Barbados-born music creative and CEO Robyn Rihanna Fenty was announced by Forbes today (June 4, 2019) as the world’s richest female musician. The news follows on the heels of Forbes’ announcement of Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter as the first billionaire rapper.
Forbes estimates Rihanna’s net worth is $600 million, an amount that places her comfortably ahead of Madonna ($570 million), Céline Dion ($450 million) and Beyoncé ($400 million).
While Rihanna is most famous for her music, her fortune is largely built upon her partnership with LVMH, a French luxury conglomerate which houses her newly-launched Fenty label as well as Fenty Beauty, a breakout success since its September 2017 debut. According to LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, Fenty Beauty raked in $500 million euros in sales in 2018.
Using conservative estimates, Forbes estimates Fenty Beauty alone is worth more than $3 billion. The publication claims LVMH owns approximately 50 percent of Fenty Beauty while Rihanna owns approximately 15 percent. However, a representative for Rihanna contacted by Forbes disputed the number but wouldn’t provide actual figures. At the same time, the 31-year-old mogul is said to own 49 percent of the Fenty fashion label.
