Entertainment
Rihanna Emerges World’s Richest Female Musician, Beats Beyonce, Madonna
Singer, makeup entrepreneur, lingerie designer and now the first black woman to head a top luxury fashion house — Rihanna has racked up a $600 million fortune to become the world’s richest female musician, Forbes said Tuesday.
The 31-year-old — born Robyn Rihanna Fenty in Barbados — has amassed wealth exceeding that of Madonna ($570 million), Celine Dion ($450 million) and Beyonce ($400 million), whose husband Jay-Z was just named the world’s first billionaire rap star.
Rihanna’s ranking puts into fresh perspective one of her signature lyrics — “work, work, work, work, work,” which opened her 2016 dancehall smash “Work.”
Since bursting onto the scene in 2003, she has spun her triumphs in music into entrepreneurial gold, launching her makeup brand Fenty Beauty — co-owned by French luxury giant LVMH — in September 2017 online and with Sephora.
The line found success not least thanks to Rihanna’s fame both on and offline, with some $570 million in revenue last year after just 15 months of business.
She makes the majority of her money from touring and musical releases, according to Forbes, but also co-owns her Savage X Fenty lingerie line.
In May, Rihanna launched a groundbreaking partnership with LVMH to launch a luxury fashion brand based in Paris that will make ready-to-wear clothes, shoes and accessories.
A new large-scale luxury label — especially one led by a black woman — is a huge development in the fashion world, with Rihanna’s line Fenty sitting alongside legacy brands like Dior, Louis Vuitton, Fendi and Givenchy at the conglomerate headed by Bernard Arnault.
“I just want to see things from my perspective. I’m a young black woman who loves and embraces all of the young people’s ideas and energies — I’m so about that,” she told AFP in Paris recently.
“It is about turning all of that into something luxurious for this fashion house.”
The singer’s explosive rise to music mega-star and global fashion icon did not come without tribulations, including her father’s bids to profit off her name and a highly publicized domestic violence case that saw her then-boyfriend Chris Brown charged in 2009 with assaulting her.
In addition to her venture into luxury fashion, Rihanna has hinted at dropping a new reggae album this year.
“I never thought I’d make this much money, so a number is not going to stop me from working,” she told The New York Times’ T Magazine in May.
“Money is happening along the way, but I’m working out of what I love to do, what I’m passionate about.”
(AFP)
Nigerian Afrobeats star, Tiwa Savage, has unveiled a new initiative aimed at nurturing emerging African creatives, announcing the launch of the Tiwa Savage Music Foundation and a landmark partnership that will bring the prestigious Berklee College of Music to Lagos for the first time.
The 46-year-old singer announced on her social media platform on Wednesday, declaring, “After years of building globally… It’s time to build at home.”
She introduced Tiwa Savage Music Foundation as “a new initiative dedicated to empowering emerging African creatives through access, mentorship and world-class music education,” adding that, “For the first time ever, Berklee comes to Lagos with the Tiwa Savage Intensive Music Programme empowering Africa’s next generation of talent.”
Berklee College of Music, based in Boston, Massachusetts, is the world’s largest independent college of contemporary music, renowned for its programmes in jazz, modern American music, and a broad range of genres including rock, hip hop, reggae and more.
In an interview with CNN, the “Ma Lo” singer explained that while Afrobeats has gained global prominence, the industry requires more structural support to remain sustainable.
“Afrobeats has captured the world’s attention, but attention alone is not enough to sustain an industry. Talent is universal — but access is not,” she said.
According to CNN, the Tiwa Savage Music Foundation is designed to bridge that access gap.
Beyond supporting vocalists and performers, the foundation will also focus on producers, composers, sound engineers and music business professionals — areas Savage considers critical to building a durable creative economy across Africa.
The foundation’s first major project, tagged Berklee in Nigeria: Tiwa Savage Intensive Music Programme, will see Berklee faculty travel to Lagos from April 23 to 26, 2026, to host a fully funded four-day training for 100 emerging Nigerian music creators.
The programme marks Berklee’s first-ever event in West Africa.
Savage underscored the impact of short, focused training, saying, “You’d be surprised how much you can learn in four days. It gives you a taste of what’s possible and exposes you to parts of music you may not even realise you’re drawn to.”
With the launch of the Tiwa Savage Music Foundation and the forthcoming intensive programme in Lagos, the award-winning singer is now seeking to extend that same opportunity to the next generation — shifting from building global acclaim to building sustainable structures at home.
The Lagos State Police Command has commenced investigation into the death of two members of a film production crew whose lifeless bodies were found inside a parked vehicle at a movie set in the Lekki Phase 1 area of Lagos State.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, disclosed that the incident occurred on Saturday at a filming location within the premises of Evercare Hospital, which was being used for a movie shoot in Lekki.
Police identified the victims as Ekemini Imeh, fondly called Gee Tee, and his colleague, Ayodeji Walter Odediran.
Reports said the two crew members arrived early at the location to install lighting equipment ahead of the day’s filming.
After completing their task, they reportedly went into a Nissan vehicle on the premises to rest.
A member of the production team was said to have later brought food to them in the vehicle.
However, as activities continued on the set, repeated attempts by colleagues to reach them by phone were unsuccessful. Their bodies were eventually found inside the car after filming ended for the day.
Adebisi said the case was first reported at the Maroko Police Station and subsequently transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department Panti for a detailed investigation.
The police spokesperson added that autopsy and toxicology examinations have been ordered to establish the cause of death.
The incident comes shortly after the death of gospel singer Matthew Ogundele and three members of his crew, who were found dead in a music studio in the Ajah area of Lagos.
Entertainment
Glo Fetes Subscribers with Lavish Discounts, Free Data, Others on Valentine Smartphone Promo
As February unfurls its tender blossoms and love lingers sweetly in the air, Globacom has unveiled a Valentine Smartphone Celebration designed to delight its subscribers with irresistible discounts and generous data rewards.
The seasonal offering, which commenced on 9 February and concludes on 16 February 2026, brings together elegance, innovation and exceptional value in one thoughtfully curated bouquet.
At the heart of the promotion are remarkable price reductions on a selection of premium Samsung devices, including the Samsung Galaxy A56 5G, Samsung Galaxy A36 5G, Samsung Galaxy A26 5G, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Samsung Galaxy A07.
Customers, who purchase any of these devices will receive a complimentary travel charger and protective pouch, alongside up to 18GB of bonus data spread over six months redeemable exclusively on the Glo network.
The celebration extends beyond Samsung. A range of attractively priced Tecno smartphones and selected Infinix models are also available, ensuring that customers may choose devices suited to their tastes, ambitions and budgets. Whether one seeks sleek sophistication, robust performance or cutting-edge features, the promotion offers something for every digital romantic.
Globacom describes the initiative as a reflection of its enduring commitment to customer centricity and digital empowerment. The carefully selected smartphones are renowned for their advanced technology, refined design and dependable functionality qualities that mirror the company’s aspiration to provide not merely connectivity, but meaningful connection.
The telecom giant enthuses, “Valentine’s season is about bringing people closer. There is no finer expression of that closeness than a smartphone that complements your lifestyle and aspirations. This promotion enables our customers to acquire their dream devices at some of the most competitive prices of the year, enhanced by generous data bonuses to keep conversations flowing.”
Indeed, in a season defined by affection and thoughtful gestures, Globacom’s offering stands as a modern love letter to its subscribers—an invitation to speak, share and stream without restraint. Customers are warmly encouraged to visit Gloworld outlets nationwide, to partake in the Valentine Smartphone Celebration, while stocks last.
