Rihanna continues to give small brushstrokes of her next album. In an interview with Harpers Bazaar, Barbados confirms that R9 is still in the process of recording, but that begins to take shape. Rihanna feels “very optimistic” with the project.
And the “news” is that Rihanna’s ninth album will not be predictable. «I know the album will be nothing that people wait. It will not be commercial or digestible to the radio. The album is heading towards the type of art I deserve to do at this time. And I feel that I have finally found the key to what I want to do ».
Rihanna, on the other hand, denies that the album will focus on reggae rhythms exclusively: «Nothing to do. The album has no genre. That’s why I waited so long. Every time I thought I had something, I thought: this is not me. It’s not what I’m looking for. It does not reflect my evolution. I can’t defend this. I can’t sing these songs on a tour for a year ».
Rihanna’s goal is that the successor of ‘Anti’ (2016) is just as good. In the interview, Fenty says that ‘Anti’ is the only album of his discography that he is able to hear whole without feeling shame: «I hear ‘anti’ from beginning to end without feeling shame. I used to feel shame. I don’t like listening to my own music, but ‘anti’ yes. It is as if it were not me who sings the songs ». Rihanna compares the experience of listening to her previous albums with the cringe who feels to listen to herself “in a voice note.”
These days circulate several rumors that place Rihanna back to the stage: according to The Telegraph, Fenty would have brought a headline show in Glastonbury and a concert residence in London, but nothing has been confirmed.
Rihanna will continue working on her new album while playing Smurfina in the next Smurf movie.
