Newsroom
It wasn’t Rihanna who took the stage in Cyprus on May 16, but for over 2,000 fans at EATmosphere in Nicosia, it might as well have been.
Rose Cohen, the Brazilian-born performer dubbed Rihanna’s official international impersonator, delivered a high-octane, Super Bowl-style concert that left the crowd stunned by her uncanny resemblance to the pop icon. It marked her first performance on the island and was widely celebrated as one of the standout events of the Cypriot summer.
Cohen, 36, began her impersonation career in 2009 after being discovered by a Brazilian talent agency. In 2014, a performance in front of Rihanna’s own team catapulted her to international recognition. She has since toured extensively across Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Her popularity continues to surge online, with more than 700,000 followers and 7 million likes across Instagram and TikTok. Fans frequently comment on her striking likeness to Rihanna, often mistaking her for the singer.
In an exclusive interview with local journalist Tasos Evangelou, Cohen revealed that she has not undergone plastic surgery and doesn’t believe she’s an exact copy of the star, despite regularly being mistaken for her.
“People believe I am Rihanna,” she said. “The most extreme fan reaction is when they ask me if I’m really her.”
Rihanna, who hasn’t toured since her 2016 Anti World Tour, has made only sporadic appearances in recent years, most notably at the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show. With no official tour or album release date in sight, fans hungry for a live experience are increasingly turning to Cohen’s shows.
Her Cyprus performance not only gave fans a taste of Rihanna’s greatest hits, but also a rare opportunity to connect with the artist’s image, through a performer who has made embodying her an art form.
