Rihanna
Auditioned in Barbados at 15; most of her wealth came from a cosmetics stake rather than music.
- Born
- 1988 · Saint Michael, Barbados
- Roots
- Black Barbadian; Afro-Guyanese and Irish ancestry
- Family
- Working class
- Working-class household in Bridgetown; accountant mother, street-vendor father.
- Education
- Combermere School (left for a recording career)
- Started with
- An audition
- Sang for a visiting American producer in Barbados at 15.
- Affiliations & societies
- IlluminatiRumor — unverified
- A recurring celebrity conspiracy claim; she has mocked it publicly. No evidence has been produced.
- Information only — claims like these are often unverifiable and may be wrong.
The pathway
- 2003 · age 15Audition in Barbados
Sings for producer Evan Rogers, who arranges demo recordings in the US.
- 2005 · age 17Signs with Def Jam
Auditions for label president Jay-Z; signs a six-album deal.
- 2007 · age 19Good Girl Gone Bad
Umbrella becomes her first US number-one single.
- 2017 · age 29Launches Fenty Beauty
A joint venture with LVMH; she holds a 50% stake.
- 2021 · age 33Billionaire status$1.7B
Per Forbes; the majority from the Fenty Beauty stake rather than music.
Sources
Compiled from these references and contemporaneous press reporting. Figures are approximate; verify before relying on them.