Rihanna’s Rise to Music Superstardom in UNSEEN Interviews (ET Vault Unlocked)
tonight Entertainment Tonight presents ET Vault unlocked Rihanna it’s so good 14 number one songs nine gramys and dozens of never seen ET interviews with Riri it really feels Like A lot’s happening all at once from her humble beginnings growing up in Barbados my biggest dream is to become a singer to her rise to music super stardom and her movie career playing a part that is so unlike Rihanna plus her billionaire status as a beauty Mogul and find new ways of redefining sexy then riri’s romance with ASAP Rocky and
her journey to becoming a mom baby baby baby baby baby ET Vault unlocked Rihanna starts right now sky’s the limit no rule listen as far as tonight’s show goes Rihanna is the only girl in the ET World welcome to Entertainment Tonight yes indeed miss Robin Fenty does not miss so let’s open up the ET Vault to celebrate a good girl gone bad Beauty billionaire and radiant Rockstar Mama the journey has been incredible it’s a lot of hard work it has to be authentic it has to be something I truly believe in as long as it’s that disguise
a limit nine Grammys 32 top 10 singles one Epic Super Bowl Halftime show/ pregancy reveal and a staggering estimated $ 1.4 billion Empire it really feels Like A lot’s happening all at once really I’m I’m grateful yeah the 36-year-old multi hyen it and Mom of two has already reached the icon status and she isn’t slowing down fans are hopeful R9 will drop this year I already got stuff that I feel like I can make hits out of yeah me and Rocky are really like trying to figure out who’s going to use what really yeah
because it’s so good from her estimated 2.8 billion makeup line to her lingerie brand and just launched Fenty hair her Empire is setting a new standard for inclusivity everyone was included all hair types there’s not a race to hair hair is different for everyone how much are you involved with the process and the designing elements of things oh my God I’m too involved I want to break I see how women become so emotionally invested and they feel represented they feel like they can see themselves on the shelves in the
campaigns one of riri’s other big passions giving back from the time I was a kid and you would see those little commercials on TV with the kids and if you donate 10 cents I would save up to like help some kid in Africa those are traits that have come down from my grandparents Clara and Lionel who the Clara and lonel Foundation is named after so it’s always been in me her lavish Diamond Balls have raised over $15 million to support her foundation which invests in climate Justice initiatives in the US and in her
native Caribbean what does it mean tonight I mean you raised over $2 million last year if your grandmother was looking down what was she say to you uh she is definitely here in spirit and she feels delighted to be a part of such a great cause and she always brings the star power AA guests have included Kim Kardashian Donald Glover cardi B Beyonce and Jay-Z and Brad Pit Brad Pit he loves charity and um when I reached out to him he was more than happy to do it so it’s just a matter of giving back but before becoming the hometown
hero Rihanna was just island girl I was brought up with very strict characteristics my mom raised me to be a very independent woman half the time I was at home on my own my two younger brothers so I had a I had a raised them basically yeah cuz my mom was a single parent and in Barbados that’s just part of the culture the oldest one takes care of the rest and uh I became very independent that way so it helps me a lot in this industry an industry that she grew up in after signing her first record deal with de Jam at 16 years old she auditioned
for Jay-Z singing several songs including this original which later became her first hit my biggest dream was to become a singer Whitney Houston really made me love music actually her music is the reason I started to make music she and Mariah Carey were the two you know first female artists or first artist that I really dis CED but riri’s number one inspiration her mom an accountant who raised three kids in this Bungalow after divorcing their father who battled addiction I was so angry at him he taught me everything and as awful as he
was to my mom at times it didn’t compare to how great he was as a father and I had to come to terms with that and I was able to close that Gap with him what is your secret to being a strong woman my mom she always tells me not to lower my S she’s a businesswoman as well and we we have that mutual respect for each other’s careers I congratulate her and her Awards and she does the same with me and mine I applaud and admire you I really started making your life a living hell with my annoying little husky man voice you will call
it and I mean just disrupting the entire neighborhood West Barry Road Barbados they could tell you that’s the truth I annoyed everyone of my neighbors you have kind of burst onto you’re you’re you’ve B you’ve gone to another level handling that how tough is it to handle that though now because now you have more eyes on you I I see you popping up in magazines now you just got to take it and be you remain yourself having good people around me helps me to stay grounded the ride which included eight F length Studio albums in just over a
decade was just beginning next up Rihanna’s first number one song SOS the lead single off her second album was originally intended for label mate Christina Milan but she passed another de Jam partner had a hand in her next hit you’re working with Neo yes he actually wrote his second single single is called Unfaithful which is a ballad for the first time for me so very excited the song went platinum in 2006 2 years later a new look the night before the cover shoot for her third album Rihanna chopped off
all her hair and introduced the world to good girl gone bad she debuted the edgy Bob in the music video for umbrella with boss man Jay-Z the hit became one of the most played songs of the decade topping the charts in 17 countries the cherry on top riri’s first Grammy ET was with her backstage after the win everybody’s excited the Prime Minister just called and congratulated me so everybody at home is just screaming and with the release of rated R in 2009 Rianna revealed her new persona Fearless raw rockstar I told you baby got my middle
and she took the Reign for the first time in her career too writing nine songs on the album including this surprise hit her sixth number one I can’t believe Rude Boy of all songs was the biggest song on this album and and that’s the one that I really um wrote most on and I couldn’t believe that they even wanted it to be a single yeah everybody wanted a piece of this Pop Princess Kanye West Eminem Britney Spears Calvin Harris Paul McCartney and Drake they collabed on four hits as romance rumors swirl this morning at like 3:00 a.m. we
finished we wrapped up shooting what my name everybody is talking about the single with Drake and how hot the video is Drake and I are friends and we’ve been friends for a while so it was really uh exciting to work together I have to say this video was definitely a different a new Direction for me I never did a video just roaming the streets of New York it was kind of Daring her career tally of number one songs 14 only Mariah Carey and the Beatles have more so how will rease the stakes after 2016’s anti the album she calls the most
brilliant and cohesive of her career maybe a lullaby oh my goodness not a lullaby my fans would kill me they waited this long for a lullaby before the new album of striking red Rihanna staged the ultimate comeback her first live performance in 5 years 60 ft in the air you know and apparently she’s scared of heights she got it together for this she said she was actually more comfortable all the way up at the top she loved it at the top over 120 million people tuned in to Rihanna’s Super Bowl
57 performance which at the time made it the most watched halftime show in history can’t believe I even said yes the Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world it’s an Entertainer’s dream to be on a stage like that but it’s nerve-wracking you want to get it right you know everybody’s watching and they’re rooting for you yeah let’s do some more math seven levitating stages dozens of astronaut likee outfits 14 hits squeezed into 13 minutes and the set list constantly changing I mean she was up to version 39
right yeah yeah it was just I mean she has a massive catalog not a lot of time you know she just kind of breaks to the rules so it’s like every time I work with her it’s like you don’t know what to expect which is so fun and so exciting she right the diamond she also did this alone I think it was just her wanting to make the statement that she could carry this thing and she did and people just want to see her alone not quite Rihanna revealed her special guest baby number two just 7 seconds into her set as ASAP
Rocky cheered her on from the sidelines and check this out ET had eyes on Riri and her bump backstage before she hit the field you know there’s so much Intrigue around her so keeping everything quiet not easy I mean we had to rehearse way out in the sticks in LA and Santa Clarita to keep keep it all secretive there’s a lot of work being a new mom nothing would have gotten me out the house if it wasn’t a challenge like that now or never really yeah for sure you could get real comfortable being at home as a mom that challenging myself to
do something that I’ve never done before in my career I have to live up to that challenge work day drinking with Rihanna will go down as one of the most iconic Late Night with Seth Meyers moment ever Seth admitting it was the drunkest he’d ever been excuse me are you the girl from Battleship all that’s right I leave well speaking of Rihanna’s roles ET was there to see her Big Screen Dreams become a reality 3 2 1 she’s this badass she takes no she’s not impressed by anybody what’s wrong with you drama queen get up princess come on
2012’s Battleship was Rihanna’s big screen debut as a skilled Weapon Specialist in the US Navy what I was really excited about was playing a part that is so unlike Rihanna I wanted there to be a separation and a recognition from me as an actress not oh there’s Rihanna being featured in the film and I thought this was the perfect movie any actors or directors in particular that you would want to work with I want to work with some comedians I love Seth Rogan Seth was listening because a year later she made this cameo in his movie
This is the End dishing out slaps to Michael Sarah a scene that was shot four times and she like cued his ear and actually like whacked out his equilibrium and he had to go lay down in his trailer for around half an hour but that’s the take we used in the movie like we didn’t add any sound to that or anything you want to do it justice you don’t want to just get the job because you’re famous or whatever I wanted to really perform and have it be something that’s great work and in 2018 she joined the ultimate all female ensemble in
oceans 8 Sandra Bullock Kate Blanchet Ann Hathaway Sarah Paulson Aquafina and Mindy Kaling to pull off a heist during Fashion’s biggest night the Met Galla yep that’s clear and Riri had this Burning question for castmates who has actually stolen something in their life who’s in the candy family bread rolls so they wanted to turn it back on you and ask you the same thing I stole Chinese food how did you steal Chinese food it’s a long story we don’t have time rih rih music and fashion they go together they’re Inseparable you can do whatever you want
it depends on how Savage you want want to be I hate to do the same thing over and over again so every time it’s something different um it’s a different concept it’s different look and is there any look Rihanna can’t pull off what are you wearing I am wearing UST a Stefan Rand Met Gala glamour Classic Couture sexy sheer Men’s Wear I shop mostly in the men’s Section 3 and 1/2 in designer he deals on a grocery run and her maternity Style No One dresses a bump like Riri it’s clear the Mogul two pregnancies only gave her more
confidence you are making it look so stylish you’re having fun with her well you have to noting this we like to challenge ourselves and challenge tradition and and find new ways of redefining sexy yeah the world is Rihanna’s Runway and ET was there when she made her debut as a designer in 2012 who designed your dress uh it’s a collaboration between myself and Adam Selman this is our first red carpet piece together just six years later she launched her own lingerie label Savage X Fenty within a month the debut
collection sold out and disrupted the marketplace by offering extra small to four XL sizes and an annual fashion show that rivaled Victoria Secret let’s call it the anti- angel aesthetic I wanted to do something that was special and new and different and unique women love to be sexy and you can’t tell a woman she can’t be sexy because she’s a certain shape size color you know how I feel about inclusivity it’s so important to me it’s such a huge part of my brand there’s not one lace trim there’s not one BR strap there’s not one
Hardware color there is not one bow on a panty that I do not see and approve not one copy online that I do not see it’s a lot of work but it’s the only way that you can preserve a brand to see people feeling included um it also puts a different pressure on me it makes me feel like now we cannot neglect those consumers now that consumer is one that’s been neglected before and I’m not going to let that happen here but makeup came first re refounded Fenty Beauty in 2017 at the age of 29 it started with 40 shades of Foundation one of the most
from any beauty brand now in some formulations they’re up to 59 all women deserve to feel beautiful and all women deserve to have a choice and an option when they go to the makeup counter I don’t think that’s fair to limit it to one shade or one group shade you know I have friends of all Races all skin tones and I think it’s it’s painful to exclude anyone growing up in my household I’ve always looked up to my mom as like my beauty inspiration I always watched her doing her makeup in the mirror and that’s where my obsession began then I started
getting in trouble for wearing red lipstick too early in my career and now it’s like sky the limit no rules when she expanded to gender neutral skincare in 2020 and officially became the world’s richest female musician she called on a longtime friend what is your skin type handsome I’ve always wanted to know like how the heck do you have better skin than like half these girls I mean like what what do you do I needed that male representation in the campaign did you catch that chemistry yes the connection between Rihanna and
ASAP Rocky goes all the way back to the 2012 vas no one can do you the way that I do but want the rapper joined her tour the following year and they continued to collaborate while dating other people ASAP was linked to Rita Ora and kindall Jenner Riri reportedly had a brief Ling with Travis Scott before committing to Saudi billionaire Hassan Jam for nearly 3 years but by 2019 Rihanna and Rocky reunited at the British fashion Awards nearly two years later at the Met Gala so you guys are making it red carpet official we ready together
over here that’s from my lady is erok because of the pandemic the pair hit the gas literally they took a cross country road trip together rumor swirled of a secret wedding but nope no rings yet just over a year after confirming their romance they revealed baby number one was on the way you make it look so fly oh thank you what are you enjoying most about this journey uh Donuts so far well besides the obvious you know I’m looking forward to it you know this is it’s all an exciting Journey so far I’m just taking it as it comes every
week it’s something new and I’m just taking it I I I’m enjoying it everything is new to me so you know I’m I’m excited baby Rizza whose name is inspired by the rout Tang Clan Legend was born in May of 2022 less than a week after Mother’s Day ET was with Riri for her first red carpet appearance as a mom 5 months later what is the best part about motherhood right now Rihanna oh oh my God the morning is just like seeing his morning face and you know like seeing a baby with like little bags and waking up and they’re just like startled they’re
trying to figure out where they at it’s the cutest it’s my favorite part of the day you recently shared that Rizza is like really into music right now he gets emotional over Twinkle Twinkle Little Star he he he’s an empath like he’s very like is he like his mama I think I think so yeah but he has the the kind of spirit and like he could pretend to be tough but deep down like he’s like ex oh my gosh the announcement for baby number two came less than a year later on the biggest stage in the world how was the
second pregnancy how are think different from the first one how um just everything all of my no Cravings tons of nausea I feel good I feel energet it after Riot Rose arrived in August of 2023 sources told ET that the billionaire businesswoman now considers motherhood to be her biggest accomplishment having a house full of boys I mean I I thought I was a girl Mom I’m a boy Mom I love this I love it when I dress them I always try to dress them like Rocky I was R A handling being a big brother he he struggled in the
beginning but he’s he’s he loves his little brother if the baby’s crying he’ll come and just like hold his hands it hurts him if the baby’s crying he’ll wake up in the morning just saying baby baby bab baby baby baby he loves him it it took a while but he got there and I’m proud of him you know what I would definitely have more kids o Rihanna and adamine turned up the heat in 2008 for Maroons 5 if I never see your face again that song Still My Jam still in Rotation by the way it also feels like we will never see a new
Rihanna album I mean I just got to be honest with but here’s everything we know about R9 take care y’all hi everyone I am always working on music and when I’m ready to put it out I’m going to make it worth it the release date hopefully sometime soon one of the producers forel and the inspo ree who’s been the most influential person in your life Bob Marley is definitely one of them I’ve always loved him ever since I remembered knowing music the new album will be Rihanna’s first since dropped 8 years ago and since 2019 et’s been
fishing for some R9 Clues I literally said if anybody’s going to ask you about the album it’s going to be you it’s going to be me I have to do that give me something about the album R um pending R9 what’s the latest dot dot dot to be continued yeah that’s R9 right there but I love that are we going to hear that confident powerful voice of yours you want to ask me about my album yes girl I just knew it I hey y’all going to have to wait nabe I’m so sorry I have been working on the album for so long that I kind of just like put
all that stuff aside and now I’m prepared to go back in the studio when we going to work our nine into the mix sis you back at it I am when I’m ready I’m coming straight to you first you better I I have to that is a promise another promise fans are hoping for a tour I feel like it’s only fair that my fans get what they’ve been waiting on which is new music and after that let’s just like blow everything up
