Rihanna Said the Wait for Her Long-Awaited Ninth Album "Is Going to be Worth It"

Rihanna's long-awaited ninth album, known by fans as R9, is still very much in the works, she revealed in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

london, england december 02 rihanna arrives at the fashion awards 2019 held at royal albert hall on december 02, 2019 in london, england photo by samir husseinwireimage
(Image credit: Karwai Tang)
  • Rihanna's long-awaited ninth album, known by fans as R9, is still very much in the works, she revealed in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.
  • She assured her fans, "You're not going to be disappointed when it happens. It's going to be worth it."
  • "It's taken this long, I'm gonna make it worth it," Rihanna said. 

Everything is going to be alright, Navy members: Rihanna just confirmed her ninth album is still very much on the way, and assured her fans they won't regret the wait. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, she revealed, "I am always working on music and when I am ready to put it out in the way that I feel fit, it's gonna come out," adding, "And you're not going to be disappointed when it happens. It's going to be worth it."

Rih's been busier than perhaps anybody else in showbusiness in the four years since she dropped Anti, her eighth album (Fenty Beauty! Savage x Fenty! The Fenty maison! Fenty Skin!) As a result, many began to speculate that her music career might have taken a backseat—which, while devastating, would be extremely understandable, considering just how many businesses she's juggling. 

It comes as a huge relief to Rih stans, therefore, to hear her confirm that releasing new music is still very much a priority (though it does beg the question: Does Rihanna ever have time to sleep?) But those tempted to flood her mentions and demand the release of R9 should probably reconsider, as she stressed she won't rush to drop the album before it's ready. "I'm not just gonna put it out just because people are waiting," Rihanna said. "It's taken this long, I'm gonna make it worth it."

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Emily Dixon
Morning Editor

Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.