Will Rihanna be dropping her ninth album? Everything we know so far about R9

Rihanna’s last album release was eight years ago in 2016. The 36-year-old’s eighth studio album, Anti, was commended for its experimental take on pop and R&B sound. It won Favorite Soul/R&B Album at the American Music Awards whilst also receiving multiple Grammy Award nominations and Billboard Music nominations. After Anti’s release fans expected the superstar to make another album within the two to three-year interval typical of Rihanna’s album releases. Now years have gone by without the ninth album being released.

This delay has resulted in heavy media speculations and varying theories about an elusive album dubbed R9 by fans. Rihanna has confirmed that she will be releasing a ninth album but the date of the release isn’t set in stone yet. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight in June 2024, the Rude Boy hitmaker shut down retirement rumors and revealed plans to “go back into the studio.”

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Rihanna’s ninth album and the speculations surrounding its release

In July 2018, Rolling Stone reported that Rihanna was working on a reggae and pop-oriented album. It quoted a dancehall producer who chose to remain anonymous and said:

"[Rihanna’s team] have, no lie, 500 records for this project [from] different producers and writers. They’re only choosing 10 records. They’ve been having writing camps and trying to keep them quiet for almost a year and a half now. I’ve been flying to Miami, flying to L.A., cutting records nonstop for this project.”

Rihanna later confirmed that she was making a reggae album in an interview with T-magazine in May 2019 and also implied that she might name her ninth album “R9” afterall:

'So far it’s just been R9, thanks to the Navy. I’m about to call it that probably, ’cause they have haunted me with this “R9, R9, when is R9 coming out?” How will I accept another name after that’s been burned into my skull?'

In February 2020, the Fenty Beauty mogul spoke with Entertainment Tonight and explained the reason for her continuous teasing of the ‘R9’ album— she had previously uploaded a video in December 2019 where she taunted fans about listening to her ninth album by herself and refusing to release it. She said:

"I like to antagonize my fans a little bit. Well, they antagonize me, too! So, they get it right back,"

In March of the same year, Rihanna spoke with British Vogue about the pressure to put out her ninth album since Anti's release. She stated that there were no rules or formats to music and when she felt like it, she would release the album.

Riri’s vocals on the original soundtrack of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in 2022 and her subsequent performance at the Super Bowl Halftime show in 2023 sparked renewed interest in the singer’s music as fans clamored for her to end the unofficial hiatus from music and make the “R9” album a reality.

Per reports from Entertainment Tonight in October 2023, the Umbrella singer had gotten into a deal with Live Nation for a comeback tour in 2024/2025 and the release of a new album. This report was debunked by Billboard in the same month as Riri had not yet committed to any touring projects.

At the Fenty Hair launch party in June 2024, the nine-time Grammy Award winner shared that she was starting over by listening to the tracks initially lined for the album from a new perspective.

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An exclusive by The US Sun released on August 13, 2024, reported that Rihanna’s elusive album would be dropping soon. The magazine also reported that she was in talks for a tour in 2025 and will be listed as a headlining act for the Glastonbury festival in the same year.