Rihanna is 'starting over' with her ninth album
She's been working on 'R9' for a long time
Rihanna's iconic 'Anti' was released all the way back in 2016, and since her last album we have been craving more from the 'Umbrella' superstar. It's fair to say she hasn't been too shy with teasing the matter, however the wait for 'R9' may have just gotten longer, with the Barbadian singer surprising fans by teasing she's 'starting over'.
Yep, although 2022 saw new music from RiRi - in the form of 'Lift Me Up' from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack - and the singer hinted she'd been working on new music for years, it now appears a full new album isn't as close as we thought, with the singer admitting she's "put all that stuff aside" and is creating with "new perspective".
Attending her Fenty Hair launch party in LA on Monday 10th June, the singer was, of course, questioned on when fans can expect to hear 'R9', to which she responded: "I think that music, for me, is a new discovery.
"I’m rediscovering things. I have been working on the album for so long that I kinda put all that stuff aside and now I’m prepared to go back in the studio. I’m gonna start — give me a second!"
Rihanna allegedly began work on her ninth album back in 2019, with The Mirror reporting that she had rented the entirety of the island of Osea in order to work on new music. Despite this, the singer teased this week: "Yeah, I’m starting over."
She did confirm, however, that she won't be scrapping all of her previous work, adding: "But I don’t want to neglect the songs that I have, so I actually want to go back and listen to stuff with new ears, with my new perspective and then see what applies and what I’m still in love with."
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight at the launch party, RiRi made sure she emphasised that she is ready "now", and is going to "start" the album.
Everything we know about Rihanna's upcoming ninth album 'R9':
As we wait patiently for new music from Rihanna, we've gathered together all of the hints and clues we've had here and there. Not only do we have new music on the way from the singer, but it sounds like we've even potentially got a world tour coming our way soon as well! Let's break down what we know so far.
When is Rihanna's new album coming out?
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, lets just like, blow everything up".
Then, in February 2024, Rihanna's boyfriend A$AP Rocky gave fans an update when out and about in Paris. In a video shared on X, a fan asks him about Rihanna's ninth album, to which A$AP Rocky simply replied: "She's working on it."
A couple of months later, Rihanna admitted in June 2024 that she was 'starting over' with the album - however, she did confirm that she wasn't going to 'neglect' the material she had already worked on, leading fans to believe we may not have to wait too long.
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, but admitted 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."
Is Rihanna working on new music?
YES! Alongside working on her most recent single '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.
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!"
In January 2023, Rihanna's boyfriend A$AP Rocky also revealed that she is working on new music, he told Apple Music: "I'm so glad that my lady's back making music again and whatnot, and getting back out there. It's just incredible."
He went on to say: "The Super Bowl is huge, and her being the creative she is, she going to bring it, man. I’m excited. I’m more excited than everybody else, honestly."
In the week before her huge performance at the Super Bowl, 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!
Rihanna's song for Marvel's Black Panther
In October 2022, Marvel shared a video for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which featured the letter R with a date underneath, causing fans to speculate that something would be released by the singer on Friday 28th October.
Just one day later, the speculations were confirmed by Rihanna herself, as she took to Instagram to confirm that she would release a track for the new film on Friday 28th October 2022. The song is titled 'Lift Me Up', and it's fair to say that fans are obsessed with the gorgeous track.
The beautiful song was an instant hit with fans, and featured on the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack - which was later released on 4th November 2022.
LISTEN: Rihanna 'Lift Me Up' from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever:
When did Rihanna start working on new music?
It was teased that Rihanna could be in the process of making new music 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, "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". We are sure it will be!
Despite this, it seems Rihanna is 'starting over' with her five-years worth of new music, admitting in June 2024 that she wants to revisit the work with 'new ears' and 'new perspective' and see if she still loves it. The singer confirmed she was 'starting over'.
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.
When will Rihanna release 'R9'?
SOON... We hope. Although there have been many signs that the singer has in fact finished working on her new album, leading us to crossing our fingers and hoping we can hear it soon, she admitted in June 2024 that she was going to 'start over'. She won't, however, 'neglect' her work so far, so hopefully the wait isn't too long.
Offering us a glimmer of hope in 2021, RiRi told a paparazzi that we would be getting new music: "Soon, soon, soon". She then told Entertainment Tonight in February 2022 that despite expecting her first baby, she would still be releasing new music!
Another HUGE clue was way back in 2019, when the singer took to her Instagram to share a video of a rather excited looking dog, writing: 'update: me listening to R9 by myself and refusing to release it' (sic).
In March 2021, the 'Work' singer excited fans further by confirming that we will hear new music 'soon'. Heading to the comments section on Instagram, a fan asked Rihanna to 'celebrate by releasing a song', to which the megastar replied: 'I think I should' paired with a ‘soon’ emoji.
Did Rihanna release a song in 2021?
Rihanna was spotted filming a music video in the Bronx, New York, in July 2021. Although this gave RiRi fans a glimmer of hope, the singer was spotted alongside her boyfriend A$AP Rocky, who was thought to be the artist they were actually shooting the video for.
A$AP Rocky confirmed that Rihanna was to feature on his new record 'All Smiles' - so, sadly, it's not looking like this was the work of 'R9'.
Who will Rihanna's new album feature?
In May 2021, eagle-eyed fans believed they had spotted Rihanna, Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj drop clues about a potential collaboration, after the stars shared some Instagram posts that seemed to share some pretty cool links.
Of course, with her featuring on her boo A$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 collab's 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'.
‘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 '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.
‘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.
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 infamous 'We Found Love' released in 2011? Rihanna and Calvin then teamed up again in 2016 for another catchy dance hit 'This Is What You Came For'.
‘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.
‘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'.
‘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!
‘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.
'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'.
Read more:
Everything you need to know about the multi-talented Rihanna
A$AP Rocky calls Rihanna 'the love of his life' as he CONFIRMS romance