It appears that a large portion of the global audience has been mispronouncing Rihanna’s name, but Jenna Ortega stepped in to set the record straight.
I practically grew up with her music. I still remember when she debuted with ‘Pon de Replay’ when I was just eight. Now at 36, she’s still a prominent figure in the music industry.
Despite this, many have been getting her name wrong.
Her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad, was released two years after her debut, featuring the chart-topping hit ‘Umbrella’ when Rihanna was only 19.
Rihanna has continued to release hit after hit, becoming a household name.
So, it must be frustrating to hear her name mispronounced so often!
The common mispronunciation of ‘Ree-awh-na’ is incorrect.
Fortunately, Jenna Ortega recently enlightened people at the Golden Globes by pronouncing Rihanna’s name correctly.
During the awards ceremony in January, Ortega presented the Best Song in a Motion Picture category, mentioning artists like Taylor Swift and Rihanna, whose song ‘Lift Me Up’ from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was nominated.
“I’m gonna get to original song in a minute, we got artists like Taylor Swift and Rihanna competing for that award,” Ortega announced.
“I know, I’m very excited.”
A TikTok user, @sugeneshin_, noticed Ortega’s correct pronunciation of Rihanna’s name and shared their surprise on the platform.
This revelation led many fans to realize they had been pronouncing the singer’s name wrong.
It turns out that the correct pronunciation is Ree-an-nah, not Ree-awh-na as some believed.
Fenty Beauty, Rihanna’s beauty brand, appreciated Ortega’s accuracy, commenting, “Miss Wednesday understood the assignment” on a video.
Many were surprised to learn they had been pronouncing it incorrectly, with comments such as, “I’ve been pronouncing it wrong my whole life?!??”
Others, however, felt confident they had been saying it right, while some noted that pronunciation can vary depending on geographic location.
Several British fans mentioned they have always pronounced it correctly, aligning with how Jenna said it.
Rihanna has confirmed the right way to pronounce her name, telling Showbiz Tonight that it’s Ree-an-nah.