Rihanna's ninth album: Everything we know so far as she's back in the studio
We're waiting so patiently!
Rihanna's iconic eighth album 'Anti' was released a whopping 10 years ago in 2016, and since then we have been craving more from the 'Umbrella' superstar. It's fair to say she hasn't been too shy with teasing the matter, and in September 2025 she even said she'd "finally cracked it".
Although we've had snippets of new music from RiRi - in the form of 2022's 'Lift Me Up' from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack and 'Friend of Mine' from 2025's Smurfs movie - the singer hinted she'd been working on new music for years.
A$AP Rocky reveals Rihanna is in the studio
Fast-forward to August 2026, and we've been given another glimmer of hope that RiRi's new music could arrive soon, as her partner A$AP Rocky has revealed "she's in the studio right now".
Speaking on The Jason Lee podcast on Wednesday 5th August, A$AP Rocky added "she cooking", in response to being asked about Rihanna's new album.
'Anti' anniversary hint
To celebrate 10 years of her eighth album 'Anti' in January 2026, Rihanna celebrated by releasing special vinyl editions of the record for her fans - with many convinced that the hourglass emoji in her Instagram announcement could mean a countdown to new music.
Fans took to the comments in droves to encourage the singer to release new music, with one writing: 'drop soon the other one,' with another adding: 'R9????????????' and one more commenting: 'This Era is everything. Can't wait for R9 😍.' (sic)
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about the multi-talented Rihanna
What will Rihanna's new album be called?
The singer has teased before that her new album will be called 'R9'. This, however, has not been confirmed as the official title, although RiRi has been heard referring it to 'R9' herself.
What genre will the album be? What Rihanna has said so far:
February 2025
In February 2025, RiRi gave an interview to Harper's Bazaar where she said her new album's "not going to be what anyone expects" - telling readers she didn't want to put out anything "mediocre" and that it has to be "worth the wait".
She told the American magazine: “I just cracked the code on what I really want to do for my next body of work. I am actually feeling really good about this. I know I kept saying this over the years.
“There's no genre now. That's why I waited. 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. I can't do this. I can't stand by this. I can't perform this for a year on tour.’
“After a while, I looked at it, and I was like, this much time away from music needs to count for the next thing everyone hears. It has to count. It has to matter. I have to show them the worth in the wait. I cannot put up anything mediocre. After waiting eight years, you might as well just wait some more.
"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!'”
Is Rihanna working on new music?
YES! Around the release of 'Lift Me Up', Rihanna revealed that she was working on her next album, nicknamed 'R9'. In June 2024, she confirmed she was ready to get back in the studio and in February 2025, she revealed she'd finally "cracked it".
In the week before her huge performance at the Super Bowl in 2023, Rihanna revealed that she's exploring new things on 'R9'. Riri told the press: "I’m feeling open to exploring, discovering, creating things that are new, things that are different, things that are off, weird, might never make sense to my fans. I just want to play, I want to have fun with music."
During the conference, she also revealed she had no less than 39 versions of the setlist for her Super Bowl Half-Time show!
When is Rihanna's new album coming out?
Long story short, we don't know yet! In an interview just days before Christmas in December 2023, Rihanna told Entertainment Tonight that there have always been plans for her to return to performing/touring. She did, however, stress that she would rather wait until she has new music for her fans before she commits to a full tour.
She said: "Well we’re always gonna go back on tour, (but) I feel I want to do a tour when there’s new music. We already know what that’s gonna be, with the songs that I’ve performed on my last tour. That was a long time ago.
"I feel like it’s only fair that my fans get what they’ve been waiting on, which is new music. After that, let's just like, blow everything up."
However, now she's back in the studio, we are hoping it's sooner rather than later!
READ MORE: Rihanna: A career timeline
Was 'R9' set for release in 2023?
In an interview with Vogue which was released on 15th Feb 2023, Rihanna revealed that she "wants to" release her new album "this year" - however, the interview was undertaken before she'd announced her second pregnancy in the most superstar way during her Super Bowl Halftime performance!
In the interview, Rihanna revealed that she's been recording new music the whole time since her last album 'Anti' in 2016, but explained that her tastes had changed and she wouldn't be releasing them now - still admitting she'd like to put out a new record soon.
"I want it to be this year," she explained: "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. And I need the right background music with the visuals. I can’t just go shoot a video to me talking."
Discussing the masterpiece of her previous album 'Anti', Rihanna said: "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," agreeing with the interviewer that it was a "toxic" mindset.
She said: "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."
Fans began to question whether or not we would be hearing new tunes in 2022 due to the singer announcing her second pregnancy, however RiRi reassured us all by saying: "Yes, you're still going to get music from me."
She then joked: "Not a lullaby - my fans would kill me if they waited this long for a lullaby!"
When did Rihanna start working on new music?
It was teased that Rihanna could be in the process of making new music way back in 2019, as it was reported that she had rented out an entire island in the Essex estuary - which apparently costs £20,000 to rent per day!
The Mirror reported that she was staying on the island of Osea which apparently has its own gym, cinema and pool, plus plenty of cottages for her troupe to stay in. A source told the publication at the time: "Rihanna has invited family to spend time with her while she works.
"She’s had a few stints in the studio since her last album, but she’s been really focused on her makeup, clothing and lingerie lines. But since she moved to London, she has had friends and family staying with her so she can work at her own pace, surrounded by the people she loves."
Rihanna offered us further hope when she told Vogue in 2020 that she was "very aggressively working on music." The superstar has also teased that her next album, R9, will be on a "different level" and "worth the wait".
Who will Rihanna's new album feature?
In May 2021, eagle-eyed fans believed they had spotted Rihanna, Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj drop clues about a potential collaboration, after the stars shared some Instagram posts that seemed to share some pretty cool links.
Of course, with her featuring on her boo A$AP Rocky's record, fans are hoping that the rapper will return the favour and appear on 'R9'... We can dream, hey?
In an interview with Allure, 'Happy' singer Pharrell Williams revealed that he and producer Chad Hugo were helping engineer Rihanna's ninth record, saying: "Ri is in a different place right now. Like, wow. She’s from a different world." Could we have a collab on our hands?
Check out Rihanna's biggest and best collaborations:
‘Break It Off’ with Sean Paul
Starting the collabs off strong in 2006, Rihanna teamed up with Jamaican superstar Sean Paul on her futuristic dance bop 'Break It Off'.
‘Umbrella’ with Jay-Z
It was in 2007 that Rihanna paired up with Jay-Z to create one of the most iconic songs of all time, 'Umbrella'. The hit charted at Number 1 for weeks, won several awards and is even listed on Rolling Stone's 'The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time'. In August 2024, the renowned track was certified 4x Platinum by the BPI, meaning it has sold over a whopping 2.4 million units.
‘Hate That I Love You’ with Ne-Yo
Later in 2007, the star went on to work with Ne-Yo, who was renowned for his incredible song-writing abilities — and the pair did not disappoint!
‘If I Never See Your Face’ Again with Maroon 5
In 2008 the singer joined forces with popular American pop-rock band Maroon 5, giving us the catchy tune 'If I Never See Your Face'. The song was a hit with fans and featured on both Maroon 5 and Rihanna's albums.
‘Live Your Life’ with T.I.
In that same year, Rihanna went on to collab with American rapper T.I in 'Live Your Life'. The song featured on the rapper's sixth studio album and was certainly catchy!
‘Run This Town’ with Jay-Z and Kanye West
It was in 2009 that Jay-Z teamed up with Rihanna and Kanye West to create the iconic track 'Run This Town'. It hit the top spot in the UK, and won Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the Grammy Awards. The track was certified 2x Platinum by the BPI in May 2024, translating to 1.2 million sales in the UK alone.
‘Hard’ with Jeezy
Rihanna's 2009 album 'Rated R' was full of big tunes, and 'Hard' was no exception. Teaming up with Jeezy, the pair produced this snappy number.
Eminem
RiRi and Eminem are no strangers to producing iconic tracks together. In 2010, the pair released the hard-hitting, 6x Platinum-certified 'Love The Way You Lie' followed by the melodic 'Love The Way You Lie Part II'- and they weren't stopping there! Three years later the duo teamed up again to release popular tune 'The Monster'.
‘Who's That Chick?’ with David Guetta
Well-known French DJ David Guetta sought help from Rihanna back in 2010 to create the masterpiece that is 'Who's That Chick?' The DJ is no stranger to a Number 1 hit, with this bop gliding to the Number 1 spot on the UK Dance Charts and being certified 2x Platinum.
‘All of the Lights’ with Kanye West
RiRi teamed up with Kanye again in 2010, gracing us with 'All of the Lights'. The song also features vocals from other stars such as John Legend, Alicia Keys, Elton John and Drake.
‘Rockstar 101’ with Slash
RiRi is really showing us that she can collab with pretty much anyone at this point, and proving that to us she teamed up with none other than Slash in 2010 on her track 'Rockstar 101'. Slash, also known as Saul Hudson, is the lead guitarist of American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, and this proved to be a match made in heaven!
Drake
Dating back to 2010 with 'What's My Name?', it's safe to say that these two are pretty familiar with creating big tunes! The pair teamed up again in 2012 with 'Take Care', and went onto release the infamous reggae-pop hit 'Work' in 2016.
In the UK, 'Take Care' and 'What's My Name' have been certified 3x Platinum, selling more than 1.8 million copies each, while 'Work' has a staggering 4x Platinum status with 2.4 million UK sales.
Nicki Minaj
Nicki has worked with some huge names in the music industry, and Rihanna is no exception! Hitting us with 'Raining Men' in 2010, we were further gifted with the melodic song 'Fly' in 2011.
Calvin Harris
Who can forget about the ubiquitous 'We Found Love' released in 2011? Spending six weeks at Number 1 in the UK, it's also been certified 6x Platinum by the BPI with over 3 million UK sales. Rihanna and Calvin then teamed up again in 2016 for yet another catchy dance hit 'This Is What You Came For', which peaked at Number 2 in the UK and has since been certified 5x Platinum too.
‘Princess of China’ with Coldplay
In 2012 the superstar teamed up with the popular British band Coldplay to bring us 'Princess of China'. The band are no strangers to a killer collab, having joined forces with other big names such as Beyonce and Jay-Z. The song was an instant hit, with its popularity proving timeless - and as of August 2024, the song was certified 2x Platinum by the BPI.
‘Stay’ with Mikky Ekko
After a streak of hit dance tunes, Rihanna slowed down the tempo a bit, collaborating with Mikky Ekko in 2013 to bring us the gorgeous and melodious 'Stay'. It's since been certified 4x Platinum.
‘Can't Remember to Forget You’ with Shakira
In 2014, Rihanna and Shakira joined their impressive vocals together to create the catchy bop 'Can't Remember To Forget You', and we certainly won't be forgetting that one! It didn't quite make it into the Top 10 in the UK, peaking at Number 11, but it was certified Platinum by the BPI in May 2025.
‘FourFiveSeconds’ with Kanye West and Paul McCartney
Fellow musical giants Kanye West and Paul McCartney teamed up with Rihanna back in 2015 with the release of 'FourFiveSeconds'. The song was a huge hit, with Paul setting a new record for the longest break between top-ten singles in the charts.
‘Wild Thoughts’ with DJ Khaled and Bryson Tiller
This big tune was released in 2017 by DJ Khaled, featuring catchy vocals from Rihanna as well as popular American singer-songwriter and rapper Bryson Tiller.
'Loyalty.' with Kendrick Lamar
Rihanna joined Kendrick Lamar on his track 'Loyalty.' in 2017 and the song won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Performance in 2018. Although it didn't set the UK charts alight at the time, it's since been certified Platinum.
'Believe It' with PartyNextDoor
Rihanna paired up with Canadian singer PartyNextDoor to create the track 'Believe It'. The song came out in March 2020 and is part of PartyNextDoor's third studio album 'Partymobile'.