Rihanna celebrates ‘Anti’ anniversary while fans wait for new album

1 Views

It’s been nine years since Rihanna last released an album, and the wait for new music continues.

The superstar marked the anniversary of Anti by sharing a nostalgic video montage from her 2016 era.

RIHANNA AND ANTI

The clip was set to her Anti opener Consideration featuring SZA.

It gave fans a glimpse of Rihanna’s sultry performances and music videos from the time. She captioned the post, “happy ANTIversary,” adding a red balloon emoji.

The album, which featured hits like Work, Kiss It Better, and Love on the Brain, dominated the charts, according to Billboard.

It spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and has remained on the chart for an incredible 456 weeks.

RIHANNA EXPERIMENTING WITH SOUNDS

The project proved Rihanna’s artistic evolution, shifting from her pop roots into a more experimental, genre-blending sound.

Critics and fans alike praised the album, and its legacy remains strong. Since Anti, Rihanna has kept busy.

She’s built her Fenty empire, expanded her beauty and fashion businesses, and even performed at the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show, according to The News.

‘LIFT ME UP’

Musically, however, she’s been quiet, only releasing a few songs, including Lift Me Up for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

The track earned her an Oscar and Grammy nomination, but it wasn’t the full album fans have been craving.

South African fans have felt the long wait too. Many took to social media to express both love and frustration.

RIHANNA FANS BEG FOR NEW MUSIC

One Twitter user wrote, “We love you, Ri, but at this point, we need new music like we need water.”

Another added, “Rihanna’s been giving us makeup, lingerie, and perfumes, but sis, we need the album. Please.”

Rihanna has teased new music over the years, but nothing has materialised yet, according to NME.

In April 2024, she admitted she had “a lot of visual ideas” for her ninth album but no songs to match. “Maybe the visual ideas are leading me to the songs that I need to make,” she told Interview magazine.

RIHANNA BACK IN STUDIO?

Then, in June, she revealed she was “starting over.” Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, she said, “I don’t want to neglect the songs that I have.

I want to go back and listen to stuff with new ears. I have been working on the album for so long that I kinda put all that stuff aside, and now I’m prepared to go back in the studio.

I’m gonna start — give me a second!”

R9

Despite the wait, Rihanna remains one of the biggest music icons of our time. Her influence stretches far beyond music.

Fans still hope that R9—the nickname given to her next album—will drop one day. Until then, South African fans must keep dancing to Anti and hoping their patience pays off.