Rihanna Shared New Details About Her Upcoming Album — And Debunked Some Fan Theories

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Rihanna season has officially arrived.

The singer/songwriter/makeup and style mogul sat down for an interview with playwright Jeremy O. Harris for The New York Times’ T Magazine, previewing her new luxury fashion house with LVMH. The first pieces from the collection will be previewed at a pop-up in Paris on May 24, and will officially go live for purchase at fenty.com May 29. Harris and Rih touch on a lot of topics in their interview. The fashion line is thrilling and sure to be iconic, but many fans are still hungry for details about her upcoming album.

Last year, Rihanna shared some details about the album. It’s apparently a return to a more reggae sound, and despite her busy schedule, it’s apparently coming sometime in 2019. Rih shared some new details with Harris, stoking anticipation for the album fans are dubbing R9 (it’d be her ninth studio album).

Rumors of a collab between Rihanna and Lady Gaga have been swirling for a while now, but the singer said that she hasn’t recorded anything with Gaga, and doesn’t know where those rumors started. “Maybe because she followed me on Instagram,” Rihanna posed. “It’s not in the books right now, but I’m not against it.”

And those hoping for another Drake collab can keep waiting. “Not anytime soon, I don’t see it happening. Not on this album, that’s for sure,” the singer said.

And as for album names, Rihanna sees that fans are calling the project R9, and she likes the name. “So far it’s just been R9, thanks to the Navy,” Rihanna joked. “I’m about to call it that probably, ’cause they have haunted me with this “R9, R9, when is R9 coming out?” How will I accept another name after that’s been burned into my skull?”

Check out her full interview with T Magazine here.

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