kardashians aren’t the only family to keep up with this name tradition!

2. “Rihanna Day” Actually Exists!

On February 21st, remember to wear your best RiRi shirt! Yes, there’s an actual day dedicated to our queen! In Barbados, that is. On February 21st 2008, RiRi’s homeland, Barbados, created a national holiday honoring the popstar. On that day, RiRi surprised fans with a free concert as a way to say thank you!

3. She Drinks Before Getting on Stage

Here’s some fun Rihanna trivia for you! She may strut her stuff on stage like the confident Bad Gal that she is but believe it or not, the controversial singer usually takes a shot to calm her nerves before giving her fans a performance!

4. Rihanna Wasn’t a Fan of ‘Pon De Replay’

That’s right. RiRi thought her first single sounded like a nursery rhyme. Well, it kinda does if you compare it to BBHMM! But that hasn’t stopped it from being a classic!

5. She Was Part of the Army Cadet Force!

Now we know where she got her Bad Gal status from! Before her music career, RiRi was an Army Cadet back in Barbados and her drill sergeant was Impossible singer, Shontelle! Yet another fact about Rihanna that makes you love her even more.

6. Rihanna’s Childhood was Quite Difficult

Rihanna’s father, who was addicted to crack cocaine, alcohol and marijuana, used to abuse her mother. RiRi’s parents’ turbulent marriage ended when she was just 14. The singer admitted to Oprah in 2012 that she had to make peace with her dad in order to forgive Chris Brown for abusing her back in 2009 – “I had to forgive him because I cared about him still.”

7. She Once Worked at a Street Stall

Here’s a fun fact about Rihanna you certainly didn’t know! Think RiRi was born into stardom? Think again. The Pour It Up singer once worked with her father selling clothes at a street stall. Little did she know that she’d one day become of the world’s best-selling artists.

8. Rihanna Won a Beauty Pageant!

It looks like Rihanna’s pretty face has always got the credit it deserves! In 2004, she won the Miss Combermere school beauty pageant! Well deserved!

9. She Won a Talent Show!

When everyone’s favourite Bad Gal was 15, she won a talent show for her rendition of Mariah Carey’s Hero. Her voice in this video clip is unrecognizable! Let’s just say she’s come a long way since then!

10. An Audition in Barbados Made Her Famous

If it weren’t for music producer, Evan Rogers’ visit to Barbados, perhaps Rihanna wouldn’t be the big star that she is today. Rogers was vacationing on the island in 2003 with his wife when RiRi auditioned for him. He told Entertainment Weekly, “The minute RiRi walked into the room, it was like the other two girls didn’t exist.” After that, she moved to Connecticut to kick-off her music career. When she later auditioned for rapper, Jay-Z at the age of 16, he immediately signed her to Def Jam Records and so she moved to New York.

11. Rihanna Was Star Struck When She Met Jay-Z

Who wouldn’t be, right? Rihanna admitted that she was extremely shy and star struck when she met Jay-Z for the first time. She said, “Oh God, he’s right there, I can’t look, I can’t look, I can’t look!’ I remember being extremely quiet. I was very shy. I was cold the entire time. I had butterflies. I’m sitting across from Jay-Z. Like, Jay-Zee.”

12. She’s Starred in Several Movies

She’s an actress too! The 31-year-old has starred in Bring It On: All or Nothing, All My Children, Battleship and Ocean’s 8! RiRi, a girl of many talents!

13. Rihanna Helps Terminally Ill Children

In 2006, the Umbrella singer launched the Believe Foundation, a charity to help terminally ill and disadvantaged children worldwide. In March 2008, Rihanna told People magazine, “When I was young and I would watch television and I would see all the children suffering, I always said when I grow up I want to help.”

14. She Has Insured her Legs!

There’s no doubt you’ve realized how hot Rihanna’s legs are! She’s definitely got the best pair of legs in the business. In fact, she won Gillette’s Venus Breeze ”Celebrity Legs of a Goddess” award in 2007, causing her to later insure them for $1million.

15. Rihanna’s Father Sold Information to the Press

One thing we know about Rihanna’s bio is that her relationship with her father hasn’t been pretty. RiRi’s father betrayed her trust when he sold information to the press about her incident with Chris Brown. Ouch! Since then, however, father and daughter have reconciled.

16. She Wasn’t Allowed to Wear Makeup

Consider yourself lucky! When RiRi was younger, her mother wouldn’t allow her to wear makeup. Isn’t it ironic that she now has her own Fenty Beauty line and a MAC deal? She was even a Cover Girls spokesmodel!

17. She Turned Down Offers From Playboy Magazine

She may have the sexiest photos on Instagram and she may have posed nude for Lui Magazine but believe it or not, Rihanna has turned down the offer to pose for Playboy Magazine. Her music videos may be raunchy AF but this Bad Gal will never stoop to Playboy levels!

18. There Was Trouble Whilst Filming the Video for ‘We Found Love’

The owner of the farm where the video for We Found Love was filmed demanded that Rihanna and crew should leave because he didn’t approve of their raunchy dress code. The video was rather extreme, to say the least!

19. There Was Almost Such a Thing As “Rihanna’s Law”

After a photo of Rihanna’s beaten face leaked from the Los Angeles Police Department following the abuse case with Chris Brown in 2009, an organization called STOParazzi proposed “Rihanna’s Law,” which, if enacted, would “deter employees of law enforcement agencies from releasing photos or information that exploits crime victims.”

20. Rihanna Has 8 Wax Figures Around the World!

Did you know that there are a total of eight Rihanna wax figures at Madame Tussauds Wax Museums around the world? They are located in New York, Berlin, Hollywood, Las Vegas, Washington D.C., London, Sydney, and Vienna.

21. Rihanna’s Total Net-Worth is $600 million

Bi**h better give me some of that money! That’s right, folks! Rihanna’s total net-worth is an estimated $600 million! I guess that’s what you get for being the most popular celebrity of 2018! Feeling jealous, yet?

22. She Has Dated a Bunch of Famous Guys!

Your favorite pop diva has had her fair share of celebrity men! She’s dated the likes of Chris Brown,  Los Angeles Dodgers baseball star Matt Kemp and Drake. She has also been rumored to have dated rapper, Travis Scott.

23. Chris Brown Got In Between Rihanna and Katy Perry’s Friendship

So, we all know Rihanna and Katy Perry are the best of friends, right? She even planned Katy Perry’s bachelorette party in 2010. But their friendship came crashing down when RiRi reunited with Chris Brown in 2013 because like a lot of people, Katy disapproved. They made up though and they’re still BFFs today!

24. Rihanna Didn’t Finish High School

Do some of you ever feel bummed about not finishing high school? Who knows, you might get lucky and become the next Rihanna! The Diamonds singer actually stopped attending high school when she was just 15 years old! This fact about Rihanna’s life makes us not feel so pessimistic about ours!

25. She Has Witnessed an Exorcism

It looks like RiRi believes in all things creepy! In fact, the singer has witnessed an exorcism with her very own eyes. She once said in an interview – “They were praying around this table. We were young though, and one of the girls, she got up and she just started screaming. I remember they locked us in the bedroom because they didn’t want kids to see that. Every time they prayed she would start screaming in the weirdest voice.”

26. She Has Other Successful Ventures

Wondering why Rihanna has such a high net-worth? Music isn’t only to blame. The star also has several other ventures that help bring in the mulla. In November 2015, she launched  Fr8me, a styling, hair and makeup agency. Let’s not forget Fenty Beauty, which was established in 2017. Rihanna later launched Savage X Fenty, a lingerie brand that has gained traction thanks to its use of plus size models in advertisements. Rihanna also has 5 fragrances, Reb’l Fleur, Rebelle, Nude, Rogue and Rogue Men, and is  co-owner of Tidal.

Continue shining bright like a Diamond, Ri!

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Article features the image “Rihanna figure at Madame Tussauds London” by Luke Rauscher is licensed under CC BY 2.0 / modified