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One could say that Rihanna<\/strong><\/a> fans have grown impatient waiting for her ninth studio album, but they are past the point of impatience \u2014 and for good reason.<\/p>\n The Grammy winner has not released an album since January 2016, when she dropped her magnum opus, Anti<\/em>, which included the blockbuster singles \u201cWork\u201d featuring Drake<\/strong><\/a>, \u201cNeeded Me,\u201d \u201cKiss It Better\u201d and \u201cLove on the Brain.\u201d Since then, she has been teasing and teasing and teasing<\/em> her next project, but other ventures \u2014 such as her multimillion-dollar Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin brands and welcoming her first child<\/a>, a baby boy, with ASAP Rocky<\/strong><\/a> \u2014 have delayed the process.<\/p>\n #R9, as fans have temporarily dubbed the album, has been in the works for many years. Rihanna first confirmed that she was \u201cin the studio and working on new music\u201d in June 2018 while appearing on The Graham Norton Show<\/em>. Even then, she stayed mum about the details, teasing, \u201cYou\u2019ll just have to wait and see.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked for an update 15 months later, the Barbados native was equally tight-lipped. \u201cWell, obviously, I\u2019m a confident woman, so whatever I do, it\u2019s gon\u2019 be confident \u2014 whether it\u2019s the album, perfume, lingerie, makeup or fashion,\u201d she told Entertainment Tonight<\/a><\/em> in September 2019. \u201cY\u2019all gon\u2019 have to wait, Navy. I\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n That said, not everything about the album has been top-secret. Rihanna confirmed that it is inspired by her reggae and dancehall roots, and Pharrell Williams<\/strong><\/a> and The Dream<\/strong><\/a> are on the shortlist of producers helping her pull it all together. She later confirmed that motherhood wouldn\u2019t totally change her sound.<\/p>\n \u201cMy fans would kill me if they waited this long for a lullaby,\u201d she jokingly told Entertainment Tonight<\/em> during New York Fashion Week in February 2022.<\/p>\n However, her son \u2014 whose name has yet to be revealed<\/a> \u2014 might be part of why her album still isn\u2019t out more than four years after she first teased the new project. \u201cThey rarely leave their baby\u2019s side,\u201d an insider exclusively told Us Weekly<\/em> in August 2022 of the Grammy winner and her partner. \u201cThey\u2019re being very private about their newborn out of concern for his safety and really just want to keep him away from the public eye for the time being. \u2026 They both feel really blessed and couldn\u2019t be happier.\u201d<\/p>\n The Savage x Fenty founder\u2019s loved ones are happy that she is finding a work-life balance. \u201cRihanna is a workaholic so it\u2019s nice to see her taking the time to flourish in motherhood,\u201d the source added.<\/p>\n However, Rihanna never stays on hiatus for long. She\u2019ll return to the stage at the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show<\/a> for her first major performance since giving birth in May 2022, and fans hope the comeback includes new music.<\/p>\n