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Rihanna<\/a> has shared proof that she is finally recording her new album.<\/p>\n Widely dubbed \u2018R9\u2019, the pop superstar\u2019s next record will be her first since \u2018Anti<\/a>\u2019, which was released in January 2016.<\/p>\n She has been tight-lipped about her progress on new music in recent years, but a new video shared to her Instagram shows that the album may be on the way.<\/p>\n Earlier this week, the musician posted an 80-second Instagram reel which showed a late-night visit to the studio.<\/p>\n The video, which chronicles her after-hours business activities, kicks off with her attending a meeting for her lingerie brand, Savage, at 9pm until around 2am to review designs.<\/p>\n She then announces she must go to the studio to record, and afterwards she also needs to make a Mardi Gras costume for her son. \u201cLongest day ever,\u201d she tells her staff.<\/p>\n Rihanna then meets her studio staff, who record with her until 5:05am. No audio is shared in this portion of the clip, but she tells them: \u201cWe should have coffee someday, get to know each other.\u201d<\/p>\n Check out the clip below.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, she also gave an update on the album, saying it is \u201cnot going to be anything that anybody expects\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n She also addressed reports in 2018 and 2019 that the album would be highly influenced by reggae<\/a>. \u201cWay off! There\u2019s no genre now. That\u2019s why I waited,\u201d she revealed. \u201cEvery time, I was just like, \u2018No, it\u2019s not me. It\u2019s not right. It\u2019s not matching my growth. It\u2019s not matching my evolution. I can\u2019t do this. I can\u2019t stand by this. I can\u2019t perform this for a year on tour.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAfter a while, I looked at it, and I was like, this much time away from music needs to count for the next thing everyone hears. It has to count. It has to matter. I have to show them the worth in the wait. I cannot put up anything mediocre. After waiting eight years, you might as well just wait some more.\u201d<\/p>\n The few scraps of information Rihanna has shared in the last 12 months about \u2018R9\u2019 include her saying\u00a0she was \u201cstarting over\u201d with a \u201cnew perspective\u201d<\/a>\u00a0at a Fenty Hair event in June, and\u00a0enigmatically suggesting that \u201cGod had other plans for me\u201d than music<\/a>\u00a0at a product launch in November.<\/p>\n Rumours emerged last year that linked Rihanna to a string of huge headline shows at the London Stadium in early July<\/a>, which also triggered speculation of a possible headline appearance at\u00a0Glastonbury 2025<\/a> for the \u2018Umbrella\u2019 singer. It was later reported that the shows were cancelled and rescheduled for 2026<\/a>, but Rihanna has yet to address those rumours. She has not toured at all since the \u2018Anti\u2019 World Tour in 2016<\/a>.<\/p>\n The last song Rihanna was featured on was \u2018Friend Of Mine\u2019 from the Smurfs<\/em> soundtrack last year. Before that, she released \u2018Lift Me Up\u2019\u00a0<\/a>\u2013 the 2022 lead single for the\u00a0Black Panther:\u00a0Wakanda Forever\u00a0<\/i><\/a>soundtrack. She gave\u00a0a powerful performance of the ballad at the 2023 Oscars<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rihanna also headlined the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 which was her first performance in seven years. She then followed that up last year when she\u00a0played her first full show in eight years<\/a>\u00a0for a billionaire\u2019s private wedding in India.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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