Rihanna is the world’s richest female musician — from yachting trips on the French Riviera to a staff that includes a chef and personal trainers, see how she spends her $600 million fortune
by Hillary Hoffower, Business Insider US
- Rihanna has an estimated net worth of $600 million, according to Forbes.
- This makes her the world’s richest female musician. She was also the third highest paid female singer of 2019.
- While Rihanna is known to spend lavishly on her beauty, fashion, and accessories, her favorite way to spend her fortune is on others.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
With an estimated net worth of $600 million, Rihanna, 31, is the world’s richest female musician. She was also the third highest paid female singer in 2019.
That level of wealth puts her a long ways from her childhood. “When I was younger, I couldn’t afford everything, but a pair of Timberlands: That was my Dior,” Rihanna told T: The New York Times Style Magazine. “And I had to save my money for a whole school year to get those Timberlands that I wanted, and I did it.”
It’s a determined attitude that helped the singer get to where she is today. Her fortune isn’t just from her music – she’s been able to grow it through brand partnerships and her own product lines.
While she’s known to splurge on beauty, fashion, and vacations, Rihanna prioritizes spending money on others, whether it’s her family or those in need. She’s heavily involved in charity work and was named Harvard’s humanitarian of the year in 2017.
Below, see how Rihanna earns and spends her fortune.
Rihanna is worth an estimated $600 million, which she’s earned from a variety of industries. According to Forbes, she is now the world’s wealthiest female musician.
Source: Forbes
The singer has earned millions from her tours. Her most prolific, the Diamonds World Tour in 2013, grossed more than $140 million worldwide.
She also profits from tour sponsorships. Rihanna reportedly signed a $25 million contract to promote Samsung on her 2016 Anti World Tour.
Source: New York Post via Insider
She’s sold more than 60 million albums and 215 million digital tracks. In 2016, she reportedly earned $7.6 million from streaming and $2.5 million from sales.
Source: Roc Nation, Billboard
Rihanna is also part-owner in the streaming service Tidal, which has sold stakes for millions of dollars.
Source: Insider
But music is only part of Rihanna’s fortune. She’s appeared in films such as “Home,” “Annie,” and “Ocean’s 8,” which earned $41.5 million from its box office opening in 2018.
Rihanna has also designed collections for brands such as Armani and River Island, and she has a creative partnership with MAC. She’s made deals with several companies, from Dior to Cover Girl.
Source: Rihanna Now via Insider
That’s not to mention her role as creative director for Puma, creating clothing and shoe lines that have done exceptionally well. Rihanna took on the role in 2014.
Rihanna has released 11 fragrances throughout the years. Her debut scent, Reb’l Fleur, brought in an estimated $80 million in sales.
Source: Rolling Stone via Insider
But Rihanna’s net worth largely comes from her partnership with French luxury-goods giant LVMH. LVMH reportedly owns half of Rihanna’s makeup brand, Fenty Beauty, while Rihanna herself reportedly owns 15% — and it’s worth a reported $3 billion.
Source: Forbes
Just 15 months after its September 2017 launch, Fenty Beauty raked in $570 million in revenue.
Source: Forbes
In 2019, LVMH and Rihanna launched Fenty, a clothing house with clothes, shoes, accessories, and jewelry.
Source: Forbes
Rihanna also co-owns the Savage X Fenty lingerie line with online fashion firm TechStyle Fashion, which includes “Xccessories” — a sex toy line.
Source: Vogue
Fenty Beauty and Savage Beauty helped Rihanna earn $62 million in 2019, making her the third highest paid female singer that year — quite the jump from the seventh spot she held prior.
Source: Business Insider
“I never thought I’d make this much money, so a number is not going to stop me from working,” she told T: The New York Times Style Magazine.
Source: T: The New York Times Style Magazine
Rihanna has dabbled in real estate. She reportedly owns a three-bedroom, four-bathroom apartment at The Century condos in Los Angeles, which she paid $5.45 million for in 2014.
Source: Observer
In 2016, she reportedly spent $925,000 on a condo on The Wilshire Corridor, known as “the Millionaire Mile,” In Los Angeles.
Source: Yolanda’s Little Black Book
In 2017, Rihanna reportedly paid $6.8 million for a 7,130-square-foot Hollywood Hills estate, which includes a movie theater and spa. After a burglary in 2018, she put it on the market for $7.5 million and then listed it for rent at $35,000 a month.
Source: Observer
The same year, she also purchased a West Hollywood property for $2.75 million, but put it on the market for $2.85 million three months later and ended up renting it out for $16,500 a month. She eventually sold it in early 2018.
Rihanna also rented a lower-Manhattan penthouse, which increased from $39,000 to $50,000 a month from 2013 to 2014. In 2018, it was put on the market for $16.9 million.
Source: Observer
In 2019, Rihanna revealed she’s been living in London for a year. She reportedly lives in a seven-bedroom mansion that costs $20,363 a week to rent.
Source: CNN, The Daily Mail
In 2019 she was reportedly been recording new music in an estate on Osea Island, which costs an estimated $25,454 to rent a day. It has a gym, cinema, pool, and cottages.
Source: Mirror
When she’s not working hard, Rihanna is playing hard. She’s been spotted vacationing in Portofino, St. Tropez, Los Cabos, Honolulu, and Barbados, where she’s originally from.
Source: Vanity Fair, BET, OK! Magazine, Essence, Refinery29
She’s also been known to take yacht vacations. In 2011, she cruised down the French Riviera in a yacht that charters for $300,000 a week. And in 2014, she chartered a yacht around the Cote d’Azur for two weeks.
Source: Boat International, Business Insider
Rihanna drops big money on her nights out. In 2013, she reportedly spent $8,000 in a single night at a Miami strip club, and $17,000 at a strip club in Houston with rapper Drake.
Source: New York Daily News, The Cut
Rihanna also splurges on her appearance, reportedly spending $38,000 a week on beauty alone.
Source: Look
That reportedly includes $2,500 on a personal make-up artist, $7,600 on a personal dermatologist, and $4,000 for contour tanning.
Source: Look
But that weekly number could be even higher — one report says Rihanna shells out nearly $17,834 a week on celebrity hairstylist Ursula Stephen.
Source: The Daily Mail
She also spends on her wardrobe: She’s been seen sporting $10,000 Saint Laurent boots and $1,340 Gucci socks.
Source: Whim
Rihanna also takes care of her body. She’s had a number of personal trainers over the years, including Harley Pasternak, Dede Lagree, and Jamie Granger.
Source: Business Insider, Livestrong, Footwear News
She also pays for a personal chef, Debbie Solomon, who whips up breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.
Source: Bon Appetit
While Rihanna treats herself, she likes to spend her money on opportunities above anything else. She previously said money helps her take care of her family, facilitate businesses, and create jobs for other people. Rihanna has also given her friends cash for Christmas.
Source: T: The New York Times Style Magazine, YouTube
And she focuses a lot on charity work. In September 2018, she donated 100% of proceeds from Fenty Beauty’s Diamond Ball-Out Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter to women and children in need.
Source: Rolling Out
In 2012, she founded the Clara Lionel Foundation to improve education and healthcare for children in impoverished communities. The foundation creates scholarships and hosts fundraising events.
Source: Clara Lionel Foundation
Rihanna’s also an ambassador of Barbados, the Global Partnership For Education, and the Global Citizen Project. She spends time traveling and raising money for these roles. In 2017, she spent a week in Malawi as part of an educational trip.
Source: PopSugar
“My money is not for me; it’s always the thought that I can help someone else,” she said.
