Rihanna has teased her long-awaited ninth studio album in a new interview – insisting the project has to be “amazing”.
The Work singer released her most-recent LP, ‘Anti’, back in 2016, with fans hungry for new music from the superstar.
Asked about the new record at the launch of her new Fenty Beauty Soft’lit Foundation in Los Angeles, she told Extra, “It’s gonna be amazing. It has to be — that is the only reason it’s not out yet.
“If I’m not feeling it and I’m not feeling like it represents the evolution, the time I spent away. There should be a show of growth, right?”
Opening up on her ethos heading into the recording studio, the Diamonds hitmaker elaborated: “I want to play, and I feel like music is a playground, and I want to have fun with it and show truly where I am at.”
And when asked if the LP would feature any guest appearances, Rihanna insisted: “I’m not a big collaborator… It has to be very intentional, so I’ll know when I have the record.”
Rihanna released seven albums in the first eight years of her career, but after dropping her eighth LP she stepped away from the studio in favour of other ventures.
However, speaking to British Vogue in February 2023 – around the time of her Super Bowl Halftime Show performance – she said: “I want it to be this year. Like, honestly, it’d be ridiculous if it’s not this year. But I just want to have fun. I just want to make music and make videos.”
Although the feature made it clear the singer was not aware she was pregnant at the time of speaking, Rihanna appeared to have big ideas for the project.
Explaining the delays, she continued: “When you come off of an album like ‘Anti’… In hindsight, it really is my most brilliant album.
“But there’s this pressure that I put on myself. That if it’s not better than that then it is not even worth it […] It’s not the right way to look at music because music is an outlet and a space to create, and you can create whatever. It doesn’t have to even be on any scale. It just has to be something that feels good. It could just be a song that I like. It literally could be that simple.”
Insisting that if she kept waiting “until this feels right and perfect and better”, a new album would never get released, Rihanna concluded: “So I want to play. And by play, I mean I have my ideas in my head, but I can’t say them out loud yet.”
