Contrary to what her shirts have been saying of late, Rihanna is not retiring from music. Quite the opposite, actually.
Appearing on the red carpet for her Fenty Hair launch in Los Angeles last night (June 10), Rihanna explained the headline-grabbing shirt she was wearing last week that led fans to believe she was done with music... which is a totally reasonable decision considering her Fenty line has made her a billionaire and she now has two children.
“That was just me looking into the future. I’m not retired," she told Extra. "I just like that dress. I got it as a gift and I loved it. They didn’t read the second line, I’m not retired, I’m just retired from dressing up — it’s a lot of effort.”
While she isn't retiring, she isn't exactly ready to release new music any time soon either. While both she and her partner, A$AP Rocky, have teased her next album, tentatively titled R9, RiRi shared with Entertainment Tonight that she is currently in the "starting over" phase of recording.
“Yeah, I’m starting over,” she admitted. “But I don’t want to neglect the songs that I have, so I actually want to go back and listen to stuff with new ears, with my new perspective and then see what applies and what I’m still in love with.”
Rihanna adds that the long-gestating process isn't about to end. In fact, it sounds like fans could be waiting a while to hear a follow-up to 2016's Anti.
“I think that music, for me, is a new discovery. I’m rediscovering things. I have been working on the album for so long that I kinda put all that stuff aside and now I’m prepared to go back in the studio. I’m gonna start — give me a second!”
Watch the interview below.
‘R9’ update! 🚨 Rihanna reveals she is “starting over” and is NOW prepared to go in the studio to work on her highly-anticipated album. #FentyHair pic.twitter.com/L1szsVfNYn
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) June 11, 2024