It’s been ten long years since Rihanna released her last studio album, Anti — and yes, she knows fans have been waiting.
While the world has continued streaming Anti since its release in January 2016, Rihanna has spent the past decade searching for something far more important than a hit single: the right sound.
In her March 2025 cover story with Harper’s Bazaar, the global superstar finally opened up about why her next album has taken so long — and why it will be unlike anything she has done before.
For years, speculation suggested Rihanna’s new project would lean heavily into reggae, reflecting her Barbadian roots. But she shut that idea down entirely.
According to Rihanna, the upcoming album doesn’t belong to any genre at all.
“There’s no genre now,” she explained, revealing that previous versions of the album simply didn’t feel authentic to who she is today. Over time, she found herself rejecting material that didn’t align with her personal and artistic growth.
“I couldn’t perform something that didn’t match where I am now,” she shared. “This much time away from music has to count. I cannot release anything mediocre.”
For Rihanna, this album represents more than a comeback — it’s an evolution.
She described music as her “freedom,” adding that she has finally figured out what she wants her next body of work to sound like. After years of uncertainty, she now feels confident that the project reflects exactly where she needs to be creatively.
“This feels right,” she said. “It digs into where I need to go.”
Over the past decade, Rihanna’s focus has shifted beyond music. She built Fenty Beauty into a billion-dollar empire, expanded her presence in Hollywood with films like Ocean’s Eight, and embraced motherhood with partner A$AP Rocky.
Still, she revealed she has spent years in the studio — experimenting, creating, and waiting for inspiration to strike.
Now, she believes that moment has finally arrived.
Rihanna hinted that the upcoming album will not be driven by commercial expectations but by authenticity and artistic truth — signaling a bold new era after nearly a decade of silence.
