Rihanna gets new Met Gala-inspired waxwork at Madame Tussauds New York

Madame Tussauds has announced that Rihanna is getting a new waxwork at its museum in New York City.

The model is set to be unveiled today (February 8) in the attraction’s Glow Gala room, which is “inspired by New York’s own gala scene” and features wax versions of Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber and more.

• READ MORE: Rihanna’s Super Bowl show will be an exhilarating reminder of her all-round brilliance

Rihanna’s lookalike is based on the singer’s ensemble from the 2018 Met Gala, ‘Heavenly Bodies: Fashion And The Catholic Imagination’.

Serving as a co-chair of the event, the star donned a beaded corset minidress and matching Margiela robe at NYC’s Metropolitan Museum Of Art that year. Additionally, RiRi wore a papal bishop’s hat and crucifix necklace in a nod to the gala’s religious theme.

According to Billboard, there are numerous LED lights hidden within the new figure’s outfit.

The launch of the waxwork will come just days ahead of Rihanna making her long-awaited live return at the Super Bowl Halftime Show this Sunday (February 12).

Madame Tussauds unveiled a new Rihanna wax figure in New York, ahead of the musician's Super Bowl performance. Later this year, another figure will be unveiled at Madame Tussauds Orlando that will feature Rihanna’s half-time performance outfit from the Super Bowl pic.twitter.com/SUAGsQTKiW

— Reuters (@Reuters) February 8, 2023

Joerg Hanel, general manager of Madame Tussauds New York, said: “Rihanna is sure to make history with her upcoming live show this Sunday so the timing is perfect for us to reveal her new figure exclusively at Madame Tussauds New York where fans can admire and pose with the icon.”

Another Rihanna wax figure is due to be added to Madame Tussauds Orlando at some point later this year. That model will feature the singer’s outfit from the Super Bowl 2023.

You can see a preview of the Met Gala-inspired model in the tweet above (via Reuters).

Rihanna’s eighth and most recent studio album, ‘Anti’, came out in 2016. The artist hasn’t performed live since her appearance with DJ Khaled at the 2018 Grammy Awards.

Last year saw Rihanna release the songs ‘Lift Me Up’ and ‘Born Again’, both of which feature on the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.

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