One woman who was constantly being mistaken for pop star Rihanna has decided to make a career of it. Andele Lara has benefited greatly due to the striking resemblance to the "Stay" singer: She has gotten into clubs for free, had drinks paid for and even scored some apparel contracts.
"The moment I step out anywhere, everyone starts staring and whispering before I get bombarded by strangers asking to take their photo with me," she told The Daily Mail. "This happens every day — it doesn't matter what I do. I can't go 24 hours without hearing Rihanna's name."
Ey yoll, meet Andele Lara... Rihanna's look alike. pic.twitter.com/UIW9BoxXcC
— ♥NELLY♥ (@PlusSizeNelly) November 19, 2014
According to the Mail, the comparisons started when Andele was 15 in 2007. Rihanna had achieved mid-level fame by then with her first two albums, 2005's Music of the Sun and 2006's A Girl Like Me. Once the singer dropped Good Girl Gone Bad and "Umbrella" blew up, people really began to notice the similarities.
"When 'Umbrella' came out, a lot more people began commenting that I looked like Rihanna," she told the Mail. "But after RiRi released her album Loud in 2010, the attention I started to receive for looking like her was undeniable. People began approaching me in the street asking if I was her and I would see photos of myself going viral on social media."
Lara has yet to meet Rih, but she hopes to one day take a selfie with the celebrity, she told the Mail.
A memo from Roc Nation leaked last month that had what looked to be a tracklist for Rihanna's follow-up to 2012's Unapologetic. According to the memo, the album spans 14 tracks and is due out Nov. 25. That has yet to be confirmed officially.
Most recently, Entertainment Tonight caught up with Rihanna, and she said the album would be out "very soon."
