Why did Rihanna leave Barbados? Singer's troubled childhood explored

Robyn Rihanna Fenty, professionally known as Rihanna was born on 20 February 1988 in Saint Michael, Barbados. She is a nine-time Grammy Award winner, a beauty mogul, an actress, and a fashion icon. The Umbrella singer is also the world's richest female musician, with a net worth of $1.4 billion.

However, Rihanna has previously talked about a difficult childhood in Barbados and relocated to Connecticut in 2005 when she was 16. She has chalked up her relocation to growing up in an abusive home and the dream to make music.

Rihanna's big break came when she was introduced to record producer Evan Rogers by her friends in 2003. She auditioned while Evan was on vacation in Barbados. In an old interview with E!, Evan noted,

"The minute Rihanna walked into the room, it was like the other two girls didn't exist."

Rihanna moved out of Barbados and started living with Rogers and his wife to work on her demo album, which also included her viral hit, Pon de Replay.

Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4 presented by Prime Video - Step & Repeat. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Imagesfor Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4 presented by Prime Video)

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Did Rihanna have a difficult childhood in Barbados?

RiRi Launch Event. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

Rihanna has many feathers in her cap, including being the richest female musician on the planet. However, the Where Have You Been singer's journey has not been a smooth sailing one. Rihanna's childhood home is located in the then-Westbury New Road in Barbados. She had a humble upbringing and told the Caribbean Journal,

“I was just a little island girl riding bikes, running around barefoot and flying kits in the cemetery, but I had big dreams. Dreams that were born and realized right here.”

To honor her journey, the Barbados government changed the name of Westbury New Road to Rihanna Drive. However, the singer and actress grew up in a volatile environment since her father had drinking problems. In an interview with Rolling Stone in 2011, Rihanna revealed,

"Fridays would be scary because he would come home drunk."

She added,

"He'd get paid, and half of it would go toward alcohol. He'd walk in the door, and it was all eyes on him."

The Diamonds singer also disclosed that once he had also "slapped" her mother saw "how traumatized" she was. In an interview with ABC News in 2009, Rihanna revealed that she grew up witnessing domestic violence at her home. She reported that her parents had an "abusive relationship" and that her father had "hit her" mom on "numerous accounts." She revealed that it was not "normal" but added,

"It wasn't a surprise when it happened. She never went to the hospital. ... He broke her nose one time. So she would never go to the hospital. Domestic violence is not something that people want anybody to know."

In a conversation with Oprah Winfrey on Oprah's Next Chapter in 2013, Rihanna disclosed that her father's "addiction" ultimately led to her parents' divorce. RiRi hasn't looked back after leaving Barbados and has continued to build a music and business empire. In a 2007 interview with Entertainment Weekly she said,

”I wanted to do what I had to do [to succeed], even if it meant moving to America.”

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Even after experiencing a troubled childhood in Barbados, Rihanna has become one of the greatest musicians in the world. After the success of her beauty business, Fenty Beauty, she has amassed massive success and following. She is also a philanthropist and created The Believe Foundation in 2006 to help terminally ill children.