Rihanna Won't Get Paid For Her Super Bowl Halftime Show, But She's Still Rich AF

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Fans have had to wait years for Rihanna’s epic return to the music world, and the wait seems like it's finally over. Not only did the star drop "Lift Me Up" late last year as part of the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, but the “Love On The Brain” singer is also gearing up for her 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show performance (which you can stream through Hulu Live TV or YouTube TV). And literally no one can contain their excitement.

Not even Rihanna, apparently, who recently said she’s changed the setlist 39 times at an Apple press conference, per Variety. This performance will, obviously, be a big one for the singer–and may even usher in a new era for the star. Plus, Super Bowl Halftime performances notoriously rake in streams and album sales for artists, per Forbes.

Her "work, work, work, work, work" granted RiRi the title of the world’s richest female musician in 2021, according to Forbes. So, clearly, the 34-year-old has done pretty well for herself within the industry. But music definitely isn’t the only way RiRi makes bank. Besides her musical talents, Rihanna is also an entrepreneur with some super lucrative business ventures. (Hello, Fenty!) From fashion to lingerie to beauty, Rihanna's many brands made her $46 million in 2020 alone, per Forbes. That's petty cash compared to her total net worth, though.

The combination of Rihanna’s efforts has surpassed the millionaire territory and deemed the star a capital “B” billionaire. Here's how she went from Barbadian teen to pop music queen and everything to know about her net worth.

Rihanna's been cashing in on her music career since 2003.

Rihanna started making music when she was a little girl living in Barbados. When she was 15, she met music producer Evan Rogers, who decided she had the potential to become a star, per Insider. Two years later, she was signed to rapper Jay-Z's label, Def Jam.

Rihanna still remembers what her audition for Jay-Z was like: "I was like, 'Oh God, he's right there, I can't look, I can't look, I can't look!'" she said. "I remember being extremely quiet. I was very shy. I was cold the entire time. I had butterflies. I'm sitting across from Jay-Z. Like, Jay-Z. I was star-struck," she told The Guardian.

"The audition definitely went well," she continued. "Jay-Z said, 'There's only two ways out. Out the door after you sign this deal. Or through this window.' And we were on the 29th floor. Very flattering."

Since then, Rihanna has released dozens of songs, including hits like "Umbrella," "We Found Love," and "Desperado." All of those singles and albums translate to some serious cash. Just in 2016, she made around $22.3 million from her music alone, per Insider. She also makes plenty of money from her world tours, like "Diamond," which brought in a hefty $137 million in total revenue.

And even though it's been six years since she released an album, she told Vogue she's not finished yet: "I can't say when I'm going to drop, but I am very aggressively working on music."

Most of Rihanna's money comes from Fenty Beauty.

While all that music moola certainly doesn't hurt her bank account, it's not Rihanna's main source of income. Around $1.4 billion of her net worth comes from her beauty line, Fenty Beauty, per Forbes.

Rihanna owns 50 percent of the company, and she's built it up with her massive social media presence. Fenty Beauty launched in 2017 with the help of partner company LVMH (a French company run by Bernard Arnault, the second-richest person in the world), and since then has become a platform for inclusivity in the beauty industry.

Within the first month of Fenty Beauty’s launch in September 2017, it brought it $100 million in sales. Its success only continued to grow, reaching $550 million in annual revenue after the line’s first calendar year, according to LVMH, per Forbes.

"A lot of women felt there were no lines out there that catered to their skin tone. It was light, medium, medium dark, dark," said Shannon Coyne, co-founder of consumer products consultancy, Bluestock Advisors, per Forbes. "We all know that’s not reality. She was one of the first brands that came out and said, 'I want to speak to all of those different people.'"

After the launch of Fenty Skin in 2020, Fenty Beauty was estimated to be worth around $2.8 billion in 2021, per Forbes—and Rihanna is determined to keep growing that number with new product launches.

Rihanna also owns a popular lingerie line, Savage x Fenty.

After Fenty Beauty came Savage x Fenty, in May 2018. From social media press to diverse models to over the top fashion shows, Savage x Fenty has been proving that it is a force to be reckoned with in fashion. Rihanna has made it her mission to offer inclusive sizes and designs that fit bodies of all shapes and sizes (and she's just getting started). Did I mention they even have fashion shows? Her third show even won the Emmy for Outstanding Choreography For Variety Or Reality Programming in 2022. (Psst...her fourth one can be watched here on Amazon Prime. YW!)

Quickly after pausing the lingerie line in 2021 amid the coronavirus pandemic, the brand announced $115 million in new funding, per Forbes. The lingerie company was rumored to start the IPO process in early 2022, with its valuation hover around $3 billion, per Forbes, and Rihanna owns a 30 percent stake, which is worth an estimated $270 million.

With the success of Savage x Fenty, Rihanna became the first Black woman to head a luxury brand at LVMH, according to Vanity Fair.

She also had a fashion brand that shuttered in 2020.

To add to her collection of brands, Rihanna also started a fashion and accessory line called Fenty in 2019. But unfortunately, Fenty had the same struggles that a lot of other luxury fashion brands experienced during the pandemic. Its last collection was released in November 2020, per Forbes.

Still, seeing as its products were pretty pricey, you can pretty much assume it brought Rihanna plenty of moolah during its year-long lifespan.

Rihanna is an author, too.

ICYMI, Rihanna has also published her fair share of books. From Rihanna: The Last Girl On Earth in 2010 to The Rihanna Book in 2019, she's branched out into the literary market, too.

The Rihanna Book is a massive, 500-page tome filled with over 1,000 photos from Rihanna's journey as an artist and a designer. The book comes with plenty of extras, like a poster, and each hardcover copy costs over $100. While it may not be a traditional memoir, it's certainly another stream of revenue for the "Disturbia" artist.

She's partnered with luxe brands over the years.

Throughout her career, Rihanna has partnered with some major brands. For example, she became the first Black spokeswoman for Dior back in 2015, per Refinery29. That same year, she also inked a $25 million deal with Samsung where they sponsored her next album and tour and she promoted their Galaxy products, per The New York Post.

She's also worked with MAC Cosmetics, Budweiser, Armani, Gucci, and more. (She was hired to become Puma's new Creative Director in 2014 (!!!), per Business Insider.) If that wasn't enough, she's even a stakeholder in Tidal, the music streaming platform, along with Jay Z, Beyoncé, and more, per Variety.

These deals have also brought the singer a pretty penny, as you can imagine!

She has millions tied up in real estate properties.

Beyond her music, businesses, and partnerships, Rihanna also has a whole lot of real estate attached to her name. She’s purchased, rented, and flipped numerous homes over the years, only adding to her wealth.

Among them is a $13.8 million Beverly Hills mansion that she bought in March 2021, per the Hollywood Reporter. A month later, she paid $10 million for the home right next door.

She’s rented and lived in various homes in New York City and London, as well. RiRi is said to have a $22 million property in Barbados, according to the Daily Mail.

Rihanna will reap the benefits of her Super Bowl performance.

This weekend, Rihanna will join the list of musical legends who have played the coveted Super Bowl halftime slot. Performers at the Super Bowl do not get paid, but it is likely RiRi will see an increase in music sales following the event, according to Forbes.

Singers like Lady Gaga, Dr. Dre and Mary J. Blige, more than doubled following their Halftime performances, and their social media follower numbers shot up, too, Forbes reported.

Riri even has a new "Game Day" line from Savage x Fenty that features a bandeau top, sweatpants, boxers, a two-tone Varsity jersey (already sold-out) and more. You can bet these items will be snapped up pretty quickly.

So, how much is Rihanna worth?

As of 2023, Rihanna's total net worth is a whopping $1.7 billion, according to Forbes. She’s said to earn approximately $70 million in any given year, per Celebrity Net Worth. Not only is she the richest female musician, but the second richest female entertainer to Oprah Winfrey, Forbes reported.

Based on her nine Grammy Awards and her billion-dollar businesses, it's clear she's not slowing down any time soon.

"She is creating a brand outside of herself. It’s not just about Rihanna," Shannon Coyne told Forbes."Even if you don't like her music, she’s created a real style in the fashion and beauty space."

Turns out, Rihanna can have her "Birthday Cake" and eat it, too.

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