2023 has been a great year for Rihanna, who welcomed her second child and reprised her role as the creative director of PUMA within recent months.
Recently, Madame Tussauds Hong Kong unveiled a wax figure of the songstress. The sculpture recreated RiRi’s 2020 look from New York Fashion Week, where she celebrated her Fenty Skin line being stocked at Bergdorf Goodman. She styled an orange sweater dress with a matching trench coat on top. To finish the ensemble, the “Needed Me” hitmaker wore a pair of metallic boots and gold chains.
Mr. Wade Chang, the general manager of Midway Hong Kong, Merlin Entertainments, shared, “Rihanna is an incredibly captivating artist, and through the introduction of her wax figure, we aim to convey her spirit of constant breakthroughs and unwavering determination. We hope that every guest visiting Madame Tussauds Hong Kong will create unforgettable memories from their experience.”
Today (Dec. 27), PopBase tweeted about the effigy, which sent social media into a frenzy, considering this year’s infamously botched celebrity statues. “The first wax figure of a Black person that [I’ve] seen be 100 [percent] accurate,” shared one user. Another exclaimed, “Madame Tussauds does it again! Excited to see the new Rihanna wax figure. A stunning tribute to an iconic artist.”
Elsewhere, one person joked, “At this point, I think the wax figure would release new music before Rihanna herself does.”
Notably, the singer hasn’t put out an album since 2016’s ANTI. The LP spawned hit records like the SZA-assisted “Consideration,” “Kiss It Better,” “Work” featuring Drake, and “Needed Me.” Anticipation for her next project has only increased with Rihanna’s fashion and beauty ventures, as well as motherhood, taking a front seat.
In 2022, she put out “Lift Me Up” from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. Before that, RiRi and Drake teamed up for N.E.R.D’s “Lemon (Remix)” in 2018.