How Rihanna became the world’s wealthiest female musician, outdoing Beyoncé and Madonna
- The singer and entrepreneur has amassed a US$600 million fortune from her music, tours, her beauty and fashion lines and collaborations
- She travels on private jets and hires yachts, lives in luxurious surroundings and isn’t afraid to splash out on a big night
According to her label, Roc Nation, she has sold more than 60 million albums and 215 million digital tracks, making her the second bestselling digital artist of all time. But all that wealth didn’t just come from her music. Here’s how Rihanna makes and spends her millions.
Rihanna got her start as a musician. She was discovered by an American record producer at age 15 and shortly thereafter was signed by Jay-Z. Since then, she has had 14 No 1 songs, and in 2016, made an estimated US$22.3 million from her music alone, not to mention her world tours like “Diamonds”, which generated a total of US$137 million in revenue.
But these days, most of her wealth comes from partnerships, campaigns, and endorsement deals, like the million-dollar partnership deal she made with Puma in 2014. Puma brought Rihanna on as its creative director, and sales rose by a reported 16 per cent in the first six months.
Everything Rihanna touches seemingly turns to gold. In fact, her fans are 3.7 times more likely to purchase products from her than any other celebrity, according to a study published in 2016. And that fan-based loyalty is worth tens of millions of dollars when it comes to her cosmetic and clothing lines.
Rihanna’s most profitable partnership is with the luxury conglomerate LVMH. In 2017, she partnered with LVMH to develop a cosmetic line called Fenty Beauty, which generated more than US$550 million in its first year. It initially sold foundation shades but has since expanded to other products like lipstick, lip gloss, body glitter, and more.