How much longer will the Navy be left high and dry? It’s starting to feel like the boy who cried wolf has nothing on the billionaire who cried R9. Rihanna hasn’t dropped an album since 2016’s Anti. Instead, she’s given birth to two kids — plus a Fenty empire that sells us makeup, lingerie, skincare, and, most recently, hair products. Maybe fans and reporters are trying to emulate her entrepreneurial spirit, because they’ve been standing on business and consistently begging for updates on her allegedly upcoming ninth album. Is she finally ready to rih-visit her music career, or will the Navy be kept on deck forever? Below, a timeline of everything Rihanna has said about R9 (and R10!), including her latest hint that her next album has “no genre now” and will not be “commercial or radio digestible.”
We used to be so optimistic.
December 2018: A fan asks Rihanna on Instagram when her album is dropping. “2019,” the singer replies.
May 2018: Rihanna is planning to make a reggae album, per a Vogue profile.
July 2018: Rolling Stone reports that Rihanna is actually working on two new albums — one reggae, one pop. An anonymous producer claims that Rih’s team already has 500 songs to choose from for the reggae album.
March 2019: Rihanna’s project manager, Jennifer Rosales, suggests on Instagram that her baby got the “first listen” of new Rihanna music.
August 12, 2024: The U.S. Sun reports that Rihanna is in talks to go on a “huge world tour” in 2025. Citing unnamed music sources, the report claims that she has been collaborating with multiple artists throughout the year for her upcoming album.
Expect the unexpected
February 22, 2025: Rihanna tells Harper’s Bazaar that she’s “feeling really optimistic” about R9. “I know it’s not going to be anything that anybody expects,” she teases. “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!” According to Rih, she’s been in the studio for the past eight years, exploring and going through phases of what kind of album she wants to make. Despite previous reports, her answer is not a tracklist full of reggae. “There’s no genre now,” she confirms. “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 taking so much time away from music, she says she became determined to make her next release count. “I have to show them the worth in the wait. I cannot put up anything mediocre,” she explains. “After waiting eight years, you might as well just wait some more.” But it sounds like she’s finally satisfied with her direction for R9. “This feels right,” she reflects. “It feels like it digs right into where I need to be, and I want this. This body needs to come out, and I’m ready to go there.”
