Singer, makeup entrepreneur, designer and now the first black woman to head a top luxury fashion house -- Rihanna has racked up a $600 million fortune to become the world's richest female musician, Forbes said on Tuesday. The 31-year-old -- born Robyn Rihanna Fenty in Barbados -- has amassed wealth exceeding that of Madonna ($570 million), Celine Dion ($450 million) and Beyonce ($400 million), whose husband Jay-Z was just named the world's first billionaire rap star. Rihanna's ranking puts into fresh perspective one of her signature lyrics -- "work, work, work, work, work," which opened her 2016 dancehall smash "Work." Since bursting onto the scene in 2003, she has spun her triumphs in music into entrepreneurial gold, launching her makeup brand Fenty Beauty -- co-owned by French luxury giant LVMH -- in September 2017 online and with Sephora. The line found success not least thanks to Rihanna's fame both on and offline, with some $570 million in revenue last year after just 15 months of business. She makes the majority of her money from touring and musical releases, according to Forbes, but also co-owns her Savage X Fenty lingerie line.
In May, Rihanna launched a groundbreaking partnership with LVMH to launch a luxury fashion brand based in Paris that will make ready-to-wear clothes, shoes and accessories. -AFP
