It was with her 2009 hit song, Hard, that Rihanna previewed just how much of an impact she would have on the music industry.
“They can say whatever, I’mma do whatever... Tougher than a lion, ain’t gon’ need to try it
I live where the sky ends, yup! You know this
Never lying, truth-teller
That Rihanna reign just won’t let up
All-black on, blacked-out shades, blacked-out Maybach
I’mma rock this shit like fashion, as in going til they say stop...”
Released when she was 21, fresh off the Chris Brown assault drama, the song was where she hit reset on her career and the darker, daring and fearless Rihanna was, for lack of a better word, born.
This new Rihanna was unafraid to do what she needed to do to stay on top of the music game and make sure that her impact was felt. Nine years later, she has broken chart records and is one of the best-selling musicians of all time.
MUSIC
Rihanna has 14 Billboard Hot 100 number 1 songs and that she achieved this in 13 years is a feat that not many people could achieve. Only The Beatles, Elvis Presley and Mariah Carey have more number 1 songs than her.
It’s common knowledge in the music industry that if you want your song to be a hit, you need to get Rihanna on board. It’s for that reason she has collaborated with Jay Z, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Paul McCartney, Eminem, Drake, Shakira, Nicki Minaj, Coldplay and Calvin Harris.
Her recent collaborations with Kendrick Lamar and DJ Khaled allowed her to have a big impact last year and this year, a year after she released her critically acclaimed album, Anti. She recently won a Grammy earlier this year with Lamar for their song, Loyalty, and she set the Grammy stage ablaze when she performed Wild Thoughts with Khaled.
undefinedFASHION and BEAUTY
Puma, LVMH, Christian Dior and River Island know the power of the Rihanna effect. Her range with River Island, released in 2013, was a bestseller, which then led to sportswear brand, Puma, to come knocking on her door, looking for the Rihanna magic.
Not only have her designs for the brand seen it increase its profits by 92%, but the share price of the company also increased. Her shoe designs saw her make history as the first woman to win the Shoe of the Year award, at the 30th annual Footwear News Achievement Awards.
As the face of Christian Dior, she also made history as the first black person to be an ambassador of the storied fashion house. Not satisfied by being a spokesmodel, she collaborated with the brand on a sunglasses range, which once again flew off the shelves.
But it is with Fenty Beauty that Rihanna has truly shown her impact. Releasing the beauty brand last year, she has already earned awards for innovation. The brand has been applauded for creating foundations for all skin tones, something that existing make-up brands have struggled to do. And because more people can find their exact shade, the products were so popular, that stores couldn’t keep up with the demand.
She also had a successful collaboration with jewellery brand Chopard.
This year Rihanna will, alongside Donatella Versace and Amal Clooney , be the co-host of the annual Met Gala, with the theme being “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination”.
undefinedPHILANTHROPY
Rihanna recently raised $2.3billion (R26bn) for education in developing countries. She did this by simply tweeting world leaders and asking them if they were willing to donate to education.
She joined world leaders like French president, Emmanuel Macron, in Senegal, to discuss why there was a need to contribute to education in poor countries. Last year she met Macron in Paris, where she got him to agree to support her drive for raising funds for education.
She has her own foundation, the Clara Lionel Foundation, founded in 2012 and named after her maternal grandparents. She hosts annual balls where she urges her celebrity friends to also donate to her foundation, which supports health and education initiatives in the Caribbean and Malawi.
undefinedFILM
She had an interesting 2017 with roles in Bates Motel and Valerian. While the latter was trashed by critics, her performance was praised. The same was said about her turn in Bates Motel, where she reprised a role made famous by Janet Leigh in Alfred Hitchcock’s Pyscho, Marion.
This year she co-stars in one of the most anticipated films of 2018, Oceans 8, where she will share the screen with Academy Award winners Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett.
We can’t wait to see just how much she will do in her 30s. Happy Birthday, Rih!