Rihanna, the Barbadian beauty who started in mainstream Music at the age of 17, has come a long way 17 years later to become the youngest-ever, self-made billionaire and the wealthiest female musician thanks to her company Fenty Beauty, according to Forbes.

Robyn Rihanna Fenty aka RiRi, made her first millions from music when she signed a six-album deal with Def Jam Recordings in 2005, after being discovered by Record Producer, Evan Rogers.

From starting out at a teenager who sold clothes with her dad on the streets of Bridgetown, Barbados, to becoming America’s youngest self-made billionaire in 2022, how did Rihanna amass a net worth of $1.7 billion?

Rihanna’s Income

1. Music

As at July 2022, Riri had sold over 150 million singles and 41 million albums worldwide. It is on record that the total figure from music sales amounts to $49.4 million in total. According to WealthyPeeps, Rihanna’s music sales makes up a little fraction of her $1.7 billion dollar worth. Below is an overview of her highest album sales.

Rihanna’s CutAlbumTotal Sales VolumeYear
$5.8 millionLoud8 million2010
$5.07 millionGood Girl Gone Bad7 million2007
$3.98 millionTalk That Talk5.5 million2011
$2.9 millionA Girl Like Me4 million2006
Rihanna’s highest grossing Album sales by year

2. Tours

On the other hand, Rihanna raked in a chunk of dough from her tours to the tune of $308 million dollars. This is from six tours between 2006 and 2016 with the highest earning coming from her Diamonds World Tour in 2013, which raked in a total of $141.9 million of which Riri got her 60% cut to tune of $120.6 million.

Her last tour, ANTI World Tour, to promote her 8th studio album – Anti – was sponsored by SAMSUNG and raked in $110 million at Box office.

3. Fenty Beauty

In September 2017, Rihanna hit the mother lode and launched the now very successful brand, Fenty beauty.

Fenty – derived from Rihanna’s surname and hometown – was first trademarked by the young billionaire in 2013, long before any major business moves were made with the name.

Now worth $2.8 billion as at July 2022, Fenty Beauty was started in collaboration with French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH (run by Bernard Arnault, the world’s second-richest person), launched with the goal of inclusivity. Its products come in a diverse range of colors—foundation is offered in 50 shades, including harder-to-find darker shades for women of color.

  • Savage x Fenty – This is the Pop stars lingerie line which she owns 30% of. It is currently worth $1 Billion and this line, like the whole Fenty brand, is all inclusive and caters to different body types as seen in their website ads.

4. Fenty Skin

Rihanna was inspired to create Fenty Skin after seeing a void in the industry for products that performed across all skin types and tones. She took on the skincare world starting with cleansertoner and moisturizer “create amazing products that really work, that are easy to use, and everyone can get in on.”
Fenty Skin and Fenty beauty make up the bulk of Rihanna’s earnings.

5. Endorsements

As with most influential celebrities on social media, Rihanna managed to use her over one hundred and thirty-three million followers as a spring board for her business and brand marketing.

In 2015, she signed a $25 million deal with South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate, Samsung. In 2014, she was appointed creative director of Puma Sportswear, overseeing the brand’s women’s line, under the name FENTY x PUMA. The deal is rumoured to be worth at least $1 million.

On the side, the Barbadian native has promoted several high-end brands. These include MAC Cosmetics, Armani, Dior, Covergirl, Secret Body Spray, River Island, Gucci, and Clinique.

How Does Rihanna Feel About Being a Billionaire?

In a 2021 interview with The New York Times, Rihanna reflected on her billionaire status.

“It’s tricky because it’s hard to even accept that’s where you’re at because I know where I’ve come from,” she said. “At the same time, it feels good to be able to inspire young women and boys, who like me, come from humble beginnings, who come from parents who are immigrants or who are immigrants themselves, to be able to do this.”

In another interview with The New York Times’ T Magazine in 2019, Riri said she wants to give money away to causes that are important to her. “My money is not for me; it’s always the thought that I can help someone else,” she said. “The world can really make you believe that the wrong things are priority, and it makes you really miss the core of life, what it means to be alive.

Through her charity foundation, Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF), the Fenty Beauty billionaire has raised over $80 million and funded over a hundred and fifty projects.

Story: Makcit Rindap

Media: @badgirlriri @fentybeauty/Instagram

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