Album Announcement
Rihanna Promises Her Next Album Will Be “Unexpected” and Anything But Ordinary
After nearly a decade out of the solo music scene, Rihanna is teasing her long-anticipated ninth studio album—and according to the star herself, it’s going to defy all expectations. In a recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar, the Grammy-winning artist made it clear that her new music won’t follow conventional paths. “I know it’s not going to be anything that anybody expects,” she said. “And it’s not going to be commercial or radio digestible. It’s going to be where my artistry deserves to be right now.”
Putting Rumours to Rest
Since her last album, Anti, was released in 2016, fans and media have speculated about what musical direction Rihanna would take next. One popular theory was that she’d return with a reggae album. But Rihanna quickly debunked that idea.
“Way off! There’s no genre now. That’s why I waited,” she said, explaining that nothing she created during the hiatus truly felt right. “Every time, I was just like, ‘No, it’s not me. It’s not right.”
For Rihanna, the long gap between albums wasn’t about delay—it was about intention. She emphasised that her next musical chapter needed to be meaningful. “This much time away from music needs to count for the next thing everyone hears,” she said. “It has to count. I cannot put up anything mediocre. After waiting eight years, you might as well just wait some more.”
While she hasn’t given an exact release date, her tone has shifted toward readiness: “I feel like I’ve finally cracked it, girl! I’m really optimistic. This feels right.”
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Artistry, Motherhood, and Living in the Now
During her music break, Rihanna built a global beauty and fashion empire, with her Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty lines earning widespread acclaim. She also embraced motherhood, raising two sons—RZA and Riot—with rapper A$AP Rocky. In her interview, Rihanna reflected on how ageing and parenthood with A$AP Rocky have shifted her mindset. “My legacy is right now,” she said. “That’s all I have the most control over. My legacy is what I do with my time at this moment.”
Though she hasn’t released a solo album in nearly nine years, Rihanna has continued to influence pop culture. She contributed to the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack in 2022 and headlined the Super Bowl halftime show in 2023.
Now, as anticipation builds again, Rihanna is making it clear that when she does return, it won’t be to meet expectations. It will be to set a new standard.
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