Rihanna Takes a Moment
When Rihanna wants to get real—like “call me Robyn” real—she heads home to Barbados. This time Glamour went with her to talk about old friends, her new TV show, and where that fearless attitude really comes from. By Jason Sheeler photographs by Terry Tsiolis
“I fit right in,”
says Rihanna of returning to Barbados for this shoot. “It’s a completely different channel.” Coat, bra, briefs, Marc Jacobs; necklace, Chanel; vintage pearl cuff, Lynn Ban; rings, Neil Lane Jewelry; sandals, René Caovilla. See glamour .com/magazine for more shopping information. Stylist: Mel Ottenberg
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he isn’t “Rihanna” when she walks in the room. Maybe it’s because we’re in Barbados, in her own house, where I’m sitting on her sofa at 2:00 in the morning. (She knows how to keep a guy waiting.) There are no bodyguards or flashbulbs, no fans screaming her name. Her posse is M.I.A. too; gone are her extensions-in-hand hairstylist, sparkly fashion wizards, and best friend Melissa. And she looks real. The biggest pop star on the planet isn’t wearing, say, thigh-high gladiator sandals or prints-on-prints-on-prints Givenchy pajamas. No, Rihanna looks more like she did when she left the island about 10 years ago, back when she was just a tomboy named Robyn. She’s barefoot in a baggy T-shirt with short curly hair. (The ringlets are brand-new. They follow a string of 96-hour, wildly inventive haircuts, veering from spooky long gray locks to a blond chop.) The only nod to her alter ego, “Rihanna”—to the insane level of fame she’s achieved, those 50 million albums sold, those fans known as the Rihanna Navy—are jingly-jangly high-wattage diamond bracelets tangled on her wrists. Well, that and the waft of a wood-and-floral fragrance she leaves on my shirt when she hugs me—which turns out to be a preview of her fourth scent, Rogue. It smells like money. Since arriving in the U.S. in 2004 and promptly signing with Jay Z, Robyn Rihanna Fenty has racked up 10 number-ones on Billboard’s Pop Songs chart—that’s more than anyone else, ever. This past summer the 25-year-old was essentially crowned the Queen of Social Media, becoming the most viewed artist on YouTube and the most liked person on Facebook. (That would be more than 70 million thumbs up.) She’s also found time—when not burning down the Internet with her oh-no-she-didn’t Instagrams (trust me, you want to check out @badgalriri) and confessional tweets possibly directed at ex-boyfriend Chris Brown—to make a play for mogul-hood. She’s got clothing, with Rihanna for River Island; makeup, from a collabo ration with MAC (her first shipment of RiRi Woo lipstick sold out online in three hours); and, premiering soon, a television presence, with her reality competition show Styled to Rock, where emerging designers go head-to-head dressing celebrities. So when I catch up with her at the beach house while on a break from her world tour, she has definitely earned some couch time. Finding a nook in the corner of the sofa, Rihanna opens a bag of her favorite snack, a spicy Cheetos-like thing called Hill’s Hot Balls, and hugs a Burberryplaid pillow. She’s the real Robyn, and she’s ready to talk.
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Tour. How does it feel being back home? RIHANNA: I get used to L.A. and I love New York. But in Barbados, I fit right in. It’s a completely different channel. The food, the people, the energy, the weather—everything is what I know. GLAMOUR: How are you different when you’re here? RIHANNA: I get a little more carefree. I try to play just like I would as a kid. GLAMOUR: You left Barbados 10 years ago as Robyn and became Rihanna. Who are you when you’re back home? RIHANNA: When people call me Robyn, my head just flies around because I feel like that person knows me. But Rihanna, that tends to be people’s own [creation]. Robyn is who I am. Rihanna—that’s an idea of who I am. GLAMOUR: You grew up not too far from here. But I’ve heard that school wasn’t easy. RIHANNA: I got teased my entire school life. What they were picking on I don’t even understand. It was my skin color [which was lighter than her classmates’]. Then when I got older, it was about my breasts. But I’m not victimized—I’m grateful. I think those experiences were strategically put together by God for the preparation of being in the music industry. It’s so easy for me to deal with the bullsh-t now. GLAMOUR: You were clearly prepared. You just edged out your pal Katy Perry for having the most number-one pop songs. RIHANNA: Oh, right! That was the thing my fans tweeted me. GLAMOUR: Wait, you heard about that from a fan on Twitter? RIHANNA: Yeah! [Laughs.] My fans are on it. That’s where I hear about most of my stats. GLAMOUR: They definitely keep their eyes on you. Do you ever feel too watched, or trapped? RIHANNA: There’s stuff like not being able to walk around as I please. I feel like I’m being watched. Always. Like, I want to tan topless somewhere, and I know I probably could never do that. Even if I’m upstairs in my bedroom, and the curtains are pulled, I feel like a paparazzo’s outside on a boat somewhere or somebody’s peeping. GLAMOUR: Yikes. You’ve said before that you get misunderstood a lot. RIHANNA: I know I am. That’s why it’s important for me to know who I am. There’s no way for Continued on next page
“I had to regain my fearlessness because it did go away for a little bit. I just got back to being OK with myself.”
says Rihanna, here at Six Men’s Bay in Barbados. Top, skirt, Calvin Klein Collection; hoops, Kenneth Jay Lane; vintage pearl belt, Lynn Ban; rings, Neil Lane Jewelry. See glamour .com/magazine for more shopping information.
Steve Granitz/WireImage
s
“I’m obsessed with being first with everything in fashion,”
GLAMOUR: You’re in the middle of your Diamonds World
“Caribbean people seem very warm,”
“You can’t change who you are,”
says Rihanna.“It’s important for me to know who I am and work with that.” Top, Calvin Klein Collection; diamond and platinum earrings, Kwiat; vintage bracelets, Lynn Ban. See glamour .com/magazine for more shopping information.
people to know me. All they have are a couple of pictures and some crazy headlines to go off of. Rihanna says, “but if GLAMOUR: Well, they’ve got your you cross them, music. they’ll have to remind RIHANNA: One hundred percent. you of your place.” Music helps me tell my story. Jumpsuit, Balmain; bra, That’s where I can really be heard. Marc Jacobs; sunBut there’s so much focus on the glasses, Michael Kors; things that aren’t music. necklace, Rochas; vintage Chanel cuff, GLAMOUR: Ah, the haters. Do you Lynn Ban; striped pay attention to what they say? bracelet, pumps, RIHANNA: I can’t run from it. You Chanel. See glamour can’t change who you are. It’s im .com/magazine portant for me to know who I am for more shopping and work with that. They’re gonna information. keep knocking away until all this comes crashing down. But I’m not gonna ever crash. I’m in control. GLAMOUR: You seem pretty fearless these days. RIHANNA: I had to regain my fearlessness because it did go away for a little bit. My mother said something to me a few years ago: “I’ve seen something in your eyes I’ve never seen before: fear.” She was like, “No, this is not you.” I just got back to being OK with myself. GLAMOUR: How did you do that? RIHANNA: Remembering what’s important in life and understanding that we are all individuals with our own relationships to God. When that’s clear to you, it’s really difficult to be bothered by what people think. GLAMOUR: Let’s talk about fashion. You look like you’re having a lot of fun these days. RIHANNA: My love for fashion—let me say, my admiration for fashdesign, but I couldn’t find them [to work with]. I get excited ion—started with my mom. I used to watch her get dressed. She was around my age right now, and she was so fly. So fly. I by discovering new designers. I’m obsessed with being first remember not even knowing how to do that because I was with everything in fashion. such a tomboy. GLAMOUR: On the show, the contestants are creating looks for entertainers each week. Is the idea to teach people GLAMOUR: You worked in your aunt’s clothing store Tablet what exactly it is that stylists do? growing up, right? Bonus! RIHANNA: Absolutely. There are personal shoppers RIHANNA: Yeah. I would see how good it made people and then there are stylists. To be a stylist, you have to feel to walk out with something that they thought understand design. they looked good in. Then I started to wear the Rihanna—make clothes—jeans with flared bottoms and all these GLAMOUR: Your stylist, Mel Ottenberg, is one of the that @badgalriri— talks about her matching suits. I know. Horrible. mentors on the show. deeply personal RIHANNA: He’s taught me a lot. And I really appreciate GLAMOUR: Where did the idea for your show Styled to style in our digital edition. that because these aren’t things I had access to as a kid. Rock come from? Download it GLAMOUR: Like hanging out with Karl Lagerfeld? I RIHANNA: I felt like there were all these talented peofrom your device’s app store. saw that on Instagram. ple in New York who had a very keen eye for style and Continued on next page
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boots, the girl ignites some crackling trends. Have you worn a Rihanna look yet?
2007 Rihanna puts the “ella” in “Umbrella”—and debuts this sharp crop.
2008 Victoria Beckham in her own version
2012 RiRi steps out in her wayover-the-knee Louboutins.
2013 Miley follows suit in her own redsoled pair.
2008 Her “Shhh…” tattoo speaks for itself.
2011 In Italy in a vaycay-ready one-piece
2012 Cameron Diaz gets the idea.
2009 Wait! Lindsay Lohan’s got one now too.
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Jason Sheeler is the articles editor at Glamour.
“Princess Diana was gangsta with her clothes. She had these crazy hats, oversize jackets. I loved everything she wore.”
Bob, from TOP: Lester Cohen/WireImage. Mark Von Holden/WireImage. Boots, from left: Gotcha Images/Splash News. Ken Katz/startraksphoto.com. One-Piece, from left: ELIOT PRESS/bauergriffinonline.com. Jon Furniss/WireImage. Tattoo, from TOP: Richard Drew/AP Photo. APG/X17online.com
It Started With RiRi From asymmetrical bobs to thigh-high
RIHANNA: I never even knew what a Chanel couture show was living in Barbados! GLAMOUR: So you’ve got the TV show, plus four fragrances, a fashion line, and a new deal with MAC. You’re Rihanna Inc. RIHANNA: I guess I’m a bit of a workaholic. I’m afraid of opportunities passing me by. I love being creative, and I have all these different outlets now. But these are things that I actually care about. My mom was a makeup artist, and she sold perfume. I knew all the fragrances as a kid, and I would know them by heart just by the smell. GLAMOUR: You’re not the first pop star to branch out and build a brand. Did you look to anyone else for inspiration? RIHANNA: I like Jennifer Lopez and Gwen Stefani because they’re really into what they produce. Everything feels like it comes from them. They’re brilliant women—very business savvy. They’re also domestic. They love their families and have kids. They’re aggressive. They’re women, and they’re businesswomen. That’s my type of woman. GLAMOUR: Let’s talk about fashion women. Who’s on your best-dressed list these days? RIHANNA: Oh my God, are you kidding me? Nicole Richie. She just pisses me off, she’s so good. But you know who is the best who ever did it? Princess Diana. She was like—she killed it. Every look was right. She was gangsta with her clothes. She had these crazy hats. She got oversize jackets. I loved everything she wore. GLAMOUR: I love your Instagram. It seems like there’s nothing you won’t post. Ever had any second thoughts? RIHANNA: [Laughs.] Just the other day I went back to my page and I saw all these pictures from the Chanel show. And I was like, oh my God, this looks so narcissistic. So I went delete, delete, delete. GLAMOUR: It seems like you send messages to exes, like when you Instagrammed, “I hate when ex’s say… ‘I’m here if you need me.’ Where the f--k were you when we were together and I needed you?” If Taylor Swift sends messages to ex-boyfriends through her songs, are you using Instagram to vent? RIHANNA: Oh my God. That would be brilliant. But to me, it’s not even that serious. It’s just a photo album. GLAMOUR: But sometimes you’re very direct. You don’t mind shutting people down on Twitter, like Piers Morgan—you told him to “grow a d-ck” when he dissed your hair. Where does that feistiness come from? RIHANNA: From Barbados. Caribbean people seem very warm and pleasant. But if you cross them, they’ll have to remind you of your place. GLAMOUR: I know you’re into astrology, always tweeting about your Pisces-ness. Glamour’s astrologer made a chart for you. RIHANNA: I love that! I’m such a geek. GLAMOUR: Your horoscope says you’re taking your future seriously right now. What do you hope your future’s like? RIHANNA: One day I will have kids. I look forward to the day when I’m gonna be a mom. But I’m nowhere close. I don’t even have a potential baby daddy! n
“When people call me Robyn,”
she says, “my head just flies around because I feel like that person knows me.” Dress, Chanel; sunglasses, Miu Miu; bracelets, Lynn Ban; espadrilles, Chanel. See glamour.com/ magazine for more shopping information. Hair: Ursula Stephen for Motions/Epiphany Artist Group Inc.; makeup: Mylah Morales for MAC; manicure: Gina Eppolito for ginails.com; production: The Caribbean Production Service Company.