Rihanna is a popular singer and actress from the Caribbean island of Barbados. In 2011, she became the youngest solo artist to have recorded 10 number-one singles.
Credit: © Shutterstock

February is Black History Month, an annual observance of the achievements and culture of Black Americans. This month, Behind the Headlines will feature Black pioneers in a variety of areas.

The Super Bowl LVII halftime show will feature popular singer, actress, and fashion designer Rihanna. The multiple Grammy Award-winner is from the Caribbean island of Barbados. She is known for her sexy videos and wild costumes. In 2011, Rihanna became the youngest solo artist to have recorded 10 number-one singles.

Rihanna’s return to the stage is long awaited by her fans. She last performed at the 2018 Grammy Awards alongside DJ Khaled, with their hit song “Wild Thoughts.” Her latest concert tour in 2016 featured her eighth studio album, Anti. Since then, she has launched three successful businesses, starred in movies, and started a fashion show for her brand Savage X Fenty. In 2021, Forbes declared Rihanna a billionaire. She became the richest female musician in the world.

Rihanna started the luxury fashion label Fenty in 2019.
Credit: © Fred Duval, Shutterstock

Robyn Rihanna Fenty was born on Feb. 20, 1988, in St. Michael, Barbados. She began singing as a child. At age 16, Rihanna moved to the United States to pursue a music career. In 2005, she was signed to a recording contract. Her first album, Music of the Sun, was released that same year. It became an international hit. The album featured the hit single “Pon de Replay.”

Rihanna has recorded several other hit albums. Her other notable hit songs include “SOS” (2006); “Umbrella” and “Don’t Stop the Music” (both 2007); “Take a Bow” and “Disturbia” (both 2008); “Russian Roulette,” “Hard,” and “Rude Boy” (all 2009); and “We Found Love” (2011). She also sang on the hit song “Monster” (2014) by Eminem.

In 2012, Rihanna made her motion-picture acting debut in the science-fiction film Battleship. She also provided her voice for the character of Tip, a teenage girl, in the animated feature Home (2015). Rihanna was one of the star actors in the cast of Oceans 8 (2018). She also co-starred with American actor Donald Glover in Guava Island (2019). 

Rihanna is known as a trendsetter, especially in street fashion. In 2014, she became the creative director of women’s fashion for the athletic wear company Puma. She designed Fenty X Puma fashion lines from 2016 to 2018. Rihanna released the makeup brand Fenty Beauty in 2017, with a range of many different skin tones. The brand initially offered 40 shades of foundation, far more than any mainstream brand at the time. Foundation is a makeup product that can be applied to the whole face to provide even tone and texture. The brand has since expanded to 50 shades with an accompanying 50 concealer shades. Concealer is a makeup product used to hide blemishes and brighten the skin.

In 2018, Rihanna started Savage X Fenty, an affordable, size- and gender-inclusive lingerie company. The company also debuted a fashion show, the Savage X Fenty Show, in 2018. In 2019, Rihanna became the first woman and person of color to head a luxury brand with the high-end luxury designer LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton). Rihanna created the luxury fashion line Fenty at LVMH.

November 30, 2016

Fifty years ago today, on Nov. 30, 1966, Barbados—an island country at the far eastern end of the Caribbean Sea—gained independence from the United Kingdom. Renowned for its beauty, Barbados is a successful independent nation with a strong economy and vibrant culture. Events celebrating the nation’s independence have taken place throughout 2016, culminating with the unveiling of a 50th anniversary monument today, along with a dazzling parade and a “Golden Anniversary Spectacular Mega Concert.”

The beaches of Barbados, as seen here, have helped make the lovely island a desirable tourist destination. The Caribbean nation celebrates its 50th anniversary of independence on Nov. 30, 2016. Credit: © Filip Fuxa, Shutterstock

Located about 250 miles (400 kilometers) northeast of Venezuela, Barbados is a small, pork chop-shaped island covering just 166 square miles (430 square kilometers). But, with nearly 300,000 people on the island, it is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. In many ways, life in Barbados resembles life in the United Kingdom. Traffic moves on the left, cricket is the most popular sport, and the harbor police in Bridgetown, the capital, wear colonial-style uniforms that date from the late 1700′s. The people of Barbados speak English. About 90 percent of the country’s people are descendants of enslaved West Africans brought to Barbados between 1636 and 1833.

The flag of Barbados has three wide, vertical stripes. The two outer stripes are blue (for the sea and sky) and the center stripe is orange (for the sand of the beaches). A black trident head with a broken shaft is in the center. It stands for Neptune, the sea god, and for the change from dependence to independence. Credit: © Dream Maker Software

Arawak and Carib Indians lived on Barbados before Europeans first arrived and mapped the island in the early 1500’s. The English reached Barbados in 1625 and soon established a prosperous colony. Many English families settled there in the 1700′s and 1800′s. In the 1900’s, many Caribbean Islands became independent or gained more control over their own affairs, including Barbados. In the early 1960’s, Barbados and several other Caribbean Islands tried to form a federation, but they could not agree on a constitution. Barbados then decided to go it alone, gaining independence from the United Kingdom on Nov. 30, 1966.

Since then, Barbados has joined the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organization of American States, the United Nations, and the Caribbean Free Trade Association (now called the Caribbean Community). Barbados’s pleasant climate and sandy beaches have made it a popular vacation resort, and tourism is a major industry.

Barbados gets its name from either the Portuguese or Spanish word barbados, meaning bearded ones. It is unclear whether this refers to the hanging roots of the bearded fig tree native to the island, or to the island’s supposedly bearded Carib inhabitants. Famous Barbadians of today include pop singer Rihanna, hip-hop star Grandmaster Flash, writer Kamau Brathwaite, and the legendary cricketer and “national hero” Garry Sobers.