Rihanna, Queen of Summer Vibes, is the perfect Vogue cover star for June. She gave a candid interview in the issue, out Thursday, where she talked about everything from her upcoming lingerie line, Savage x Fenty, to her complicated friendship with Drake.
In the interview, she also talked about the smash success of Fenty Beauty, saying that having a diverse range of shades — something that Fenty shook up the beauty world with this past year — came naturally as a black woman. Even though fans may be giving Rihanna a hard time about putting out new music, this past year (and the rest of 2018) will be huge for the singer. She’s co-hosting the Met Gala, starring as a badass computer hacker in Ocean’s 8, and running a hugely successful beauty brand.
Below are our six favorite things we learned about @balgalriri, but let’s be real, we’ll soak up any Rihanna knowledge eagerly. Read the interview in full here.
First things first, yes she’s in a relationship:
“Right now, she’s in a relationship. ‘I used to feel guilty about taking personal time,’ she says, ‘but I also think I never met someone who was worth it before.’ Though she’s reluctant to talk about her partner by name, rumors have been swirling around her connection to Hassan Jameel, a young Saudi businessman…”
She’s not exactly friends with Drake:
“When I ask about the current state of their friendship, her attitude is sanguine. ‘We don’t have a friendship now, but we’re not enemies either. It is what it is.'”
The mission statement of Savage x Fenty was inspired by “Needed Me”:
“Savage is really about taking complete ownership of how you feel and the choices you make. Basically making sure everybody knows the ball is in your court,” she says…”As women, we’re looked at as the needy ones, the naggy ones, the ones who are going to be heartbroken in a relationship. Savage is just the reverse.”
She turned 30 in March and feels like she’s in a good place:
“Even mentally, just to be away from my phone, to be in the moment, that has been key for my growth,” she says. “Now, when I come to work, I’m all in. Because before you know it, the years will go by. I’m glad I’m taking the time. I’m happy.”
The inclusivity of Fenty Beauty came naturally:
“As a black woman, I could not live with myself if I didn’t do that,” she says. “But what I didn’t anticipate was the way people would get emotional about finding their complexion on the shelf, that this would be a groundbreaking moment.”
On body positivity in spite of internet trolls:
“You’ve just got to laugh at yourself, honestly. I mean, I know when I’m having a fat day and when I’ve lost weight. I accept all of the bodies,” she says… “I’m not built like a Victoria’s Secret girl, and I still feel very beautiful and confident in my lingerie.”