How Rihanna became the richest female music star in the world – and how she spends her dollars
Worth more than Madonna, Céline Dion and Beyoncé, Rihanna’s canny business sense and work-work-work-work ethic have contributed to her almighty fortune as much as her peerless musical talents and formidable stage prowess
Her music
Naturally, Rihanna’s amazing musical talents were her initial ticket to success — who can forget when her hit song Umbrella topped the charts for weeks in 2007? — and she still hasn’t forgotten her roots.
Indeed, she makes most of her money from albums and tours. Her record label Roc Nation boasts that she is the top-selling digital artist of all time, having sold 60 million albums and 215 million digital tracks worldwide. Her Diamonds World Tour in 2013 made a gross profit of nearly US$142 million while 2016’s Anti World Tour made a gross profit of US$106 million.
Fenty Beauty
In 2017, Fenty Beauty made an eye-popping US$100 million in the first few weeks and a total of US$570 million in its first 15 months. Rihanna created the company with LVMH, a French luxury brand that owns half the company. Even so, as a partial owner, Rihanna is generating millions in profits.
Naturally, Rihanna’s star power plays an outsize role in bringing in customers. The international singing sensation has more than 70 million followers on Instagram, making it easy for her to reach out to potential clients and promote her products. At the same time, Rihanna’s popularity isn’t the only thing bringing in sales. Fenty Beauty offers 40 shades of foundation, setting her apart from competitors who only put out a limited range of foundation hues.
Not surprisingly, Rihanna didn’t stop with Fenty Beauty. Her Savage X Fenty lingerie line has an annual revenue of about US$150 million. Furthermore, she announced last year that she intends to start a Fenty fashion house to design and sell other clothing, too.