Happy Birthday Rihanna!

One of music’s most influential women and a fashion icon – the bad girl herself turns 27 today! We’ve collected together some of our favourite images and videos to celebrate the occasion!

From her rumoured relationship with Dicaprio to her new single FourFiveSeconds with Paul McCartney and Kanye West, RiRi has started 2015 with a blast! She also plans on releasing her 8th studio album this year – R8. She also continues to immerse herself in the fashion industry. When Rihanna appeared on the scene – a whole generation changed what they wore to the clubs. Everyone went from heels to baggies virtually overnight. Her influence as a style icon is undeniable.

The Rihanna Effect is a real phenomenon. Following her Style Icon Award at the 2014 CFDA awards, the songstress added another title to her resume in 2015: Global Ambassador for PUMA! Pick up practically any magazine in the last 6 months and Rihanna adorns the cover, from Vogue to Esquire to Elle to ID, the bad girl’s gorgeous face is everywhere.

With RiRi’s power pipes and full-on attitude she is not only music’s most exciting star, but one of the best-selling artists of all time. She has had as many Nº1 singles (thirteen) as Michael Jackson on Billboard’s Hot 100. It took Jackson nearly 23 years – it took Rihanna seven. She’s sold 50 million albums and 180 million singles, and won eight Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, 22 Billboard Music Awards, and two BRIT Awards. Pretty amazing really for a tomboy from Barbados named Robyn Rihanna Fenty who never took singing lessons. From an early age she was going her own way – musically and sartorially.

The above and below images were taken for a recent photo shoot for Harper’s Bazaar.

In an interview with Vogue last year she said: “I did sing a lot as a child. A lot. I practiced hard to manoeuvre my voice. I love singing. I love it, and it doesn’t feel like a chore. It’s an expression. I never wanted to be famous. I just wanted my music to be heard all over the world. Then it happened and the fame came with it. I can’t ever imagine feeling used to it.”

Random Rihanna facts:

Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, her career began upon meeting record producer Evan Rogers in late 2003 through mutual friends
Rihanna has turned down many offers to appear on the cover of Playboy magazine.(Not such a bad girl after all then?)
Her fabulous legs were used by Gillette’s Venus Breeze with the Celebrity Legs of a Goddess award in 2007 – which was soon followed by RiRi getting her legs insured for $1 million. (What’s a girl to do?)
Before performing, RiRi always drinks a shot. Dark liquor is her favourite but sometimes she drinks vodka.
She has 19 tattoos and is always in the mood to add more. She was once quoted as saying “I like hanging out in tattoo shops.”
Barbados made her the official face of tourism back in 2007 and today she has the honorary title of Ambassador for Culture and Youth of Barbados. In 2008, Barbados also created a national holiday in her honour.

Here’s our Top 10 Rihanna tracks – tap on any title to play the video in Creation 5

Scroll to the bottom for the playlist.

Birthday Cake – Rihanna