Rihanna Reveals Beyoncé’s Career Advice in 2006 Throwback Video (Exclusive)

In just a few days, Rihanna, 34, is headlining the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show!

The hitmaker has come a long way since being discovered at the age of 16.

Thanks to her hits like “Umbrella,” “Diamonds,” “We Found Love,” and “Stay,” RiRi has become a well-known face — and voice — in the music industry, winning nine Grammys.

“Extra” met Rihanna for the first time in 2006, when she was making waves with her hit song “Pon de Replay.”

The then 18-year-old shared, “When ‘Pon de Replay’ got on radio, I just was out there on promotional tour… I had to grow a lot… I had to adapt really quickly.”

As for how she got discovered, RiRi said, “I was just a normal girl, growing up in school, and then I met a producer one day by the name of Evan Rogers. We recorded a demo, we sent it to a few labels and Def Jam was the first to call back, so we had to go meet JAY-Z. He was impressed by the audition and seeing me, and that’s where it all began.”

Rihanna also raved about JAY-Z’s special lady Beyoncé. She said, “I love her… She actually wrote me this cute little letter and she signed it with her autograph. It was so cute.”

Recalling the first time she met Beyoncé, Rihanna said, “She was telling me, ‘Just let loose when you perform and just have fun and be in control.’”