Rihanna has confirmed speculation that she will release a new album in 2019.
“But when is the new album dropping Robyn?” an Instagram user asked on a promotional photo for a new shade of lipstick from Rihanna’s Fenty beauty line. “Can we have a release date for that?”
“2019,” the singer responded.
The album would mark Rihanna’s first release since 2016’s “ANTI,” her eighth studio album. Rihanna announced this year that she was back in the studio, but little else is known about the album, including collaborations or track listings.
Her vocal producer, Kuk Harrell, teased in a live Instagram video that the upcoming album, referred to as R9, “is amazing. It’s incredible.”
“ANTI” was nominated for best urban contemporary album and best recording package at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, as well as receiving multiple noms for songs on the album. The album represented Rihanna’s second no. 1 debut and eighth top 10 album.
The singer starred in “Ocean’s 8” earlier this year, playing a hacker who works with a team of seven other women to steal jewels from the Met Gala. Rihanna was also offered the Super Bowl halftime show for the 2019 game, but turned it down to support Colin Kaepernick, who has been shut out by the NFL after he took a knee to protest police brutality in the United States.
