More than music, her cosmetic company Fenty Beauty and her lingerie company Savage x Fenty have played a big part on this journey
Image: Frederic J. Brown / AFP
Singer and businesswoman Rihanna is worth a whopping $1.7 billion, Forbes said Wednesday, making her one of the richest woman musicians on the planet.
The R&B songstress parlayed success in the singles charts into a huge make-up and fashion empire, with earnings that now dwarf those of other music megastars like Madonna and Beyonce.
The Barbados-born Robyn Rihanna Fenty exploded onto the scene in 2005, and logged global hits like "We Found Love" and "Umbrella", a collaboration with Jay-Z.
But while downloads and tour tickets have contributed to her wealth, it is her business know-how that has rocketed her into the ranks of the uber-wealthy.
Forbes, which regularly compiles lists of the world's richest people, said Wednesday it estimated around $1.4 billion of her nest egg comes from the value of cosmetics company Fenty Beauty, a partnership with French fashion giant LVMH.