By naming her newborn son after a former rival, Rihanna shocks the world, but the significance of her choice leaves everyone stunned.
International music superstar Rihanna shocked the entertainment industry by naming her newborn son after a former rival who used to be her biggest rival in the business. Not many saw this coming. As usual, Rihanna has a deeper, poetic twist to the story, but the discovery, which was confirmed earlier this week, has made headlines and sparked considerable discussion about what it truly means.
It’s called “Chrislyn.” Combining her long-rumored rival’s first name in a potent way with a subtle gesture to elegance, resiliency, and—as Rihanna herself puts it— “a life journey that no one but he will ever fully understand.”
Throughout the early 2010s, when chart-topping singles were as much about musical domination as they were about image, message, and cultural influence, fans and the media were captivated by Rihanna’s complex relationships with other musicians. No one thought she would ever honor that period of her life with something so holy — her child’s name — even if many believed her most well-known rivalries were over.
Fans have wildly conjectured that the moniker may be related to a certain pop singer who ruled the same era — someone whose name begins with “Chris” and with whom Rihanna has a notoriously complicated past — even though Rihanna has not identified the precise rival who inspired it. But Rihanna decided to embrace the mystery rather than deny or confirm.
In a rare and poignant interview on “The Heart of Icons,” Rihanna talked candidly about the choice, clearly moved as she talked about her son’s name and the journey she took to come up with it.
“It’s more than just a name to me,” Rihanna remarked. It serves as a reflection of tenacity. It’s how we are pushed, twisted, and then reconstructed by life. Even before he breathed his first breath, this child has walked through fire with me.
Rihanna disclosed that she experienced a number of profoundly personal changes during her pregnancy, including changes in her physical, mental, and spiritual makeup. She claims that the name “Chrislyn” is a statement of her son’s destiny as well as an homage to her background.
