After years of anticipation and uncertainty, Rihanna is finally ready to share the fruits of her labor. In a Harper’s Bazaar cover story for March, she expressed her excitement about her long-awaited ninth album, revealing that she’s made significant progress and is now “really optimistic” about what’s to come.
“This feels right,” Rihanna said. “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.” The singer described the creative process as a journey of self-discovery, one that she’s been able to pursue even while balancing her life as a mother to RZA and Riot.
“When I’m in the studio, I know that my time away from my kids is to blossom something that hasn’t been watered in eight years,” she explained.
Rihanna reflected on the struggles she faced during the album’s creation, admitting that for a long time, she was unsure of the direction to take. “I went through phases of what I wanted to do. ‘This kind of album, not that album.’”
Now, she’s confident that the sound will be nothing like anyone expects: “It’s not going to be commercial or radio digestible. It’s going to be where my artistry deserves to be right now.”
Rihanna, who last released “Anti” in 2016, also addressed past rumors that the album would be reggae-inspired, saying, “There’s no genre now.” She added, “I cannot put up anything mediocre. After waiting eight years, you might as well just wait some more.”
