Rihanna, might have just confirmed that her new R9 album took her longer than anticipated.
With ‘Anti’, Rihanna bewitched audiences with its potent tracks like ‘Work’ featuring Drake, ‘Needed Me’, ‘Kiss It Better’, and ‘Love On The Brain’. However, her next album has been kept under wraps with an air of anticipation that seems to stretch endlessly.
Recently, the musician was spotted in June 2024 sporting a T-shirt boldly declaring ‘I’m retired’, a move that sent her fans into a frenzy of speculation.
At her recent Fenty Hair launch event speaking about her product, Rihanna addressed the prolonged anticipation surrounding ‘R9’, quipping, “This is probably the longest I’ve ever taken to create something… No, I lied, that’s R9.” The video of her remark sparked a flurry of reactions from fans on social media.
Rihanna jokes about R9 at her Fenty Hair launch:
“This is probably the longest I’ve ever taken to create something… No I lied, that’s R9.”
— Pop Base (@PopBase) June 11, 2024
While some fans expressed frustration at Rihanna’s teasing antics, labeling her as “evil and cruel,” others remained cautiously optimistic, interpreting her remarks as a confirmation of impending new music. Throughout the years, Rihanna has teased ‘R9’ and playfully chided her fans for their eagerness, maintaining an air of mystery around the album’s release.
In a 2019 interview with Sarah Paulson, Rihanna shed light on the prolonged creative process behind ‘R9’. She revealed her schedule, alternating between fashion, lingerie, beauty, and music endeavors, has contributed to the album’s delayed release. Despite her eagerness to share the music with her fans, Rihanna emphasized the importance of ensuring the album’s completeness before its unveiling.
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Back in April, the singer had a cheeky response alluding to when R9 was coming out.
“I wanna know, too,” she joked.
The artist expressed whether her children, RZA, 2 and Riot, 10 months, would be featured on any of the upcoming music – “it’s up to them” she admitted.
She also went on to add, “I already got stuff that I feel I could make hits out of.”
At the time, she also addressed that she and Rocky were in the midst of “really trying to figure out who’s gonna use what.”
Rihanna admitted “Because it’s so good,” she teased.
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Back in October 2024, the Grammy winning artist also was planning a world tour for 2024/2025 after striking a deal with Live Nation with plans to release new music.
As of late, there have been no updates to either.
Meanwhile, the singer has admitted that she is open to having more children.
Speaking back in Apri, the singer admitted “I don’t knwo what God wants, but I would go for more than two.”
She also went on to say, “I would try for my girl.”
Fans are waiting with baited breath for the singer to announce an official date on her upcoming album.