Rihanna has opened up about the prospects for her new album in a wide-ranging new interview with British Vogue.
Alongside her partner A$AP Rocky and their child, Rihanna appeared on the cover of the esteemed publication this week.
And the cover story found the pop superstar discussing everything from parenting to her previous releases to, yes, the album that really puts the meaning in the phrase “highly-anticipated.”
For a change, Rihanna gave a surprisingly clear answer about the follow-up to 2016’s Anti. “I want it to be this year,” she insisted about the album’s possible release date. “Like, honestly, it’d be ridiculous if it’s not this year.”
The singer continued by maintaining that “I just want to have fun. I just want to make music and make videos.”
According to the British Vogue cover story, Rihanna hasn’t actually stopped making music since the release of Anti, though she claimed that her unreleased material consists of musical styles that she’s no longer fond of. “Your taste changes, your vibe changes,” she considered.
Rihanna also revealed her thoughts about Anti, hailing it as “my most brilliant album.”
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“(Anti) always felt like the most cohesive album I’ve ever made,” she said. “When you break it down and you realise this album goes from ‘Work’ to ‘Kiss It Better’ to ‘Needed Me’ to ‘Love on the Brain’ to ‘Sex With Me’ to ‘Desperado’… And somehow it all fits and not for a second did you glitch?”
That’s why she’s feeling the pressure heading into her new album. “If it’s not better than (Anti) then it is not even worth it…(but that’s) not the right way to look at music because music is an outlet and a space to create, and you can create whatever.
“It doesn’t have to even be on any scale. It just has to be something that feels good. It could just be a song that I like. It literally could be that simple.”
You can read the full cover story here. You can also check out Rihanna’s full setlist – as well as fan reactions – for her stunning Super Bowl Halftime Show here.
