Rihanna and Beyoncé continue to give us proof that they are the most successful black female music icons ruling the world.
The two have appeared on Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women list for 2019 (ahead of Taylor Swift) as the only musicians named on the list.
31-year-old Rihanna enters the list for the first time at No. 61, while Beyoncé is at No. 66 and Swift at No. 71.
Forbes’ 100 most powerful women ranked women in six categories: business, technology, finance, media & entertainment, politics & policy, and philanthropy.
The list, which celebrates women who are using their power to create change, contained other famous faces like Oprah Winfrey, Angela Merkel, Ivanka Trump, Queen Elizabeth II, and Nancy Pelosi.
Rihanna and Beyonce, who have been racking up millions, recently grabbed top spots on Forbes’ highest-paid women in the music category.
Currently the two powerful black female musicians, this is how Forbes profiled the two female singers in its 100 most powerful women list:
Rihanna
- Pop star Rihanna has made a fortune from Fenty Beauty, the makeup brand she co-owns with luxury goods group LVMH.
- Fenty, which was founded in September 2017, generated an estimated $570 million in revenue last year.
- In May 2019 she and LVMH announced a new fashion house called Fenty, which will be based in Paris.
- She also owns Savage X Fenty lingerie line with Los Angeles-based online fashion firm TechStyle Fashion Group.
- The Barbados native overcame hardships including an abusive addict father and a well-publicized assault by Chris Brown.
Beyoncé
- Beyoncé On The Run II stadium tour with husband Jay-Z grossed roughly $5 million per night, pulling in a total of more than $250 million.
- In April 2019, the pop star released ‘Homecoming,’ a live album and Netflix special about her groundbreaking 2018 performance at Coachella.
- Also in April, Beyonce announced a new partnership with Adidas to relaunch her activewear line Ivy Park.
- Beyonce first rose to fame as the lead singer in girl-group Destiny’s Child.
- She voices the part of Nala in this summer’s ‘Lion King’ remake.
- Her husband Jay-Z is now a billionaire thanks to a variety of investments in music, art and liquor.