Jamaicans eager to see Rihanna at the official launch of Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin in Jamaica on April 10 will have to wait a little longer, as the superstar will not be attending.
The confirmation came from Lyndsay McDonough, public relations officer representing Fontana Pharmacy and Fenty in Jamaica. Speaking with World Music Views, McDonough clarified, “Wanted to just let you know that Rihanna is not coming to Jamaica.” This follows a joint announcement last week stating, “We heard you, fam! @BadGalRiri is bringin’ Fenty Beauty + Fenty Skin to Jamaica!”
Addressing potential confusion, McDonough explained that while Rihanna “is bringing Fenty Beauty” to Jamaica, it “doesn’t mean she is physically carrying it.”
Fenty Beauty’s long-awaited expansion to Jamaica comes after much anticipation and fan speculation, especially since the brand’s initial Caribbean rollout notably excluded the island. While launching the brands in her home country of Barbados, Rihanna reassured Jamaican fans, saying, “We bout to tear the rest of the Caribbean up, and Jamaica I am sorry I am not there yet but I am coming your way and you gonna have something special too.”
World Music Views was the first to report that Jamaica was left out of Fenty’s Caribbean expansion in a now-viral video and article. The brand’s arrival in Jamaica extends its reach beyond locations like Lipstick Antigua, Maggy’s Aruba, John Bull in the Bahamas, and Bridgetown Duty Free in Barbados.
Despite her absence at the launch, Rihanna’s dedication to inclusion and Caribbean representation remains at the heart of her global beauty empire. The 37 year old Barbadian national hero’s last visit to the island was in 2011 at the age of 23, when she filmed the controversial music video for ‘Man Down,’ a track from her fifth studio album, Loud, in Portland.
