Rihanna

With so many women, I’ll like how one dresses, I’ll like how one expresses herself, I’ll like the performance style of another. But with Rihanna, I admire every aspect — as a woman, as a businessperson, as a singer, where she comes from, representing Barbados, where she’s gotten with her talent. We’ve heard her do the richest, clubbiest music and the most melancholy sounds, songs that are extremely profound, peak collaborations, historic feats. In this industry, it’s really easy to lose yourself. I see her standing by her style and what she likes. She inspires you to feel great without worrying about what people around you say.

The first song of hers that made me go “Who is she, and where did she come from?” was “Pon de Replay.” Later, she released songs like “Umbrella,” and that’s when I started to feel inspired. I read interviews she did explaining her culture and roots, and I felt like, “OK, I come from Medellín, Colombia — maybe I can do it, too.”

When you say, “What does Rihanna sing?” You can’t say, “Oh, she does pop.” She’s a singer making music for everyone. She’s involved in racial justice, in the LGBTQ community, in how women should love themselves however they are. In her video for “Stay,” you see her in that bathtub, and I swear I can feel the vibe she’s emoting. She makes you live through it so personally. I sometimes see artists who are carefully produced — and that’s valid — but what I see in Rihanna that hits me so deep is her naturalness. Everything she does really represents her.