While Rihanna is still hot off of her spectacular performance at the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show, speculation about her next album, fondly dubbed R9 by longsuffering fans, is at a fever pitch. Fortunately, Rihanna threw those fans a bone in her new cover story for British Vogue, gamely answering a question about just when we can expect to hear her first album since 2016’s Anti.
“I want it to be this year,” she told Vogue. “Like, honestly, it’d be ridiculous if it’s not this year.” Her main reason has more to do with getting to play around with fashion and beauty though. “I just want to have fun,” she admitted. “I just want to make music and make videos.”
However, she has a few caveats in place. “And I need the right background music with the visuals,” she declared. “I can’t just go shoot a video to me talking.”
This is something of a 180-degree turn from comments she made ahead of the performance when she warned that her return to the stage might not necessarily presage a new album or tour, as fans wanted. Of course, now we know why: Rihanna is pregnant with her and ASAP Rocky’s second child, which she revealed while floating high above the field at the Super Bowl.
That said, she’s always said that she’s approaching this album “differently” than any before it, and that’s consistent with her statements here. So, fingers crossed, Rihanna fans — your long wait might be coming to an end this year.