It’s officially been over a year since the last update, but Rihanna‘s fans have a fresh reason to hope, as her ninth studio album (nicknamed R9 by the internet), sounds closer than ever to actually happening.
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The Wait, Explained
Rihanna hasn’t dropped a full album since 2016’s Anti.
In the decade since, fans have watched her build a beauty and fashion empire with Fenty while occasionally teasing new music. She’s dropped a handful of one-off songs in that time, including “Lift Me Up” for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and “Friend of Mine” from 2025’s Smurfs movie, but a true follow-up album has remained elusive.
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The Latest Sign It’s Actually Coming
In February, Rihanna shared a day-in-the-life video with her 149 million Instagram followers that included a time-lapse of a three-hour studio session, sparking a fresh wave of speculation.
Then in August, her partner A$AP Rocky confirmed on The Jason Lee Show that she’s actively working, saying she was in the studio right, and adding that she was cooking.
Rihanna herself later told Extra that the album has to be amazing, explaining that extra attention to detail is the only reason it isn’t out yet.
What the Album Might Sound Like
Rihanna has hinted the album leans into reggae, telling interviewers that the genre always feels right to her and that it’s in her blood no matter how far removed she is from the culture she grew up around.
She’s also talked about wanting the record to feel like a playground, saying she wants to have fun with it and show where she truly is right now. At one point she revealed she’d recorded over 500 songs while working through different versions of the album, later admitting that listening back to some of those older tracks felt like trying to dress like she used to, saying her taste and vibe have simply changed since then.
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Don’t Expect Features
If you’re hoping for a stacked guest list, temper your expectations.
Rihanna has said she isn’t a big collaborator, and that any feature would need to be extremely intentional before she’d include it, adding that she’ll know when she has the right record.
No Release Date Yet
Despite all the renewed buzz, there’s still no confirmed release date.
Rihanna has said in the past that she can’t say when she’s going to drop the album, and after years of near-misses, fans have learned to stay hopeful but patient.
Still, between the studio sessions, A$AP Rocky’s comments, and Rihanna’s own optimism in recent interviews, this feels like the closest R9 has been to reality in years.
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The Takeaway
Nearly 10 years after Anti, Rihanna finally sounds ready to give her fans the follow-up they’ve been begging for.
Whether R9 lands later this year or continues to test everyone’s patience a little longer, if one thing is clear, it’s that she’s not rushing it and wants it to be worth the wait.
For even more on the star, click HERE to discover 40 Rihanna lyrics that make perfect Instagram captions.
