While most celebrities tend to stick to the craft that made them famous, others have no problem venturing successfully into other gigs.
One of them is singer-turned-businessman Rihanna. Starting as a teenage R&B artist, the now-32-year-old has expanded her horizons and is now the owner of a $600 million empire making her the richest female musician in the world. This is how she did it.
The Real Moneymaker
While it’s been a few years since she last released an album, Rihanna’s major moneymaker remains to be her music. Not surprising since she’s been declared as the ‘top-selling digital artist of all time’ by Roc Nation, an entertainment company owned by Jay Z.
Her tours are a particularly lucrative gig for her, too. In 2011 alone, Rihanna reportedly recorded over $90 million for her ‘Loud’ tour. And in 2013, her ‘Diamonds’ World Tour surpassed that and earned over $137 million.
Her popularity also translates to album sales having sold more than 60 million albums with an eight-studio album discography.
Working with Brands
Proving herself to be a bankable star with a large fanbase, Rihanna has attracted various brands. She’s reportedly worked with the likes of the makeup brand Mac as well as various luxury labels such as Dior, Balmain, and Armani. Some of her notable endorsement deals include a $25 million agreement with Samsung back in 2015. She also collaborated with Manolo Blahnik in 2016 and designed three collections for the high-end shoe brand.
Her ability to attract consumers is proven by the reported 16% spike in Puma sales after she became creative director for the company in 2014. Rihanna’s Creeper shoes even impressively sold out in just three hours.
Creating Her Own
Perhaps realizing that she can bank on her own marketability, the ‘We Found Love’ singer eventually decided to start her own brand. Thus, Fenty Beauty came to be.
Like her previous ventures into the fashion industry, this foray into cosmetics led to fantastic sales numbers.
In its first 40 days alone, Fenty Beauty reportedly recorded sales of $100 million. Today, she’s further expanded the Fenty brand into a lingerie line, Savage X Fenty.
The line was reported to be nearing $150 million in revenue in 2019.