People | January 27, 2014 08:46 PM EST

50 Interesting Facts About Rihanna

Rihanna has made a name for herself across the world for her talented singing skills, as well as her sex appeal. Here are 50 interesting facts about this Barbados-born singer.

  1. She was never called Rihanna until she became a big star. Rihanna is actually her middle name, her full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty.
  2. She was born on February 20, 1988 in St. Michael, Barbados.
  3. Rihanna's father, Ronald Fenty, is an Irish Barbadian and her mother, Monica Braithwaite, is Afro-Guyanese.
  4. Rihanna’s childhood was deeply affected by her father’s addiction to crack cocaine, alcohol, and marijuana, and her parents’ turbulent marriage ended when she was 14.
  5. All her siblings including herself have names starting with an “R.” She has two younger brothers Rorrey and Rajad.
  6. Rihanna says she was a tomboy growing up. We can safely say she is anything but boyish now.
  7. Rihanna was a military cadet during high school.
  8. She used to sell clothing with her dad at a street stall.
  9. Rihanna attended Combermere High School in Barbados. In 2004, Rihanna won the Miss Combermere school beauty pageant.
  10. She won a talent show for her rendition of Mariah Carey's "Hero."
  11. Her voice is a “Mezzo-Soprano” that covers three octaves.
  12. She said growing up, her singing idols were Madonna, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson and Beyonce.
  13. Her big break came in 2003 when she introduced to music producer Evan Rogers through mutual friends, who was vacationing in Barbados with his wife at the time. Rihanna went to audition for him with two of her classmates. He tells Entertainment Weekly, "The minute Rihanna walked into the room, it was like the other two girls didn't exist." She ended up leaving Barbados and moving to Connecticut with Rogers and his wife to try and jumpstart her career.
  14. She recorded a demo tape which was sent to several record labels. Once she auditioned for Jay-Z, the president of Def Jam Records, he signed her on. She was 16 at the time and had moved to New York .
  15. She was so starstruck when she met Jay Z. '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.
  16. Rihanna was falsely rumored to be having an affair with Jay-Z who was dating Beyonce at the time. The rumors were fortunately not true, and they also gave her a ton of attention when she was first breaking out on the scene.
     
  17. Her first single “Pon De Replay” hit the Top Five in the Billboard Chart. Jay Z was concerned that Pon De Replay was so big that it would be the only song she was known for. Luckily, he was wrong.
  18. She toured with Gwen Stefani to promote her debut album Music of the Sun.
  19. Rihanna's first number one hit was "S.O.S (Rescue Me)". She hasn’t stopped since then.
  20. She won her first Grammy for her song “Umbrella,” a collaboration with Jay-Z. Her second Grammy was for “Run This Town” with Jay-Z and Kanye West.
  21. Rihanna banned fans from bringing umbrellas to her U.K. concerts. She was afraid people would get injured if fans tried to copy her dance moves with the umbrellas when she performed “Umbrella.”
  22. Rihanna made a cameo appearance in the 2006 cheerleading romp, Bring It On: All or Nothing.
  23. She also made a musical cameo in All My Children.
  24. Rihanna created her Believe Foundation in 2006 to help terminally ill children. "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," the singer told People magazine in March 2008.
  25. Rihanna won Gillette’s Venus Breeze ”Celebrity Legs of a Goddess” award in 2007. Right after that, she insured her legs for $1 million.
  26. In 2007, she was made the official face of tourism for Barbados and she now holds the honorary title of Ambassador for Culture and Youth.
  27. In February 21, 2008, Barbados created a national holiday to honor Rihanna. As a thank you present, she put on a free concert for her fans.
  28. Her tumultuous relationship with Chris Brown resulted in her assaulting her in February 2009. She was scheduled to perform at the 51st Grammy Awards but it was cancelled. She didn't speak about the incident until nine months later, when she broke her silence on ABC to Diane Sawyer. "This happened to me…It can happen to anyone," the singer had said.
  29. Due to a leaked photograph from the Los Angeles Police Department obtained by TMZ.com—which revealed that Rihanna had sustained visible injuries—an organization known as STOParazzi proposed "Rihanna's Law," which, if enacted, would "deter employees of law enforcement agencies from releasing photos or information that exploits crime victims."
  30. Rihanna went through a difficult time with her father and refused to speak to him after he sold information to the press about after her incident with Chris Brown, but the two have since reconciled the relationship.
  31. She is not a fan of Mexican, Chinese, Japanese or Indian food. She also does not like vegetables and prefers to eat local fruits and water to stay healthy.
  32. A 2013 Rolling Stone reported Rihanna loves an Italian restaurant in Santa Monica called Giorgio Baldi and usually orders spaghetti with tomato sauce and fried calamari.
  33. Growing up, her mother wouldn’t let her put on make-up. Ironically, she is now a Cover Girls spokesmodel.
  34. She starred in her first feature film debut in 2012's 'Battleship' which will also starred Liam Neeson and 'True Blood' star Alexander Skarsgard.
  35. Rihanna told Oprah that she’ll often send her mother, Monica, gifts, but that her mom will send them back because she researched the price and thinks it’s too expensive. One gift that was likely not easily returned was a five-bedroom house in Barbados, which Rihanna revealed she had purchased also during an episode of Oprah.
  36. Despite her raunchy photos on Instagram, Rihanna has turned down several offers to pose for Playboy magazine.
  37. Before going on stage, she always drink a shot. Her favorite is dark liquor but on occasion will switch to vodka.
  38. Rihanna also has her own fragrance line that includes “Nude” and “Rebelle.”

  39. Rihanna’s video for “We Found Love” was shot on a farm in Ireland. However, the owner of the farm had a change of heart after seeing her raunchy dress code while filming and asked her and her crew to go.
  40. Rihanna boasts a total of seven wax figurines at the famous Madame Tussauds Wax Museums around the world. They are located in Berlin, Hollywood, Las Vegas, Washington D.C., London, Sydney, and Vienna.
  41. Rihanna's total net-worth is an estimated $90 million.
  42. From December 2009 to 2010, Rihanna dated Los Angeles Dodgers baseball star Matt Kemp, then Canadian rapper Drake. In a January 2013 interview with Rolling Stone, Rihanna confirmed that she had rekindled her relationship with Chris Brown and they broke up again.
  43. She reigns supreme online. She is the most popular person on Facebook, has the sixth most followers on Twitter, and is the most-viewed and subscribed recording artist on YouTube. On March 7, 2013, Spotify announced that Rihanna is the most streamed artist worldwide.In 2013, Rihanna was also named the most influential artist in the United Kingdom and the most influential celebrity on the internet.
  44. She is the most subscribed to artist on Vevo, has the most views with just over 4.6 billion views. Justin Bieber is second with over 4.4 billion views.
  45. She’s dabbled in fashion. She has been a spokesmodel for high end designer brand Gucci. In February 2013, Rihanna presented her first women's spring fashion collection at London Fashion Week for British street fashion brand River Island, collaborating with her personal stylist Adam Selman.
  46. She is close friends with Katy Perry. Their friendship was rocked when Rihanna reunited with Chris Brown which Perry disapproved.
  47. Rihanna organised a bachelorette party for her close friend Katy Perry in 2010. Rihanna treated Perry and friends to a production of Ka by Cirque du Soleil at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. They later went to Las Vegas's Hard Rock Hotel Beach Club pool where the party continued until the wee hours of the morning.
  48. Rihanna’s hairstyle at the American Music Awards in 2013 was not actually a hairstyle - but a doobie wrap. In case you wondering what that is, here's a quick definition from the Urban Dictionary: Doobie wrap (noun, verb) The result of wrapping ones hair around ones head using circular brush, comb, or finger-comb motions. Utilized mainly by African-American women at night in conjunction with a scarf in order to create bouncy hair in the morning.
  49. She loves her ink and currently has 19 tattoos and counting. She had first tattoo in 2006 and once revealed "I like hanging out in tattoo shops."
  50. She was one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World (2012).

Many celebrities like Rihanna have been investing a lot in massive real estate protein like these condos in Mississauga. Here are some Rihanna Merch below!

1)


(click photo to check price)
Unapologetic (Deluxe Edition) [Explicit] (Click Link to Check Price on Amazon)
Editor's Rating : 8.9 out of 10

2)


(click photo to check price)
Fashion-Plus Men's 3D Print Rihanna Casual T-Shirt XL (Click Link to Check Price on Amazon)
Editor's Rating : 9.7 out of 10
Made of Cotton and Poly,100% Brand New3D Animal printed Design Round neck Hoodie As shown on Picture

3)


(click photo to check price)
Anti (Deluxe) [Explicit] (Click Link to Check Price on Amazon)
Editor's Rating : 9.4 out of 10

5)


(click photo to check price)
Rihanna Riri Eau De Parfum Spray for Women, 3.4 Fluid Ounce (Click Link to Check Price on Amazon)
Editor's Rating : 9.8 out of 10
Rihanna launches her sixth feminine fragrance called RiRi, coming out in late summer 2015The scent is a crisp floral - fruity and it comes in a pink bottle of the new design compared to the rest of the collection

6)


(click photo to check price)
Rihanna Nude Eau De Parfum for Women, 0.34 Ounce (Click Link to Check Price on Amazon)
Editor's Rating : 8.9 out of 10
Launched by the design house of Rihanna in the year 2012This floral fruity fragrance has blend of gardenia petals, velvety samba jasmine, creamy orange blossom

7)


(click photo to check price)
Rihanna 24X36 Poster Print LHW #LHG757821 (Click Link to Check Price on Amazon)
Editor's Rating : 9.4 out of 10
High quality poster on thick glossy paper. No cloth here!Rolled and shipped in a heavy duty rotective tube

8)


(click photo to check price)
1 X Famous American Music Star Singer Model Sexy Red Hair Robyn Rihanna Fenty Fashion Hipster Personalized Soft Custom Rectangle Pillowcase Pillow Case Cover 20X30 (One Side) For The Fans Design (Click Link to Check Price on Amazon)
Editor's Rating : 8.8 out of 10
Zise:20*30 inches. Fits most standard and queen size pillowsComfortable and 100% Brand New Made of 50% cotton, 50% polyester!

9)


(click photo to check price)
Rihanna - Legs Poster Print by (36 x 24) (Click Link to Check Price on Amazon)
Editor's Rating : 9.5 out of 10

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