Gilbert Flores/Getty Images
Rihanna Says Super Bowl Performance Does Not Necessarily Mean New Music
Don’t hold your breath for a new Rihanna album anytime soon.
Although her Super Bowl performance appeared to signal that an album was finally on the way, the singer is shutting down speculation that February’s halftime show means new music is imminent.
“That’s not true. Super Bowl is one thing. New music is another thing. Do you hear that, fans?” she told The Associated Press in an interview ahead of her “Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4” show.
Rihanna knew that her big Super Bowl announcement would lead fans to speculate that it was album time. “The second that I announced this, I said, ‘Oh, my God, they’re going to think my album is coming. I need to get to work,’” she said.
She did confirm that she was working on a “special project,” but didn’t reveal a timeline. “I do have new music coming out. We’ll see, we’ll see. Unrelated, but a special project,” she added.
While fans anxiously await the follow-up to 2016’s Anti, Rihanna made her return to music last month with “Lift Me Up,” her first solo release in over six years and the lead single from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
During the interview, the new mom also opened up about her decision to do the Super Bowl less than a year after giving birth to her first child. “If I’m going to leave my baby, I’m going to leave my baby for something special,” she said.
Rihanna, who reportedly turned down the 2019 halftime show out of solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, said the timing was right. “It was now or never for me,” she said.
She and A$AP Rocky welcomed their son in May, but they have kept their baby’s name and photos off the internet. However, that could change soon.
“We just didn’t get around to it yet, really. We’ve just been living,” she shared. “But I guess there’s a certain freedom that comes with kind of just like getting it out there.”
