Everything we know about&nbsp;R9,&nbsp;Rihanna's next reggae-inspired album

Over the weekend, Rihanna took to the stage for her first full-concert since 2016, and since last year&rsquo;s superbowl performance (and Fenty ad), feuling further rumors and questions about her new album, often referred to as R9. The superstar and businesswoman performed at the pre-wedding festivities for the nuptials of Anat Ambani and Radikha Merchant for a hefty price tag between $6-9 million. Ambani is the son of India&rsquo;s richest man, who is worth more than a reported $<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-13140287/Anant-Ambani-Radhika-Merchant-kick-lavish-pre-wedding-party-feeding-50-000-villagers-Jamnagar.html">114 billion</a>. Bad girl RiRi wore traditional Indian wear to the festivities, including a sequin lime green dress that had sparkly bubblegum pink leggings peeking underneath, she later even wore a bubblegum pink baseball cap with a sheer pink veil during her 19-song set performance.

Rihanna hasn&rsquo;t released a full album since Anti in 2016, but she has since dabbled in releasing standalone singles, the last song she released was in 2022, titled "Life Me Up," and it was the lead single in support of the superhero film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.&nbsp;
Since then, it has been reported that Rihanna intends to make a full return to music, releasing her 9th album after welcoming two children with her partner A$AP Rocky these past few years. Though there have been rumors of Rihanna going back out on tour for 2024 and that she is releasing two albums, including her 10th, but those have since been debunked by Billboard. In 2020, L'OFFICIEL previously reported on Rihanna's upcoming album, citing that Rihanna was "hiding from the Navy," which is the name of her most committed fans, she even shared to Instagram a telling caption, teasing the release by writing to her millions of followers, "update: me listening to R9&nbsp;by myself and refusing to release it."&nbsp;
In the meantime, fans will have to watch the <a href="https://x.com/FentyStats/status/1763701374284394702?s=20">A-lister perform</a> her set from the lavish Indian wedding, in lieu of a new Rihanna album. The singer has dropped hints on her upcoming release, sharing with <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/rihanna-british-vogue-interview">British Vogue in 2023</a> on the long wait, &ldquo;I want it to be this year, like, honestly it&rsquo;d be ridiculous if it&rsquo;s not this year.&rdquo;

Though, she has confirmed, even telling <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/rihanna-cover-november-2019">Vogue</a> in 2019, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not gonna be typical of what you know as reggae. But you&rsquo;re going to feel the elements in all of the tracks.&rdquo; Adding how the album will be a nod to her roots, &ldquo;Reggae always feels right to me. It&rsquo;s in my blood. It doesn&rsquo;t matter how far or long removed I am from that culture, or my environment that I grew up in; it never leaves. It&rsquo;s always the same high. Even though I&rsquo;ve explored other genres of music, it was time to go back to something that I haven&rsquo;t really homed in on completely for a body of work.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Everything We Know About Rihanna’s New Album

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