In a rare and highly anticipated interview with Harper’s BAZAAR, Rihanna has finally shared insight into her long-awaited ninth album, known among fans as R9.
Rihanna talks new album in new interview
The singer, who last released music in 2016 with her critically acclaimed album ANTI, spoke candidly about the challenges of creating new music, her personal growth, and why she’s taken so long to return to the industry.
Rihanna, sitting in a dimly lit penthouse suite in New York City, reflected on her evolving relationship with music over the past eight years. While she has spent significant time in the studio, she admitted that something always felt off.
“Every time, I was just like, ‘No, it’s not me. It’s not right. It’s not matching my growth. It’s not matching my evolution,’”she explained.
She rejected multiple versions of the album because she didn’t feel they represented where she was artistically.
Addressing the rumours that the album would be heavily reggae-influenced, Rihanna shut down the speculation, saying:
“Way off! There’s no genre now. That’s why I waited. This much time away from music needs to count for the next thing everyone hears. It has to matter. I have to show them the worth in the wait. I cannot put up anything mediocre.”
Despite keeping details under wraps, Rihanna gave fans the strongest confirmation yet that R9 is well on its way.
“I’m feeling really optimistic. This feels right. It feels like it digs right into where I need to be, and I want this. This body [of work] needs to come out, and I’m ready to go there,” she said.
She also described working on the project as a form of artistic freedom, comparing the process to nurturing something that has been ignored for too long:
“This is becoming my new freedom because when I’m in the studio, I know that my time away from my kids is to blossom something that hasn’t been watered in eight years. I’ve been in the studio the whole eight years. But it didn’t hit me. I was searching for it. I went through phases of what I wanted to do.”
Fans should not expect a commercial or radio-friendly album, as Rihanna stated that R9 will be about her artistry, not industry expectations.
“I know it’s not going to be anything that anybody expects. And it’s not going to be commercial or radio digestible. It’s going to be where my artistry deserves to be right now. I feel like I’ve finally cracked it, girl!”
Until the album’s official release, Rihanna will continue her partnership with Dior, having recently been announced as the new face of J’adore fragrance.
A history of Rihanna’s elusive album
Rihanna’s long hiatus from music has been one of the most talked-about subjects in pop culture.
Her last studio album, ANTI, was released in 2016, featuring hit songs like Work, Needed Me, and Love on the Brain.
The album earned widespread critical acclaim, cementing Rihanna’s status as an artist who defied mainstream trends in favour of creative expression.
Following ANTI, Rihanna shifted her focus to other business ventures, launching Fenty Beauty in 2017, followed by Savage X Fenty, both of which have made her a billionaire.
Meanwhile, her music career took a backseat, despite constant fan pressure for new material.
Rumours about R9 began circulating in 2018, when Rihanna hinted at working on a reggae-inspired album. Over the years, she continued teasing fans with cryptic social media posts and vague statements about being in the studio.
In September 2022, she fuelled speculation once again by confirming she was working on music but provided no details.
Her return to the stage came in February 2023, when she headlined the Super Bowl Halftime Show while pregnant with her second child. However, reports that she was planning a world tour following the performance turned out to be false.
Despite the constant delays, Rihanna has maintained that she would not rush the album simply to meet fan expectations. Instead, she wanted to ensure it represented her true artistic vision.