Written by Staff Writer at CNN Staff Writer at CNN
She’s an international superstar, a winner of 15 Grammy Awards, producer of hit singles such as “Work” and “Love on the Brain,” international singer and now a national hero in her home country of Barbados.
On Tuesday, Queen Elizabeth II honored Rihanna, in recognition of her philanthropic work, including those focused on young people.
The singer made history earlier this year when she became the first artist to hold seven back-to-back No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 songs. She holds 20 overall career No. 1 songs and made history in 2017 by becoming the only woman in history to lead the US Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart at the same time.
Along with being a citizen of Barbados, the 30-year-old — born as Robyn Rihanna Fenty — is a Barbadian Princess. She was received with a “goodwill Colonial Governor’s Award” in 2001 and Queen Elizabeth II extended an invitation to Rihanna to visit England on September 13, 2017 — marking her Queen’s Silver Jubilee birthday. She received a “Bad Gal” award at the premiere of “Ocean’s 8” in New York in April of this year.
Rihanna will also be a part of the Barbados 50th anniversary celebration as the head of a public campaign with Sister Sister, which hopes to “bring girls and women to the forefront of rebuilding and redressing Barbados.”
The singer visited Barbados during the celebrations in 2013 and surprised young people when she visited a school, which was filmed for her YouTube channel. She has also hosted the “Young Women’s Empowerment and Education Conference” which raised awareness on issues affecting young women and girls in the country.
The singer has supported the causes around a broader African diaspora called the Global Citizen movement, with the goal of “redefining social values and conditions and turning isolation into community.”
According to CNN’s Bermudian sister network B92, Rihanna has “her eyes on the prize when it comes to change. She has a passion and vision for making a lasting impact on people’s lives. What she is doing goes beyond philanthropy. She believes in the concept of spreading her work all over the world — in fact, she calls it a “mission” and while we don’t know how she’ll accomplish this ‘mission,’ we are fully confident that she will and that her legacy will be spectacular.”