R9, is that you?
After Rihanna failed to make good on her promise of new music in 2019, fans were losing hope for a follow-up to the singer's Grammy-nominated album Anti. With a booming fashion and cosmetics empire at her fingertips, it seemed Rihanna's focus really had shifted away from music for good... until now.
Rih-Rih took to Instagram on Thursday with a photo not only confirming that she's back in the recording studio, but that she's collaborating with The Neptunes—Pharrell Williams' hip-hop duo.
"gang. back in da STU," she captioned a photo of a soundboard.
Pharrell last joined forces with Rihanna for his group N.E.R.D.'s 2017 track "Lemon."
In a recent interview with The Cut, the 31-year-old teased the exciting album update.
"I'm going to be in the studio," she shared when asked about her Valentine's Day plans. "I'm so excited actually. I can't say who I'm working with, but it's somebody I've been wanting to work with him for a long time."
When pressed further, Rihanna responded: "Okay, I'll tell you. [It's] Pharrell."
Between a rumored romance with A$AP Rocky and launching her latest Fenty collection during New York Fashion Week, there's never been a better time to be Ms. Robyn Fenty.
As she described to E! News during NYFW, "This never seemed like a dream that was possible. I don't even think these were a part of my dreams. I just wanted to make music that was heard around the world. Being famous was not even part of my dream. That came and I was like, 'Woah, I didn't think about this part.' But having that creative space and having different outlets goes right in line with music and creating... With fashion, it's no different. Just different material."