Rihanna Talks Fenty Fashion Brand, Reggae Album, & Drake
For the past year or so, there have been speculations that Rihanna is working on a Reggae/Dancehall album.
Rihanna first mentioned the possibility of releasing a reggae influenced album during a Vogue profile for the June issue last year but since then, has been absolutely mum about her 9th studio effort. Rollingstone later reported last July that RiRi and her team had accumulated more than 500 records for the yet untitled album. “[Rihanna’s team] have, no lie, 500 records for this project [from] different producers and writers,” one dancehall producer who asked to remain anonymous told the publication. “They’re only choosing 10 records. They’ve been having writing camps and trying to keep them quiet for almost a year and a half now. I’ve been flying to Miami, flying to L.A., cutting records nonstop for this project.”
Now RiRi has for the first time, admitted that her next album is indeed a Reggae one. In a new interview with NY Times’ T magazine, the singer simply replied “yeah” to the question: “Is it true you are doing a reggae album?” She also dispelled the rumour that she was working with Lady Gaga although she says she’s not against it. The rumour had spread after she followed the Fenty beauty businesswoman on Instagram recently.
But fans hoping for Rihanna and Drake to make another hit together would have to wait as the Riri says she doesn’t plan to collaborate with him in the near future. “Not anytime soon, I don’t see it happening. Not on this album, that’s for sure,” she said.
Read highlights from the interview below.
ON BECOMING THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO CREATE AN ORIGINAL LVMH BRAND: “I didn’t even know that until months into our relationship, when Jahleel [Weaver] brought it to my attention. And I’m like, ‘Are you sure about that? Did you do your research? ‘Cause I don’t wanna state a claim that’s [expletive].’ Because I still couldn’t believe it. It made me feel proud.”
ON HER AMBITION: “I had a dream of making music; that’s it. I didn’t even think about the fame part, and then that happened, and it’s like, ‘Do I really like this? How much do I really love music that I’m dealing with this?’ Then the one-hit-wonder comment came straight out of the gate and that put a fire under my ass, and I just never stopped working.”
ON HER FASHION INSPIRATION: “I use myself as the muse. It’s sweatpants with pearls, or a masculine denim jacket with a corset. I feel like we live in a world where people are embracing every bit of who they are. Look at Jaden Smith, Childish Gambino. They dare you to tell them not to.”
ON A RUMOURED LADY GAGA COLLABORATION: “Maybe because she followed me on Instagram. It’s not in the books right now, but I’m not against it.”
ON COLLABORATING WITH DRAKE: “Not anytime soon, I don’t see it happening. Not on this album, that’s for sure.”
ON PICKING AN ALBUM TITLE: “So far it’s just been R9, thanks to the Navy. 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?”
ON HER MOTHER’S REACTION TO THE LVMH DEAL: “When I told her about LVMH, she just couldn’t believe it. She said, ‘Oh God, glory, glory to God.’ She’s so proud, so happy, and she’s still pinching herself. She carries my makeup in her store in Barbados. It’s full circle, because she was the one who brought me into the department store after school — all that makeup, it was fun.”