47 Fun Facts About Rihanna

Rihanna once turned down the Super Bowl halftime show in solidarity with which NFL quarterback?

Colin Kaepernick: she ended her boycott in 2023, when she headlined the Super Bowl halftime show herself.

What is Rihanna's first name?

Robyn: she performs under her middle name, and in 2019 she sued her own father over the Fenty name he used for his company, Fenty Entertainment.

Which future singer was Rihanna's drill sergeant when she joined her country's Cadet Corps at age 11?

Shontelle: years later, the former drill sergeant co-wrote Rihanna's song 'Man Down'.

Which rock legend recorded the 2015 acoustic single 'FourFiveSeconds' with Rihanna and Kanye West?

Paul McCartney: Kanye West said Rihanna heard a song he had made with McCartney and wouldn't be satisfied until it was on her album.

What was Rihanna's debut single, released in 2005?

Pon de Replay: Jay-Z at first thought the song was too big for a new artist, but he still invited her to audition.

What was the title of Rihanna's debut album?

Music of the Sun: Rihanna said the 'sun' stands for her Caribbean culture, so the album is music from where she comes from.

Which song gave Rihanna her first Billboard Hot 100 number one, in 2006?

SOS: co-writer Evan 'Kidd' Bogart has said he hid the titles of 1980s pop songs throughout its second verse.

Which 2007 Rihanna album featured her hit 'Umbrella'?

Good Girl Gone Bad: to shed her innocent image she cut her hair into an edgy bob and swapped Caribbean rhythms for sleek R&B.

Which streaming service sponsored Rihanna's 2023 Super Bowl halftime show?

Apple Music: Rihanna said becoming a mother made her feel she could take on the world, which is why she agreed to perform.

'Umbrella' was nearly given to which R&B singer before Rihanna got it?

Mary J. Blige: she said the writers made the song for her, but she was so busy during Grammy season that it went to Rihanna.

Which two Rihanna singles topped the Hot 100 in 2008?

Take a Bow and Disturbia: Chris Brown co-wrote 'Disturbia' but gave it to Rihanna, feeling the song didn't personally fit him.

Which darker, rock-influenced 2009 album did Rihanna record after Chris Brown assaulted her?

Rated R: when the label gave her 12 hours to turn it in, she drank some red wine, dimmed the lights and sang 'The Last Song'.

Which 2010 hit paired Rihanna's chorus with Eminem's verses?

Love the Way You Lie: Skylar Grey wrote the chorus, and said the abusive relationship she had in mind was her own with the music industry.

Which single from Rihanna's album Loud won the Grammy for Best Dance Recording in 2011?

Only Girl (In the World): after a dark previous album, Rihanna asked Stargate for happy, uptempo songs, and this was the first one they made.

In 2011, Rihanna set a record for a solo female artist with ten nights at which London venue?

The O2 Arena: demand for her Loud Tour tickets was so high that extra London dates were added until she reached ten nights.

Which DJ produced and featured on Rihanna's 2011 hit 'We Found Love'?

Calvin Harris: the video shoot in a Northern Ireland field was halted when the farmer objected to Rihanna appearing topless.

Which rapper's 2008 number one 'Live Your Life' featured Rihanna?

T.I.: he wrote its album, Paper Trail, under house arrest while awaiting trial on federal weapons charges.

Which was Rihanna's first album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200?

Unapologetic: it included a duet with Chris Brown, and the pair briefly got back together soon after.

Which Australian singer-songwriter wrote 'Diamonds' with producers Benny Blanco and Stargate?

Sia: it was the last song she worked on before leaving the session, writing it in minutes while her car waited outside.

What was the gimmick of Rihanna's 777 Tour, promoting her seventh album?

Seven shows, seven countries, seven days: fans and journalists flew with her on one plane, but many complained of delays and scant access to her.

In which 2012 film, based on a board game, did Rihanna make her feature acting debut?

Battleship: director Peter Berg said he knew she could act after watching her in a comedy sketch on Saturday Night Live.

On which streaming service was Anti released exclusively in January 2016?

Tidal: Samsung bought one million copies and gave them away free, so the album was certified platinum within days.

Which single from Rihanna's album Anti topped the Billboard Hot 100?

Work: PartyNextDoor, who wrote it, said people think it's a party song, but it's really a breakup song.

In 2014, Rihanna left her first record label for which company?

Roc Nation: Jay-Z's company had managed her career since 2010, so the move put her records and her management under one roof.

Which pop star featured on the 2011 remix of Rihanna's 'S&M'?

Britney Spears: combined sales of the remix and the original sent 'S&M' to number one on the Hot 100.

Which guitarist played on Rihanna's song 'Rockstar 101'?

Slash: in the song's video Rihanna dresses up as him, and he said the video was better with her being him than with him being him.

Which store chain sold Fenty Beauty at its 2017 launch?

Sephora: the line launched with 40 foundation shades, and rival brands soon widened their own shade ranges to keep up.

Which luxury conglomerate partnered with Rihanna on Fenty Beauty and later the Fenty fashion house?

LVMH: Rihanna became the first Black woman to lead one of its fashion houses, but the Fenty label was halted in 2021.

What is the name of Rihanna's lingerie brand, launched in 2018?

Savage X Fenty: its debut collection sold out within a month of the brand's launch.

Rihanna's charity, the Clara Lionel Foundation, is named after whom?

Her grandparents: Clara and Lionel Braithwaite, and a Barbados cancer centre Rihanna funded also carries her late grandmother's name.

What title did her home country confer on Rihanna in 2021?

National Hero: Prime Minister Mia Mottley conferred it during the ceremony at which Barbados became a republic.

In 2021, Forbes reported that Rihanna had reached what financial milestone?

Billionaire status: most of her $1.7 billion fortune came from her Fenty businesses rather than from music.

In which all-female heist film did Rihanna star in 2018?

Ocean's 8: its crew robs the Met Gala on screen, and a month before the film opened, Rihanna co-chaired the real 2018 gala.

'Lift Me Up', Rihanna's first solo release after Anti, was recorded for which film?

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: the ballad is a tribute to the franchise's late star, Chadwick Boseman.

What did Rihanna reveal during her Super Bowl LVII halftime show?

That she was pregnant: her representative confirmed it right after the show, and she gave birth to her second son later that year.

Rihanna voiced Tip in which 2015 DreamWorks animated film about an alien invasion?

Home: Rihanna also made a concept album for the film, which was released as its soundtrack.

Whose Super Bowl halftime viewership record did Rihanna's 2023 show overtake?

Katy Perry's: her 2015 show gave the internet 'Left Shark', a backup dancer whose off-beat moves turned him into a meme.

Which rapper is the father of Rihanna's children?

ASAP Rocky: during the pandemic, the couple took a road trip across America together, driving from Los Angeles to New York.

Which character did Rihanna voice in the 2025 animated film Smurfs?

Smurfette: Rihanna also recorded original songs for the film, releasing 'Friend of Mine' in May 2025.

Which sportswear brand named Rihanna creative director of its women's line in 2014?

Puma: her first sneaker for the brand sold out online within hours of its pre-sale.

Which Nigerian singer co-wrote Rihanna's 2022 ballad 'Lift Me Up'?

Tems: she said she wrote it to feel like a warm embrace from all the people she had lost in her own life.

Which 2017 DJ Khaled single featured Rihanna and Bryson Tiller?

Wild Thoughts: it was DJ Khaled's first song with Rihanna, after he had spent years trying to get her on one of his records.

Which classic Hitchcock character did Rihanna play in the final season of Bates Motel in 2017?

Marion Crane: unlike Janet Leigh's Marion in Psycho, she leaves the motel alive, and Norman kills her lover Sam in the shower instead.

Alongside whom did Rihanna star in the 2019 film Guava Island?

Donald Glover: though both stars are singers, the film never has Rihanna sing.

Which pop icon has Rihanna called her biggest inspiration?

Madonna: Rihanna admired her constant reinvention and once said she wanted to be 'the black Madonna'.

Which pop star co-wrote Rihanna's 2008 single 'Rehab'?

Justin Timberlake: he said the song was 'the bridge' for Rihanna to be accepted as an adult in the music industry.

In 2018, the government of Barbados appointed Rihanna to which diplomatic post?

Ambassador: Prime Minister Mia Mottley said Rihanna's deep love for Barbados showed in her philanthropy on health and education.