Rihanna performed last night at the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show singing a medley of her biggest hits. She sang on a floating stage wearing an all-red ensemble, with her dancers all in white. Yahoo describes her show as a "historic, glass-ceiling-shattering". Rihanna also showed her baby bump during the performance. Watch her performance here.
Trapital Dan Runcie's latest podcast is about the Super Bowl Halftime Show, how it evolved since Jay-Z got involved, and why artists agree to play for free: "In 95% of situations, companies asking talent to do things free 'for exposure' is bullshit. But the Super Bowl halftime show is one of those 5% exceptions. It’s the rare event that the talent can reap the long-term rewards for the exposure." This year, Rihanna will perform and she has prepared her business for the "after". Listen/watch the podcast below.
Oscar news! In the Best Original Song, the following are nominated. Rihanna was nominated for her 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' song “Lift Me Up,” Lady Gaga got a nomination for “Hold My Hand” in 'Top Gun: Maverick,' Sofia Carson is up for 'Applause' from 'Tell It Like a Woman', Son Lux’s song 'This Is a Life' featuring Mitski and David Byrne from 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' is also up for Oscar, as well as 'Naatu Naatu' from 'RRR' by Rahul Sipligunj, Kaala Bhairava, and M.M. Keeravani. In the Best Picture category, music-themed 'Elvis', and 'Tár' are nominated. Rolling Stone reports.
Rihanna has donated $15 million to the Climate Justice Alliance, the Indigenous Environmental Network, the Movement for Black Lives, and 15 other organizations that work to restore climate justice in the United States and Rihanna’s home – the Caribbean. “Climate disasters, which are growing in frequency and intensity, do not impact all communities equally, with communities of color and island nations facing the brunt of climate change,” Rihanna says in a statement announcing her support.
A reminder to Dan Runcie's earlier essay: "Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kanye West are on the top shelf of rap’s new-money class. They became world-famous millionaires through the music industry, but realized they would have to sell more than music to become billionaires. The 'Run This Town' trio used music as the gateway, then capitalized on their influence at the height of their fame. Jay-Z made bank from selling Ace of Spades champagne and investing in startups. Rihanna built her Fenty empire into multiple brands. And Ye has sold so many Yeezys he’s probably lost count. The bottom line? Star power gets you in the door, but to maximize your platform, you need to sell something authentic that customers want to keep buying".
Singer and entrepreneur Rihanna has been awarded a national honour from her homeland Barbados as the Caribbean country celebrated becoming a republic Monday, CNN reports. Rihanna, who grew up in the island nation, witnessed the historic ceremony that broke Barbados’s centuries-old ties with the British monarchy and swore in its first president Dame Sandra Mason, ending the Queen’s role as head of state. "May you continue to shine like a diamond and bring honor to your nation by your works, by your actions and to do credit wherever you shall go" - Barbadian prime minister Mia Mottley told the crowd.
Rihanna has officially entered the billionaire’s club, with Forbes estimating her dollar worth at $1.7 billion. The pop star and business mogul - founder of fashion house Fenty as well as makeup line Fenty Beauty - is now the wealthiest female musician in the world and the second-wealthiest female entertainer in the world after Oprah Winfrey.
Adele has been named as the UK’s best-selling female album artist of the century by The British Phonographic Industry, according to Music Week. She holds the top spot above the stars such as P!nk, Madonna, Rihanna, Dido, Amy Winehouse, Kylie Minogue, Beyonce, Britney Spears, and Lady Gaga. Her second album, ‘21‘, also holds the title for the UK’s number one album by a female artist since 2000, after shifting just shy of 6 million copies in the UK alone. The new statistics have been unveiled to coincide with the confirmed return of National Album Day on October 21, which will adopt ‘Celebrating Women In Music’ as its 2021 theme.
Indian government launched an unprecedented backlash against Rihanna, just hours after she posted a tweet about protest of Indian farmers. BBC reports. Tens of thousands of farmers have been protesting on the borders of the capital Delhi for more than two months against new laws that will loosen the rules around the sale, pricing and storage of agricultural produce. Her tweet linked to a news story about the internet blockade at the protest sites and soon went viral, gaining more than 700,000 likes. The government pushback was swift, led by Home Minister Amit Shah who tweeted - "No propaganda can deter India's unity! No propaganda can stop India to attain new heights!".
Global stars like Beyonce, Rihanna, and Nicki Minaj have spoken out against police brutality in Nigeria, which has also drawn attention of the Amnesty International who reported about - "excessive use of force occasioning deaths of protesters at Lekki toll gate in Lagos". Nigerian musicians like Burna Boy, Davido, WizKid, Tiwa Savage, and Mr. Eazi have lent their voices to the #EndSARS movement, The Fader reports. SARS, or the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, was the name of Nigeria's notoriously cruel police unit, which was reportedly dissolved earlier this month.
Rihanna's nonprofit The Clara Lionel Foundation has partnered with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to donate $15 million (£12 million) towards mental health services amid the ongoing social unrest and the coronavirus pandemic, People. It's the latest in a series of donations from the pop superstar and tech leader, with Rihanna's foundation alone donating more than $36 million towards coronavirus relief to date.
Webby Awards winners were announced yesterday, among them: Cardi B for fashion & lifestyle, Lil Nas X for his video 'Panini', Dolly Parton for her mini-series 'America', Rihanna for her Fenty Beauty brand, Swizz Beats + Timbaland for the Verzuz battles on Instagram Live, Celine Dion for her innovation on social media. They were honored during an online celebration dubbed 'WFH: Webby From Home', which took place on Tuesday at WebbyAwards.com. The Webbys said this year's event is dedicated to "honoring outstanding individuals and organizations who are using the Internet in response to the incredible difficulties imposed by the coronavirus pandemic." Those Special Achievement honorees include D-Nice for his creation #ClubQuarantine, and Miley Cyrus for the creation of her Instagram Live show 'Bright Minded: Live With Miley'.
Rihanna has made her debut appearance on The Sunday Times Rich List of UK's richest musicians, with an estimated fortune of £468 million. She claims the third place, just above Elton John and Mick Jagger, and below Andrew Lloyd Webber and Paul McCartney. Although she's successful musician, Rihanna's earnings are largely due to the Fenty Beauty cosmetics brand, where her reported 15% stake is worth £351m. Rihanna's appearance on the list is somewhat a surprise, because very few people knew she was living in London. The youngest on the list is Ed Sheeran with an estimated net worth of £200m.
Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation has donated $2,1 million to help victims of domestic violence in Los Angeles during the COVID-19 stay-at-home order. It's a joint donation with Twitter/Square CEO Jack Dorsey who has also committed $2.1 million to the fund ($4.2 million when put together). According to Vulture, an estimated 90 people per week have been turned away from full shelters since the stay-at-home order went into effect last month. The joint grant is expected to cover 90 domestic violence victims per week through 10 weeks.
Rihanna has collaborated with Jay-Z's Shawn Carter Foundation (SCF) for a combined donated $2 million to COVID-19 relief, All Hip Hop reports. This effort is to support New Yorkers and Los Angelenos who are elderly, undocumented, incarcerated, homeless and children of medical professionals.
Rihanna has donated $5 million through her organization, the Clara Lionel Foundation, to help aid countries affected by COVID-19, CNN reports. The donation by the singer, businesswoman, and philanthropist will support local food banks serving at-risk communities in the United States, the acceleration of testing and care in nations such as Haiti and Malawi, and essential equipment for healthcare workers and facilities. It will also assist with healthcare training including virus prevention and containment. Barbados will also be receiving $700,000 worth of ventilators.
Amazon bought the worldwide rights for Rihanna documentary, which will be directed by Peter Berg, for a reported $25 million. Rihanna, as producers say, is “an unfiltered look into Rihanna’s life, providing a glimpse into the evolution of one of the world’s most well-known pop artists". Last week Apple TV+ reportedly bought a Billie Eilish […]
Kim Kardashian West helped save death row inmate Rodney Reed from execution, inspiring others like T.I., Meek Mill, and Rihanna to voice their support. The Face asks, and tries to answer, why do pop stars, and should they at all, do these things. The dilemma celebrities face - "risk speaking up, pissing people off, and […]
The Guardian has an excellent article about female role models of this decade, in comparison to the ones from the noughties: "In their fallibility and resistance to commodification, the women who have defined this decade in pop look a lot more like role models than the corporate innocents sold to girls in the early millennium. […]
Rihanna has been named the world’s richest female musician by Forbes magazine - her wealth is estimated at $600m (£472m), coming from her music career, her fashion and beauty lines. Forbes’s list of the top five richest female musicians finds Madonna in second place ($570m), Céline Dion in third ($450m), Beyoncé and Barbra Streisand tying […]
Rihanna claims her father, Ronald Fenty, and his business partner have falsely suggested that she is connected to their firm, Fenty Entertainment. Their conduct has misled the public and hurt her Fenty brand, the name of her beauty business. Mr Fenty, with whom Rihanna has said she has a difficult relationship, started the firm in […]
Super Bowl’s half-time slot this year has become more about politics than music - musicians are deciding not to perform on the show next month in support of Colin Kaepernick, the star quarterback who refused to stand for the national anthem in protest at police brutality against racial minorities. The fact that the Super Bowl […]
Drake's single 'Nice For What' returned to #1 on the Hot 100 chart, and his 'Yes Indeed' collaboration with Lil Baby came 6th, which earned him the distinction of passing Elvis Presley on an exclusive list - it's Drake's 26th Top 10 entry, one more than Elvis. Madonna maintains the #1 position with 38 Top 10s, […]
