The world is currently bursting with excitement following Rihanna’s recent music return with Lift Me Up.
The music icon released her first single in six years, which is reported to be the lead single off of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever‘s soundtrack. A few hours after confirming the news of the song herself, the Hard crooner made a red carpet appearance at the Hollywood premiere flanked by boyfriend A$ap Rocky.
Now, as the world awaits her comeback 9th album, a headline performance at the 2023 Superbowl and a rumored world tour, The Sauce seeks to cast a spotlight on some of her biggest career-defining moments.
Debut Era
After being discovered whilst merely a teen and a newbie in the United States, Rihanna dropped her debut album Music of the Sun shortly after signing with Jay Z who was at the hem of Def Jam Recordings. The music industry and critics were quick to point out her unique sound and overall aesthetic, the bulk of which was Caribbean-influenced. Songs like Pon di Replay became chart staples and some of her signature hits at the time, and the world was curious to see what the newbie had to offer next.
Good Girl Gone Bad Era
After the moderate success of her first two albums and a build up of curiosity of what she had to offer next, Rihanna’s was hard at work on her 3rd album – the one that set her apart from her contemporaries and cemented her part as music’s next it-girl. Good Girl Gone Bad saw the Rehab crooner shed off her ‘good girl next door’ image and take on an edgier route, both artistically and personality-wise. The album spawned Umbrella, one of her biggest hits that saw her attain new levels of success and industry repute. So did her image change into sexier, edgier regalia, and the now-iconic pixie bob cut. This era marked the beginning of what would be an unparalleled music legend.
The Fashion Choices
As Rihanna’s career continually headed to the stratosphere, so did her unique style and existence in the fashion realm. Her red carpet appearances over the years have been innumerably hailed by the who-is-who in Hollywood. From the ridiculously sheer Swarovski gown she wore to the CFDA Fashion Awards, to the lifesize gown she donned to the 2015 Met Gala, to the edgy hairdos, her fashion repertoire is a little too long to summarize in a feature. That probably explains why she published her The Rihanna Book, a publication with 1,050 color images detailing her entire career in looks only. She released the book in 2019.
The ‘Bad Girl’ Persona
Since shedding off her teenage sweetheart image during the Good Girl Gone Bad era, the Diamonds singer adopted what would further distinguish her from her peers. Her no-nonsense, nonchalant demeanor has been characteristic of her since. She has consistently said that she never saw herself as anyone’s icon and never sought to be one. Enter the lethal clapbacks to trolls on social media, to the stern answers to interview questions she would deem inappropriate. While that may have rubbed some people the wrong way for years on end, she did not once apologize for it.
MTV Video Vanguard Win
While at the peak of her career and shortly after dropping Anti, MTV named her the 2016 recipient of the prestigious MTV Video Vanguard Award. The trophy is a reward to artistes for their extraordinary contribution to video artistry, and there could not have been a better choice for it that year. Her video discography reeks of sheer creativity, over-the-top and outlandish concepts. If it is not the culture-shifting S&M, it is the wordwide appeal of We Found Love. That night, Rihanna put on one of her most revered stage performances with a medley of her biggest hits, with different outfit changes in-between her sets.
The Fenty Beauty, Savage X Fenty Empires And Subsequent Billionaire Status
Her mammoth success in music seemed to catapult the icon to another dimension – investments in the beauty and fashion industries. She had earlier on in her career juggled with perfume releases, fashion house collaborations like the Manolo Blahnik high-waisted boots collab in 2016 that saw her design her own boot collection with the prolific shoe designer. Rihanna seemed to take more keen investment in the industries after seemingly giving music a backseat. Her Fenty Beauty empire has since become yet another one of her most lucrative ventures, as has her Savage X Fenty lingerie wear and annual fashion show, the latter which critics would argue has given Victoria’s Secret a run for their money. In 2021, Forbes reported that the singer had attained billionaire status, making her the first female musician to attain such feat. Her networth is hitherto valued at a whopping $1.4 billion.
17 years into her career, the singer has snagged 19 number ones on the Billboard Hot 100, 9 Grammy Awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards, 13 American Music Awards, 7 MTV Video Music Awards and a myriad other trophies and recognitions.
The world has been yearning for her next body of work and all signs point to a 2023 release. You can bet on the fact that the release will add to the list of her career highlights. You know what else will? Her Superbowl Halftime performance. Brace yourself.
