Rihanna may not be a U.S. citizen, but that does not stop her from encouraging her fans to vote.
The Grammy Award-winning artist took to Instagram on Monday with a message to her fans to make their votes count, especially since she isn’t able to. “Me trying to sneak into the polls with my son’s passport,” the singer joked as she’s seen riding around in the Nov. 4 reel. She followed the message with the hashtag #votecauseicant.
“When protecting p—ies and firing p—ies can happen all in one vote,” Rihanna captioned her reel, which included the hashtag #TanSuitSeason, a nod to her support for Vice President Kamala Harris, who wore a tan suit at the Democratic National Convention, to mimic former President Barack Obama, who sparked outrage among Republicans after he flaunted his tan fit at a press conference 10 years ago. According to MSNBC, the attire was deemed “unprofessional” and indicated Obama’s “lack of seriousness.”
Rihanna’s post surprised some fans who recently learned the “Where Have You Been” artist isn’t a U.S. citizen. The mother of two was born in Bridgetown, St. Michael, Barbados. According to Visit Barbados, after meeting New York producer Evan Rogers, who was visiting her hometown on vacation, he arranged a meeting for her in New York, which led to her emigrating to the U.S. at age 16 and signing with Def Jam in January 2005.
The “Lift Me Up” artist has used her platform before to assert her stance during election season. In 2018, Rihanna vocalized the importance of voting to her fans. “It’s ELECTION DAY America!!! The Barbadian singer stated. “The most important day for the rest of your lives…If you’re tired of complaining about the state of the country and government, get up and do something about it!” The Savage X Fenty founder clapped back at a fan who questioned if she is “even a U.S. citizen,” in which she responded, “I’m an immigrant tryna get yo country together.”
Rihanna continues to stand her ground against commenters who oppose her political opinions. The singer has already fired back at some social media users who responded to Monday’s post. “Shut up, Karen,” she told one user who wrote, “Illegal voting is a crime. Maybe she should be arrested for trying.” Another user challenged Rihanna’s post and stated, “That attitude is why we want to make America [great] again. You want to cheat to win. So disappointing.” The “Diamonds” singer responded, “When y’all stop burning ballot boxes, come check me.”
A third comment read, “The people who are against having a secure border are essentially saying it’s okay to break a window & enter in that way…This is exactly why celebrities shouldn’t be posting their political opinions. How are you gonna misguide your fans? Stick to music, sis.” The billionaire entrepreneur told the user, “Stick to your discounted crotch. We out here fighting for its rights!”
In 2018, Rihanna demanded former President Donald Trump cease playing her music after she learned her track “Please Don’t Stop the Music” was playing at one of his rallies in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
“Me nor my people would ever be at or around one of those tragic rallies,” NBC News reported she said at the time as she endorsed Democratic candidate for Governor of Florida, Andrew Gillum.
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