Just like Adele and Beyonce, Rihanna is one of those celebrities where we don't need to know their last name to know exactly who they are. Rihanna celebrated fifteen years of her career in music in 2020 and it's safe to say that her career has gone from strength to strength ever since her first single 'Pon De Replay'.

Not only is she a singer, but Rihanna has also branched out into various other industries, including beauty, skincare, fashion, and acting. However, one lesser-known fact about the singer is the industry that she went into prior to becoming famous; which was being in the army cadets.

Rihanna Is Known For Her Iconic Fashion And Bold Attitude

Rihanna has become a very successful singer and business owner and seems to have been a very big hit with fans since the release of her first single. Over the years, she has managed to amass an impressive fourteen number-one hit singles, including 'We Found Love', 'Umbrella', and 'Diamonds'.

She released her first single at seventeen years old and this went straight to number two in the charts; something that many seventeen-year-olds who are aspiring singers could only ever dream of.

Since then, she has gone on to win an impressive nine Grammy Awards, has been named the top-selling digital artist of all time, and in 2023 achieved something that is one of the biggest honors any music artist could have bestowed upon them, which was to perform at the Superbowl Halftime show.

Alongside her singing, more recently, Rihanna has branched out into the world of business, with her main focus being on her own brand, Fenty. She launched the brand in 2017 and has gone on to launch beauty, skincare, and clothing ranges; and with a rumored haircare launch on the way, her brand is currently really thriving.

To be doing so many different things at the same time requires a lot of strength and discipline and many might wonder how Rihanna finds the time and ability to do all the things she does.

Could her time in the army cadets be the possible cause behind the discipline she has to do multiple business ventures?

Rihanna Was A Rule Breaker In The Barbados Army Cadets Program

While it may come as a surprise to some, before she became famous, Rihanna was an army cadet in one of their sub-military programs in her home country of Barbados. Over time this may have given her the discipline she has today, but this wasn't always the case.

However, whilst the army is known for providing discipline and lots of instruction to those within it, it seems that during Rihanna's time as an army cadet, she wasn't best known for following the rules.

Rihanna's drill sergeant was Shontelle Layne, another famous Barbados singer, and she told the BBC in an interview that one of the punishments was to do push-ups; and even hinted that she had to put Rihanna through her paces due to various issues.

In the interview, Layne stated that one of the times they would make the cadets do push-ups was if they showed up to the parade square late; very much suggesting this was one of the things that Rihanna would get in trouble over.

Rihanna herself has spoken about her time in the army cadets and said that she was purposely disruptive and would refuse to do push-ups whenever she was punished for anything.

Despite this, Rihanna also stated in the same interview that even at eleven years old, she was aware that she would have to break the rules in order to be able to enjoy the discipline she got. This shows in Rihanna now, due to her many business ventures and the discipline she has to keep those running.

Rihanna Is Putting Out New Music On Her Own Time

With multiple business ventures constantly on the go, it's any wonder that Rihanna manages to get anything done.

In May 2022, Rihanna and her partner A$AP Rocky welcomed their first child, a baby boy, into the world, and just under a year later at her Superbowl Halftime performance, Rihanna also announced that she was pregnant with her second child.

It certainly seems like family is the main thing on RiRi's mind right now, particularly as she hasn't released an album since she released 'Anti' in 2016. Even though she released her song 'Lift Me Up' in 2022 for the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, there has been no other new music since then.

Prior to her Superbowl performance, she did an interview with Vogue and said that she would love to create new music soon. However, back in 2018, she said fans could expect a new album in 2019, and given that never happened, plus with having a second baby on the way, maybe fans will have to wait a little while longer for that.