Rihanna has been putting “toxic” pressure on herself when it comes to her upcoming ninth studio album.
The hitmaker last released Anti in 2016, and she’s been asked about her next release basically ever since.
However, with her giving birth to her son in May, fans are still waiting.
She told British Vogue in a new interview: “When you come off of an album like Anti… In hindsight, it really is my most brilliant album. I say that because in the moment, I didn’t realize it. But it always felt like the most cohesive album I’ve ever made.
“When you break it down and you realise this album goes from ‘Work’ to ‘Kiss It Better’ to ‘Needed Me’ to ‘Love on the Brain’ to ‘Sex with Me’ to ‘Desperado’,” she continued, adding: “And somehow it all fits and not for a second did you glitch?”
RiRi said of the album’s variety: “Right? It’s like a DJ’s worst nightmare.
“But there’s this pressure that I put on myself. That if it’s not better than that then it is not even worth it.
“It is toxic [pressure]. You’re right. It’s not the right way to look at music because music is an outlet and a space to create, and you can create whatever. It doesn’t have to even be on any scale. It just has to be something that feels good. It could just be a song that I like. It literally could be that simple.”
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Rihanna went on, “So I realized that if I keep waiting until this feels right and perfect and better, maybe it’s going to keep taking forever and maybe it’ll never come out and no, I’m not down to that. So I want to play. And by play, I mean I have my ideas in my head, but I can’t say them out loud yet.”
According to British Vogue, the musician was “very much unaware” that she was expecting her and A$AP Rocky’s second baby at the time of the interview.
Not ending the music discussion there, the “Umbrella” hitmaker explained that she’d never stopped recording, but had fallen in and out of love with a bunch of songs.
She insisted listening back to an unreleased song was “almost like trying to dress like you used to dress. It’s like, ‘Ew, no. I would never wear those again.’ Your taste changes, your vibe changes.”
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“I want it to be this year,” she told the mag of a possible release date, pre-pregnancy announcement.
“Like, honestly, it’d be ridiculous if it’s not this year. But I just want to have fun. I just want to make music and make videos.”
See the full feature in the March issue of British Vogue available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday, February 21.
