With hits like Pon de Replay, Umbrella, and SOS, Robyn Rihanna Fenty—better known as Rihanna or Riri—became a global superstar. Nearly twenty years later, Rihanna is not only a powerhouse singer but also a respected businesswoman with multiple ventures to her name. Today (February 20, 2025), Riri celebrates her 37th birthday.
Rihanna
In her 37 years on this earth, we’ve come to know Rihanna as an artist, entrepreneur, mother of two, and an unforgettable performer—especially after her iconic Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2023. These are just a few highlights of her eventful career, but how did she achieve her success?
Rihanna proved herself at a young age. At just 17 years old, she debuted with her album Music of the Sun and stormed the charts with hits like Pon de Replay and If It's Lovin' That You Want. Only eight months after her debut album, she released A Girl Like Me.
The first single from this album, SOS, became a massive international success and secured the Barbados-born singer a deal with Nike for a campaign. The song even received two music videos—one official video and another filmed in collaboration with Nike. In the Nike clip, Rihanna can be seen dancing while sporting a pair of Nikes.
With her commercial, Rihanna put the brand on the map. Something that resulted in great success for Nike and later for Riri.
Businesswoman
The Nike video was an early indication of her natural appeal in marketing. She later leveraged this talent through her FENTY brand. In 2017, she launched the lingerie line Savage x FENTY, followed by the makeup line FENTY Beauty in 2018 and the fashion label FENTY in 2019. However, many might recognize the FENTY name best from her collaboration with PUMA.
Her ventures were each a huge success, bringing the artist not only wealth but also widespread recognition. Rihanna was one of the first entrepreneurs to integrate themes of inclusivity and diversity into her brands and products, earning praise for her efforts.
FENTY x PUMA
Rihanna has long been regarded as a true fashion icon. She lives by her famous quote, "She can beat me, but she can never beat my outfit", a statement she continues to prove time and time again. Before launching her own FENTY line with PUMA, she collaborated with several major brands, including Armani and River Island.
In 2014, she was appointed Creative Director at PUMA and several FENTY x PUMA releases appeared. The combination of FENTY and PUMA is a blend of PUMA's history and heritage with Rihanna's bold statement designs. The collaboration led to many high-profile releases, including the FENTY x PUMA Avanti sneakers. Recently, this sneaker received a new variant; the FENTY x PUMA Avanti LS.
We can expect many more releases from Rihanna and PUMA in the future. In addition, the Met Gala is scheduled again in May, an event where Rihanna is praised for her outfits, especially since her hubby A$AP Rocky is co-chair and will actually attend, now that he has been acquitted. The duo can easily be called one of Hollywood's most stylish couple.
Future projects
Whether Rihanna will finally release new music remains the big question. Recently, the artist revealed that she would be releasing a song for the movie Smurfs, but whether that’s exactly what fans were hoping for is still up for debate.
There have also been rumors about a possible album from A$AP Rocky and Rihanna together—something that, if you ask me, would definitely be a welcome release.
For now, we'll have to make do with her older hits—and that’s no punishment. At the moment, the singer and businesswoman is reunited with her partner and children, and that’s how we love to see her. We can also expect more FENTY x PUMA releases in the near future, though we can't reveal too much about that just yet.
Keep an eye on the Sneakerjagers news page for more stories around Riri and more.
