Rihanna may not be rushing to release R9, but the superstar has apparently been building up an enormous stash of unreleased music behind the scenes. During a recent Fenty Beauty event, Rihanna revealed that she could have roughly 170 songs sitting in her vault.
The revelation comes as fans continue waiting for the follow-up to her 2016 album ANTI. A decade has passed since Rihanna last released a full-length project, turning R9 into one of the most anticipated—and elusive—albums in modern pop and R&B.
When Rihanna was asked how many songs she currently has stored away, she gave an estimate by comparing her music vault to Fenty Beauty’s product vault. She explained that if there are 10 products in the Gloss Bomb Vault, she has “at least 17 Vaults,” suggesting she has around 170 songs that have yet to see an official release.
And that “at least” could be important. Rihanna’s answer leaves open the possibility that her unreleased catalog is even larger than the 170-song estimate.
Rihanna Still Has No Rush to Drop R9
Despite having hundreds of potential songs at her disposal, Rihanna doesn’t appear to be in a hurry to return to the album cycle. Over the past decade, the singer has shifted much of her attention toward Fenty Beauty and her growing family with A$AP Rocky.
That doesn’t mean Rihanna has completely walked away from music. Her comments confirm that she has continued creating and recording during her lengthy break, even if none of that material has resulted in a new album yet.
For fans hoping the massive vault means R9 is finally around the corner, however, there is still no official release date. Rihanna has yet to announce when—or even exactly how—she plans to bring her next album to the world.
For now, the wait continues. But knowing that Rihanna potentially has around 170 unreleased songs gives the Navy plenty of reason to believe there’s still a lot of music waiting to be heard.
