Rihanna has finally cracked her highly anticipated next album and is ready to release it at just the right moment.
In a recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar, she shared, “There’s no genre now. That’s why I waited. I kept feeling like, ‘No, it’s not me. It’s not right. It’s not matching my growth or evolution. I can’t perform this for a year on tour.’
After a while, I realized that this long break from music needed to matter for what everyone hears next. It has to count.”
She emphasized, “I have to show them the worth in the wait. After eight years, I can’t settle for anything mediocre.”
Fans have been eagerly waiting for updates on R9, as they call it, and Rihanna explained that she needed everything to fall into place for the album.
“This feels right. It digs into where I need to be, and I want this,” she said.
“This body of work needs to come out, and I’m ready to explore it. My time in the studio is about nurturing something that hasn’t been watered in eight years.”
Rihanna, who shares sons RZA and Riot with ASAP Rocky, confirmed that she has been in the studio throughout these eight years, figuring out the album’s direction.
“I was searching for it, going through phases of what I wanted to create. I know it’s going to be something special.”
While Rihanna assures fans that R9 will eventually come out, her primary focus is on her family.
“Every decision I make revolves around them, but everything I do that I love takes time away from them,” she shared with Harper’s Bazaar about her young sons.
“I have this strange resentment toward the things I love. It feels like something is always suffering because I’m trying to be present somewhere else. And even when I do show up, it’s never fully because my mind is elsewhere. It’s made me feel a lot more guilt about myself.”
She added, “I hate disappointing people, but I realize that a lot of that disappointment is me letting myself down. That means something has to change, but everything is always in motion. I have to keep reminding myself that I wanted this and I love it. I’m trying to find a balance so that when I do show up, I can feel fulfilled and free from guilt.”
Olekanma Favour is a resourceful, self-motivated, and result-driven writer with a passion for crafting compelling narratives and insightful content. She loves tackling complex topics and weaving engaging stories.
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