Barbadian singer Rihanna is currently in the recording studio working on new music, her partner A$AP Rocky revealed during a podcast interview.
The rapper shared the update on The Jason Lee Show, pushing back against suggestions that the artist had stepped away from music to focus entirely on her family and commercial enterprises.
Rocky stated that Rihanna is actively writing and recording material in the studio right now, though he joked that he would likely face her approval issues for sharing the update publicly. He provided no specific release date for the project and confirmed that the couple is not working on a collaborative joint album, dismissing long-standing fan speculation.
Ten years since Anti album
The upcoming project marks Rihanna's first full-length studio release since Anti, which debuted in 2016. That album represented a major creative milestone in her career and produced chart-topping singles including Work, Needed Me, and Love on the Brain.
Rihanna, born Robyn Rihanna Fenty, is a Grammy Award-winning global pop icon and entrepreneur who founded the cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty and the lingerie line Savage X Fenty. A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, is an American rapper and producer. The couple has three children together and remains one of the most prominent partnerships in the music industry.
Since the release of Anti, Rihanna has selectively released individual tracks rather than complete albums. She recorded Lift Me Up for the soundtrack of the Marvel film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song, and more recently contributed the track Friend of Mine to the animated movie soundtrack for The Smurfs.
Rihanna's creative process and timeline
Rihanna has previously hinted that her ninth album was in development. In February 2025, the singer explained that she felt very optimistic about the project after finding the specific creative direction she had been searching for.
At the time, she stated that she refused to release a mediocre record after such a prolonged absence, noting that after waiting eight years, fans and listeners could wait a little longer for a complete work that met her standards.
Neither Rihanna nor her management team has officially announced a launch date or schedule for the upcoming album. However, Rocky's latest remarks confirm that recording sessions remain active as the long-awaited project moves forward.
