Rihanna has shared proof that she is finally recording her new album.
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Widely dubbed ‘R9’, the pop superstar’s next record will be her first since ‘Anti’, which was released in January 2016.
She has been tight-lipped about her progress on new music in recent years, but a new video shared to her Instagram shows that the album may be on the way.
Earlier this week, the musician posted an 80-second Instagram reel which showed a late-night visit to the studio.
The video, which chronicles her after-hours business activities, kicks off with her attending a meeting for her lingerie brand, Savage, at 9pm until around 2am to review designs.
She then announces she must go to the studio to record, and afterwards she also needs to make a Mardi Gras costume for her son. “Longest day ever,” she tells her staff.
Rihanna then meets her studio staff, who record with her until 5:05am. No audio is shared in this portion of the clip, but she tells them: “We should have coffee someday, get to know each other.”
Check out the clip below.
Earlier this month, she also gave an update on the album, saying it is “not going to be anything that anybody expects”.
She also addressed reports in 2018 and 2019 that the album would be highly influenced by reggae. “Way off! There’s no genre now. That’s why I waited,” she revealed. “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.”
The few scraps of information Rihanna has shared in the last 12 months about ‘R9’ include her saying she was “starting over” with a “new perspective” at a Fenty Hair event in June, and enigmatically suggesting that “God had other plans for me” than music at a product launch in November.
Rumours emerged last year that linked Rihanna to a string of huge headline shows at the London Stadium in early July, which also triggered speculation of a possible headline appearance at Glastonbury 2025 for the ‘Umbrella’ singer. It was later reported that the shows were cancelled and rescheduled for 2026, but Rihanna has yet to address those rumours. She has not toured at all since the ‘Anti’ World Tour in 2016.
The last song Rihanna was featured on was ‘Friend Of Mine’ from the Smurfs soundtrack last year. Before that, she released ‘Lift Me Up’ – the 2022 lead single for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. She gave a powerful performance of the ballad at the 2023 Oscars.
Rihanna also headlined the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show – which was her first performance in seven years. She then followed that up last year when she played her first full show in eight years for a billionaire’s private wedding in India.
