7 things you didn’t know about this pop star
Pop star Rihanna clocked 29 yesterday February 20, 2017. Between her critically-lauded fashion line, Fenty x Puma, and a few upcoming acting gigs, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better icon for our age than Bad Gal RiRi. But you knew that. Here, 5 things about the star that you probably didn’t know.
1. Only few people know that Rihanna does not actually go by her given name. The Barbadian princess was born Robyn Rihanna Fenty. Her middle name is Arabic and means “sweet basil.” With her family and close friends, she still goes by Robyn.
2. According to Rihanna, we have been pronouncing her stage name wrongly. Turns out, it’s actually Ri-Anna.)
3. The “Umbrella” crooner was an army cadet in a sub-military program in her home town Barbados. Singer-songwriter Shontelle was even her drill sergeant and ordered Rihanna around.
4. She won her high school beauty pageant and was named Miss Combermere after performing Mariah Carey’s “Hero.” at age 15.
5. Her pre-show rituals are eating lozenges, steam her voice, make over. She also Skype her voice coach, and then she starts to have some fun: “My personal assistant-slash-bartender brings me a shot that she dilutes with a little something so it’s not so harsh, like orange juice or soda water and lime to reduce the level of anxiety. Sometimes I go out into the audience. I put on a really big hoodie and sneak out there.”
6. In 2007, Gillette insured Rihanna’s legs for $1 million. She was named the year’s Celebrity Legs of a Goddess, so along with the title came an insurance for her legs of a million dollars.
7. Rihanna is one of the best-selling artists of all time. She is also the youngest and fastest solo artist to earn 14 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100.
