Could a new Rihanna album finally be on the way?

Rihanna fans have been amping up the pressure in recent years, eagerly calling for new music ever since her last album, Anti, dropped a decade ago. Now, her latest post has set the internet ablaze, sending fans spiralling into a frenzy of speculation.

In the clip shared on Thursday (26 February), the 'Needed Me' singer shared late-night behind-the-scenes footage of her life, kicking off with a Savage X Fenty meeting at 9pm before heading to the studio around 2am. While in the studio, Rihanna was spotted making notes and dancing.

Inevitably, fans believe this could only mean one thing: new music... finally.

"I know Rihanna’s cooking something crazy in that studio," one quipped, as another fan penned: "Music industry's been starving so long that Rihanna studio footage becomes cultural event. Her absence proved scarcity beats consistency; now any snippet moves harder than full albums from active artists."

The official Grammys account even chimed in on the action, writing: "RIH stop playing the word ‘studio’ just activated us like a sleeper cell."

Despite the buzz, the sceptics also weighed in, suggesting it might just be a Fenty campaign or a track for a film – much like her contribution to the Smurfs soundtrack with 'Friend of Mine'.

However, the pieces are beginning to fall into place, as she revealed to Harper's Bazaar in 2025 that she’s spent "the whole eight years" in the studio, working out the direction for her ninth album.

“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," she shared. "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!"

Indy100 reached out to Rihanna's representative for comment

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