Rihanna is set to receive the President’s Award at the NAACP Image Awards this month.
The ‘Work’ hitmaker will be honoured with the top accolade at the 2020 NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People) Awards on February 22, the organisation announced on Tuesday.
Rihanna will be awarded for her “groundbreaking career as an artist and musician, but (someone who) has also distinguished herself as a stellar public servant.”
The 31-year-old singer and fashion icon will be given the trophy during the February 22 ceremony, which will be held in Pasadena, California, and broadcast live for the first time on BET.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson said Rihanna “epitomises the type of character, grace and devotion to justice” that the organisation seeks to highlight.
Rihanna joins previous recipients including Jay-Z, Muhammad Ali, Jesse Jackson and Condoleezza Rice.
The ‘Umbrella’ singer has been growing her Fenty Beauty brand for several years, but has been leaving fans desperate to hear new music, as she hasn’t put out a studio album since 2016’s ‘Anti’.
Rihanna recently asked her loved ones to “forgive” her as she’s thrown herself into so many different ventures, including her Fenty Beauty business, over the past 12 months, she’s had very little free time to make contact with those who matter most to her.
She shared a selfie and wrote alongside the picture on Instagram: “To all my friends/family/coworkers who I have yet to get back to in the past months…please forgive me.
“This year has been quite an overwhelming one, and I’m working on that ish called Balance. Brb.(sic)”
And the singer also admitted having children is one of her “dreams”.
She said: “A lot of woman get very defensive. It’s personal, it’s our bodies, and of course it’s our time, and it’s not necessarily everyone’s dream to be a mom … but it’s mine, so I’m fine.”
