Rihanna? I haven’t seen that name on an album cover in years. I have seen the name Fenty plastered over eyeshadows, lipsticks, sunglasses, shoes, bras, and luxury denim jackets, however. Rihanna has been cashing in on her truth since 2016 when Anti dropped, hardly mentioning music until she has to put a fan with the right intentions in the wrong place. But thanks to her new photography book (yes, the one Cardi B paid $11,000 for at a charity auction), Vogue forced Rihanna to acknowledge the booty-shaking songs we didn’t get this summer, among other things.
“I have been trying to get back into the studio,†she admits to Vogue. “It’s not like I can lock myself in for an extended amount of time, like I had the luxury of doing before.†But she promises that she hasn’t forgot about R9, a “reggae-infused†album inspired by the songs she spent her childhood listening to. Yes, it’s been on its way for over a year. And what about it? Go ahead and read your li’l coffee-table book. Even if she can’t promise an album tomorrow, Rihanna stays true to herself and her passions, whether that’s makeup, music, or social justice. (She confirms she turned down a Super Bowl appearance in support of Colin Kaepernick: “Who gains from that? Not my people.â€) Making music will always be a priority for her because “all of these other things flourish on top of that foundation.†That’s why her other new album R10 (which is already in discovery) is going to be called ADELE. Just kidding. It is still on its way, though. This isn’t a Yandhi situation where we’re never going to hear about it again. “We always went into the music this time around saying that we were going to do two different pieces of art,†she says, explaining R10’s genesis. “One was gonna be inspired by the music that I grew up listening to. And one was gonna be the evolution of where I’m going next with music.†But only God (Rihanna) knows when the albums might drop.