Despite her better judgment, Rihanna soon finds herself falling hard for Taecyeon. But is their bond strong enough to survive the tabloid headlines, the relentless paparazzi, and the jealous fans who seem determined to tear them apart?
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Rihanna Talks Fenty, That Long-Awaited Album, and President Trump
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RIHANNA is ready. First she moved our interview from Thursday to Wednesday. Then from evening to afternoon. When I get word of this latest change, on a slick and humid August day in Los Angeles, I have just enough time to shower and get to the Hotel Bel-Air.
Waiting for Rihanna is practically a journalistic genre all its own. That the Barbadian superstar is now running ahead of schedule seems evidence of her new life as global fashion mogul. Only three and a half years have passed since she presented her first Fenty x Puma collection at New York Fashion Week, a vision of gothleisure delivered to a clamoring world ("if the Addams Family went to the gym" was how she put it). At the time, design was something she was trying on; over the following year, Puma's profits rose by 92 percent.
Since then the 31-year-old has done nothing less than upend the beauty and lingerie industries. In 2017 Fenty Beauty introduced 40 shades of foundation in a business where a dozen was the norm—making a reported $100 million in the first 40 days and nearly $600 million in the first year. Dior, CoverGirl, and Revlon quickly followed, establishing a 40-shade standard now known as "the Fenty effect." (Rihanna upped the ante again this summer with a hydrating foundation in 50 shades, writing on Instagram, "When the foundation takeova ain't ova!") In 2018 she unveiled Savage X Fenty, an intimates line available in many sizes and shades of "nude." (The brand just secured a reported $50 million in new funding.)
Now Rihanna is reimagining fashion at the highest levels. Fenty maison, the Paris-based line she founded with LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton and announced this spring, makes Rihanna the first woman to create a brand for LVMH and the first black woman to lead a major luxury fashion house. According to Forbes, it has also made her the wealthiest female musician in the world.
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"Robyn." Jay said as I walked into his office.
"Shawn." I said as I hugged him then took a seat across from him.
"You know why I called you here?" He asked.
"To dig into my personal life." I answered.
"You know I'm just looking out for you, Rih." He said.
I sighed.
"I know, Jay, but can you at least wait until I come to you and tell you before you start doing investigation on the guy, I'm dating." I said.
He chuckled.
"Nah, I wouldn't be your big brother if I didn't do it." He said.
