Rihanna Shut Down Rumors Of A New Album
Welp, the hope was nice while it lasted.
Though Rihanna recently released her first song in six years, her long-awaited ninth studio album is not the horizon. In a Nov. 7 interview with The Associated Press, the singer negated rumors that she’s gearing up to release a new record in support of her upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show performance on Feb. 12.
“That’s not true,” Rihanna told AP when asked abouta new album. “Super Bowl is one thing. New music is another thing. Do you hear that, fans?”
Rihanna dropped her last studio album, Anti, in January 2016. The album featured her hit singles like “Work,” “Needed Me,” and “Love on the Brain.” Although she’s released a few collaborations in the years since, she’s yet to release another album.
The theories about a new album intensified after Rihanna confirmed she would be appearing on the album on Oct. 26 by sharing a 15-second clip of a new song called “Lift Me Up.” She released the song two days later.
The track was written as a tribute to the late Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, who died in August 2020 from colon cancer. The full Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack dropped on Nov. 7, while Rihanna hit the red carpet in a stunning look for the film’s premiere a few weeks earlier on Oct.26.
With all these projects — as well as her Savage X Fenty Vol. 4 show airing Nov. 9 on Amazon Prime — the singer admitted she wasn’t surprised that rummors accompanied her Super Bowl Halftime Show announcement.
“The second that I announced this, I said, ‘Oh, my God, they’re going to think my album is coming,” she said.
While R9 may not be complete, Rihanna teased that getting the album out is on her agenda...eventually.
“I need to get to work,” she told AP.
