Rihanna Reveals Exactly When She Plans To Drop Her Highly Anticipated Ninth Studio Album

Rihannahas her fans' hopes high with her recent statement on the release of her next album. After a seven-year break, Rihanna says there's a lot of pressure that the album should be a perfect body of work. 

The billionaire surprised her fans with a pregnancy reveal during her recent Super Bowl halftime performance. She just gave birth to her first child, a boy, nine months ago, so the reveal of her second child came as quite a surprise. 

Read on to find out more. 

In a new cover interview for Vogue, Rihanna spoke about her highly anticipated next album, saying it would be "ridiculous" for her not to release it this year. The 34-year-old revealed that she plans to release it this year, but there's pressure for the album to be better than her last project. 

Rihanna's last album, ANTI, was released in 2016 and was a very successful project which set a standard. She said, "I want it to be this year. Like, honestly, it'd be ridiculous if it's not this year. But I just want to have fun. I just want to make music and make videos."

Rihanna continued, "But there's this pressure that I put on myself. That if it's not better than that then it is not even worth it. So I realised that if I keep waiting until this feels right and perfect and better, maybe it's going to keep taking forever and maybe it'll never come out and no, I'm not down to that."

At her recent performance during the Super Bowl halftime show, Rihanna shocked her fans worldwide by revealing her pregnancy with baby number 2. The "Where Have You Been" singer gave birth to her son only nine months ago, so the reveal sent her fans into a big frenzy. 

There were an estimated 200 million people tuned into the Super Bowl final between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. After Rihanna's show, all people could talk about was the pregnancy reveal and how it could have affected her performance.

A rep for the singer later confirmed the news and said she was "super excited" to share it with her fans. The insider said, per Daily Mail, "Rihanna has so many things she is grateful for. She is ecstatic about how her show went. She felt great about performing again. She was also super excited to confirm her pregnancy."

Rihanna's first child, whose name is still yet to be revealed, was born on May 13th to the singer and her boyfriend, A$AP Rocky. The news of her pregnancy broke when photos emerged of Rihanna in a bright pink coat and Rocky taking a stroll in Harlem. 

From that look came many more stunning maternity outfits, all showing off her baby bump. From her iconic sheer black custom Dior Dress at the 2022 Paris Fashion Week to the lovely Silver mini Coperni set for a Fenty Beauty event. 

During her conversation with Vogue, Rihanna spoke about her sexy maternity style, saying she knew she'd never do the traditional maternity looks. She said, "I'm hoping that we were able to redefine what's considered 'decent' for pregnant women. My body is doing incredible things right now, and I'm not going to be ashamed of that. This time should feel celebratory. Because why should you be hiding your pregnancy?"

Rihanna had turned down the Super Bowl halftime performance slot multiple times before finally taking the stage this year. In 2018, she reportedly refused to perform to show support for football quarterback Colin Kaepernick. 

Kaepernick was blacklisted after he knelt down during the national anthem to make a statement against police brutality and racial inequality in America. When asked why she'd decided to perform this year, Rihanna noted that there's still a lot of "mending" to be done but she felt powerful to represent on such a high level. 

Other musicians to perform at the halftime show include Beyoncé, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Michael Jackson, and Shakira. Her Super Bowl performance is the first time fans have seen Rihanna on live TV since she performed "Wild Thoughts" with DJ Khaled at the Grammys.