We’re flashing back to when an 18-year-old Rihanna took the stage at the 2006 Brut Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.  

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Armando Vela
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Since 1935, The Sun Bowl has been hosting college football bowl games in El Paso, the second-oldest bowl game in the country, next to the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl.  

For 87 years, the annual bowl has seen exciting college football matchups. It has also gone through various presenting sponsors, which include John Hancock FinancialNorwest CorporationWells FargoHelen of Troy Limited (using the Vitalis and Brut brands to represent), the Hyundai Motor Company, and most recently sponsored by Kellogg's and is officially known as the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. 

Hyundai Sun Bowl - Notre Dame v Miami
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Over the years, the annual Sun Bowl game has also hosted a slew of performers from marching bands, country acts, rock bands, and of course, pop stars such as the Barbados beauty Rihanna. 

And in 2006, during the cusp of her worldwide fame and first headlining tour, 18-year-old Rihanna was featured as the half-time performer at the Brut Sun Bowl, where the Oregon State Beavers of the Pac-10 won by one point, taking on the Missouri Tigers of the Big 12 Conference. 

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Armando Vela
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A year prior, in 2005, Rihanna had just released her debut album, Music of the Sun, featuring the hit single, Pon de Replay and less than a year later she dropped her second studio album, A Girl Like Me, featuring singles, SOS, Unfaithful and Break It Off.  

Wearing a gold mini skirt and a long-sleeved black shirt, Rihanna shined on stage at the Sun Bowl accompanied by a group of backup dancers. 

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Armando Vela
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Sixteen years later, Rihanna has not only dominated the music industry selling over 250 million records worldwide but has also crossed over into films starring in movies such as Battleship (2012), based on the Hasbro game, and Ocean’s 8 (2018), starring alongside an all-female cast that included heavyweights Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, and Anne Hathaway. 

"Ocean's 8" World Premiere
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Rihanna hasn’t stopped there because her entrepreneurial spirit has led her to create the successful Fenty brand, including her beauty and fashion line Savage X. 

Her talent, sacrifice, and hard work have paid off, and as of 2022, Rihanna was named the wealthiest female musician, with an estimated net worth of $1.4 billion by Forbes magazine.  

Fenty Beauty By Rihanna Anniversary Event
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Today the 34-year-old pop and fashion icon is not only a business mogul but also a first-time mom welcoming her first child, a baby boy, with rapper boyfriend ASAP Rocky on May 13, 2022.   

Rihanna has come a long way since her appearance on stage at the Brut Sun Bowl sixteen years ago, and we can’t wait to see what else she dreams up in the future.  

Rihanna Celebrates Her Beauty Brands Fenty Beauty And Fenty Skin
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For now, the superstar is focusing on being a mother and running her business’ while fans anxiously await the release of her new studio album, which has yet to be released.  

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