During a recent interview with Harper's BAZAAR, Rihanna finally spilled some more direct tea about her next album. These comments follow a pretty tumultuous time for RiRi, as her boo A$AP Rocky was recently found not guilty in his assault trial. Nevertheless, she spoke on how her artistic process for this begged-for follow-up changed over the years and how she knows how heavy the responsibility on her shoulders is to deliver. Also, the Barbadian superstar called this lengthy discovery a "new freedom." It seems like she feels the spark that eluded her for eight years since her 2016 album Anti.
"I've been in the studio the whole eight years," Rihanna said of her long-awaited new album. "But it didn't hit me. I was searching for it. I went through phases of what I wanted to do. 'This kind of album, not that album.' I know it's not going to be anything that anybody expects. And it's not going to be commercial or radio digestible. It's going to be where my artistry deserves to be right now. I feel like I've finally cracked it, girl!"
Rihanna A$AP Rocky
Of course, a lot of Rihanna fans also learned the hard way that she became more of a businesswoman than an artist over the past few years, at least in the public eye. Her Fenty brand continues to branch out with new collaborations and partnerships, and her work for film projects also took precedent over new singles. Still, we know that the 37-year-old probably has very good reasons to do so. After all, she also has a family to raise with A$AP Rocky, especially after his brush with the law.
Speaking of which, Rihanna reportedly attended A$AP Rocky's trial despite his grievances. "He didn't want her there," the Harlem rapper's lawyer Joe Tacopina told reporters. "He was very protective of her. I was sort of supporting his decision to keep her away. The trial's not about Rihanna. She called me one day and she was like, 'Joe, wild horses aren't going to keep me away, so let him know, I'm coming.'" Hopefully this new album has the strength and grace of a wild horse.
