r9

Rihanna Thinks It Would Be “Ridiculous” Not To Release New Album In 2023

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Rihanna has left fans demanding a new album for over five years. There have been a few rumors surrounding her ninth studio album. At one point, she suggested that she’d release an album directly inspired by reggae and dancehall music. Rumors floated around that she was working closely with Caribbean artists and producers to create her next project, though the status of the project is unclear. However, with her recent Super Bowl performance, it appears that there might be something in the works this year.

During her press conference with Nadeska Alexis, Rihanna explained that she was experimenting with new music and open to exploring new sounds. Over the years, she hasn’t stopped recording but she compared some of the unreleased music to old clothes. “[It’s] almost like trying to dress like you used to dress. It’s like, ‘Ew, no. I would never wear those again.’ Your taste changes, your vibe changes,” she said in an interview with British Vogue. 

Rihanna Is Hopeful For A 2023 Release Date

As fans pestered Rihanna for a release date each year since Anti, she eventually seemed to brush off any more requests surrounding the release of new music. However, it seems that with all the momentum she’s built in recent times – between the Super Bowl and the Black Panther soundtrack – that hopes to cement a 2023 release date. “I want it to be this year,” Rihanna said. “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,” she added. However, the writer noted that Rihanna was “at this stage very much unaware she is pregnant again.”

Elsewhere, she opened up about the pressure she faces for her next album, especially following up on an album like Anti. At this point, it seems like Rihanna wants to create a feeling behind her next project that’s as undeniable as her last. “If it’s not better than [‘Anti’] then it is not even worth it…[but that’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,” she said.

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Rihanna Wants Her Anticipated Ninth Album To Come Out In 2023, But More Importantly, She Wants To ‘Have Fun’

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While Rihanna is still hot off of her spectacular performance at the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show, speculation about her next album, fondly dubbed R9 by longsuffering fans, is at a fever pitch. Fortunately, Rihanna threw those fans a bone in her new cover story for British Vogue, gamely answering a question about just when we can expect to hear her first album since 2016’s Anti.

“I want it to be this year,” she told Vogue. “Like, honestly, it’d be ridiculous if it’s not this year.” Her main reason has more to do with getting to play around with fashion and beauty though. “I just want to have fun,” she admitted. “I just want to make music and make videos.”

However, she has a few caveats in place. “And I need the right background music with the visuals,” she declared. “I can’t just go shoot a video to me talking.”

This is something of a 180-degree turn from comments she made ahead of the performance when she warned that her return to the stage might not necessarily presage a new album or tour, as fans wanted. Of course, now we know why: Rihanna is pregnant with her and ASAP Rocky’s second child, which she revealed while floating high above the field at the Super Bowl.

That said, she’s always said that she’s approaching this album “differently” than any before it, and that’s consistent with her statements here. So, fingers crossed, Rihanna fans — your long wait might be coming to an end this year.

Fans Don’t Think We’re Ever Getting Another Rihanna Album

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The jokes have continued to pour in since Rihanna surprised the world with a pregnancy reveal. The singer floated through the Super Bowl halftime show—quite literally—with her baby bump on display. It was a surprise considering she gave birth less than a year ago, but she and A$AP Rocky are more than thrilled to expand their family. As well wishes flood timelines, fans have also used the opportunity to once again troll Rihanna about her fabled next album, which will remain a mystery until she’s ready.

In 2019, Entertainment Tonight brought up a then-potential Super Bowl performance to the Fenty star. “Actually, this is my first time hearing about the Super Bowl since last Super Bowl,” she told the publication at the time. “Girl, I still got an album to finish. You’re gonna ask about Super Bowl, really? My fans are gonna have my neck.”

Read More: Rihanna Is Working On “Balance” & Will Not Put Up With Your Album Pestering

The big game has come and gone, and people are weighing in about the show. Meanwhile, RiRi’s Navy believes that her next album is turning into folklore after they speculated on her next moves. Before her Super Bowl appearance, Rihanna teased about what was in store for her future. There were rumors about a possible world tour and album reveal, but it looks like she’s focused on being a billionaire mom.

However, not all is lost; we know that the singer has indeed been working on a record because she’s said so. Additionally, Pharrell Williams even offered an update, albeit it has been some time, about working on Rihanna’s next record. He was thrilled to hear how she’s expanding and can’t wait until the world experiences it as well.

GLENDALE, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 12: Rihanna performs during Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show at State Farm Stadium on February 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation)
Read More: Rihanna On The Wait For Her Album: “I Like To Antagonize My Fans”

“You’re not going to expect what you hear,” she teased in September 2021. “Put that in your mind. Whatever you know of Rihanna is not going to be what you hear. I’m really experimenting, and music is like fashion. You should be able to play. I should be able to wear whatever I want. I treat music the same way. I’m having fun and it’s going to be completely different.”

Rihanna Loved Jerrod Carmichael’s ‘Very Controversial’ Joke About Her Upcoming Album At The Golden Globes

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At the 2023 Golden Globes last night (January 10), Rihanna’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever song “Lift Me Up” didn’t take home the award for Best Original Song, Motion Picture. She still stole the show, though, by getting multiple shout-outs during the broadcast. That included one from host Jerrod Carmichael, who cracked a joke that Rihanna fans are probably wishing he hadn’t.

Addressing Rihanna between awards, Carmichael said, “You know what? Honestly, only because I see Rihanna is here, and I’m gonna say… I’m gonna say something very controversial that… I will actually get in trouble for this: Rihanna, you take all the time you want on that album, girl. Don’t let these fools on the internet pressure you into nothing!”

As Carmichael got to the part about his comment being “controversial,” Rihanna smiled as she waited for the punchline. When that dropped, she gave a laugh and a clap, putting her hands on her face and saying something to the people around her.

As for those fools on the internet, they don’t seem to feel the same as Carmichael. One Rihanna fan wrote, “Who this [clown] Jerrod Carmicheal calling a fool? Talking bout ‘don’t let these fools on the internet pressure you into nothing.’ Rihanna owes us that album and we need it ASAP!” Even the Golden Globes themselves got in on the moment, tweeting, “Jerrod Carmichael may want you to take your time but we’d like that album ASAP.”

Find the full list of 2023 Golden Globe winners here and check out some more reactions to Carmichael’s Rihanna joke below.

Rihanna Is Approaching Her Next Album ‘Completely Differently’ Now Than She Was Before

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While it’s been a good long while since Rihanna dropped her last album, 2016’s Anti, but in recent years, she has regularly offered brief updates on it. Now, she’s back with another as she noted her approach to the project has changed.

In a new Vogue profile, Rihanna noted, “I’m looking at my next project completely differently from the way I had wanted to put it out before. I think this way suits me better, a lot better. It’s authentic, it’ll be fun for me, and it takes a lot of the pressure off.”

As for balancing that album with everything else she always has going on, Rihanna said, “Balance is one of my biggest challenges and always has been. And now there’s another human being coming into play, it changes what that means again. Still, I have businesses that aren’t going to run themselves. My mom handled the three of us with not even close to the amount of resources that I have, so I can absolutely do it. What it looks like? I’m not sure.”

Elsewhere in the conversation, she also revealed that Anti is her favorite album of hers, calling it her “best album to this day.”

Check out the full interview here.