Rihanna, the world’s richest female musician, has not released any music in the past four years.
She may have belted out a few bars on a yacht or while doing the superstar equivalent of the hoovering but she has not made any cash from performing since 2016.
Instead, her £460million fortune has come from her fashion and cosmetics firms, with a few quid from film appearances thrown in.
And it’s set to increase. This week sees the launch of her beauty line, Fenty Skin.
The three-product range has impressed Vogue, Elle and other makeup mavens with the high SPF in the refillable moisturiser and the makeup-removing properties of the cleanser.
British Vogue’s beauty and lifestyle director, Jessica Diner, said: “I went into trying these products sceptical, but I was pleasantly surprised.
"I respect the line is three products and that thought has gone into educating the next generation of skincare consumers on the importance of cleaning and protecting the skin. Take a bow Rihanna, you’ve done it again.”
A promo video for the range, featuring ASAP Rocky, Lil Nas X and supermodel Paloma Elsesser, could be selling one of Rihanna’s singles.
Fenty Skin is owned by luxury goods giant LMVH, home of Dior, Fendi and Celine. It goes on sale online on Friday and, with that kind of support behind it, is bound for well-dressed dressing tables everywhere.
Despite being richer than Madonna, Beyonce and Celine Dion, Rihanna claimed last year that wealth is not what motivates her.
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She said: “I never thought I’d make this much money. I’m not being driven by money right now. Money is happening along the way, but I’m working out what I love to do, what I’m passionate about.”
One thing is for certain, Rihanna knows how to work, work, work, work, work. Here’s how she’s amassed her
millions.
Cosmetics
In 2017, Rihanna shook up the cosmetics world with the launch of Fenty Beauty, featuring her surname.
She said: “Every collaboration I did outside of music, I used Fenty so you didn’t have to hear ‘Rihanna’ every time you saw something I did. So Rihanna stayed the music.”
With 40 shades of foundation, it instantly made the heritage brands look white and old fashioned.
Thanks to Rihanna’s global reach, including 71million Instagram followers, it hit sales of £78million in weeks and made more than £388million in its first year.
Forbes magazine estimates the firm, which is half-owned by LMVH, is worth £233billion. RiRi owns about 15 per cent of the firm.
Lingerie
Savage X Fenty, Rihanna’s lingerie brand, launched in 2018.
The company, which is co-owned by LA online clothing firm Techstyle Fashion Group, offers underwear in a range of tones and sizes.
It has an estimated annual income of £116million. Like Fenty Beauty, it harnesses Rihanna’s social media reach to market its products.
Its fashion show – with models of all sizes and ethnicities, including trans women and disabled women – was streamed on Amazon Prime and was widely praised for breaking the tired Victoria’s Secret formula of what is sexy.
Clothing
Rihanna is the face and name of Fenty, LMVH’s new Paris-based fashion house, which sells themed collections online.
These are not the pocket-money priced products of her underwear and cosmetics lines but they are not in the same stratosphere as LMVH stablemates Celine or Dior.
A pair of “super mini” denim shorts that only those with a Rihanna body could wear in public cost £170. Wildly impractical cage sandals that lace up the leg – £573 – are sold out.
Rihanna is a 49.99 per cent shareholder in the company.
Music
Rihanna’s 15-year musical career is the basis of her fortune, earning her a pile of cash and giving her the celebrity to move into other, more lucrative areas.
She has made eight albums, with another rumoured to be arriving soon. Together they have shifted 60million copies. She has also sold 216million digital tracks.
And as part-owner of Tidal streaming, she might make money from downloads. In 2013, her Diamonds World Tour earned £108million.
Samsung paid £19million to be associated with her Anti World Tour in 2016.
Movies
Rihanna has turned down sweet offers to star in Hollywood movies but she has several supporting roles on her IMDB listing.
Parts in Annie, Battleship, Valerian and the big-budget Ocean’s 8 will have brought her a decent payday.
She is holding off on other acting work “until I know I can handle a lead and carry a movie on my own”.
Collaborations
Rihanna’s first fashion collaboration was with Armani in 2011. Two years later, she popped up at London Fashion Week with a collection for High Street chain River Island.
Puma named her its creative director of sportswear in 2014. Her first trainers sold out in two hours. She followed it up two years later with a well-received sportswear collection.
In 2015, Rihanna was the first black woman to be the face of Dior.
