LOS ANGELES: Singer and businesswoman Rihanna has been Barbados’ 11th national hero by the nation’s Prime Minister Mia Mottley as the country celebrated becoming a republic for the first time in history.
“Ambassador Robyn Rihanna Fenty has given service to Barbados which has been exemplified by visionary and pioneering leadership,” Prime Minister Mottley said during the Monday night ceremony. The 33-year-old “Umbrella” singer accepted the honor wearing an orange floor-length Bottega Veneta gownand wore her hair in several large braids.
“May you continue to shine like a diamond and bring honor to your nation,” Prime Minister Mottley added using lyrics from the singer’s 2012 single “Diamonds.” Yesterday, the singer was honored in a separate ceremony where she received a large medal emblazoned with the outline of Barbados and blew a kiss to the cheering crowd.
“This is a day that I will never, ever forget. It’s also a day that I never saw coming,” she said in a brief speech in which she encouraged the youth to continue pushing Barbados forward. “I have traveled the world and received several awards and recognitions, but nothing, nothing compares to being recognized in the soil that you grew in.”
Several leaders and dignitaries attended the ceremony, including Prince Charles, who Rihanna greeted after she was called on the stage with Mottley.
