Rihanna reveals Pharrell Williams named her son ‘thinking it was going to be a girl’

“A big mistake but totally carefree.”

“He had seen something online,” Rihanna said of the “Happy” singer.

Pharrell Williams and Rihanna in 2016. Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty

O na na — what’s his name?

Rihanna revealed that her second-born son received his name, Riot, from a surprising source: Pharrell Williams. “He gave us this name thinking it was going to be a girl, because he had seen something online,” the singer said in a Harper’s Bazaar interview. “Pharrell is very deep. He’s not surface. He will never say anything and just leave it there with a full stop. He will have the entire history: the energy, the time, the month that it is.”

Williams’ suggested name has a connection to her family’s music. A$AP Rocky — who has been partnered with Rihanna since 2020 and is the father of both of her children — collaborated with Williams on the track “Riot (Rowdy Pipe’n),” which seemingly alludes to his relationship with Rihanna (who he calls his “wife” in the song).

The track was released in July 2023, less than a month before Riot was born, and is expected to be part of the rapper’s forthcoming fourth album Don’t Be Dumb.

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Rihanna had previously discussed the inspiration behind her secondborn’s name, but only explained his middle name, Rose. “Not everyone knows this, but Rocky loves flowers — he loves having fresh flowers in the house, he loves decorating with flowers, and he even had real flowers in his grill once,” she told Entertainment Tonight in 2023.

Riot isn’t the first child whose name overlaps with one of Williams’ songs. The singer-producer named his song “Rocket’s Theme” from Despicable Me after his own son, Riot, who was born in 2008.

Williams previously featured Rihanna on his 2017 song “Lemon” with his group N.E.R.D.

ASAP Rocky and Rihanna with their son, RZA.ASAP Rocky Instagram

Elsewhere in the Harper’s interview, Rihanna discussed her kids’ personalities. “RZA is just an empath,” she said of her eldest son. “He’s so magical. He loves music. He loves melody. He loves books. He loves water. Bath time, swimming, pool, beach, anything.”

The singer said that her youngest son is more rambunctious. “Riot, he’s just hilarious,” she said. “When he wakes up, he starts to squeal, scream. Not in a crying way. He just wants to sing. And I’m like, ‘Okay, here we go!’ He’s my alarm in the morning! He’s not taking no for an answer from anyone. I don’t know where he came from, dude.”

Rihanna also described her partner’s parenting style. “I’m annoyed because my sons sometimes just live for him more than they live for me,” she said of Rocky. “And I’m like, ‘Did you know who cooked you? Do you know who pushed you out?’ And they love him, but when I see it, oh, it’s the best.”

Rihanna has not released a new studio album since 2016’s Anti. She’s set to contribute new music to the soundtrack for the upcoming animated Smurfs movie, in which she’ll also voice Smurfette. The film is scheduled to hit theaters on July 18.