Rihanna: In Her Own Words (In Their Own Words)

Get inside the head of Rihanna: musician, fashion designer, and business mogul.

This collection of quotes has been curated from Rihanna’s numerous public statements—interviews, books, social media posts, television appearances, and more. It’s a comprehensive picture of a beloved icon and her impact on popular culture.

Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty burst onto the American music scene in the mid-2000s when she released her single “Pon de Replay,” which hit number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. Her debut album sold more than 2 million copies worldwide, opening the door for her second album, A Girl Like Me, to go platinum. She continued to climb the music charts as she released her Good Girl Gone Bad album, featuring the hit track “Umbrella,” which earned her her first Grammy Award. She has gone on to become one of the most streamed artists of all time.

As she gained global fame for her musical abilities, Rihanna also became known as a fashion leader. She earned a Fashion Icon lifetime achievement award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and her 2015 Met Gala dress “broke the internet,” garnering a billion impressions on social media.

In 2017, Rihanna launched her own makeup line, called Fenty Beauty, which she expanded in the years following into a line of lingerie, Savage X Fenty, and a luxury fashion line, Fenty. She has been praised for her dedication to inclusion both in terms of the diversity of skin tones represented in her makeup and lingerie lines, and for the variety of body types featured in promotion for her products. 

Her global impact extends beyond music and fashion—Rihanna has founded a number of foundations and charities to facilitate her philanthropic work. Her Believe Foundation is dedicated to assisting children with terminal illnesses and her Clara Lionel Foundation supports climate justice programs. She was one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2012 and 2018 and listed by Forbes as one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women of 2019. In 2021, Forbes identified her as the richest female musician in the world, and the second richest female entertainer in the world behind Oprah Winfrey.

Rihanna has already established herself as a hit recording artist, business mogul, and global influencer, and she’s still at the relative outset of her career. Now, for the first time, you can find Rihanna’s most inspirational, thought-provoking quotes in one place, painting a comprehensive picture of this superstar’s impact on the world so far.