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Rihanna has stunned fans by revealing just how much unreleased music she's sitting on. During a TikTok Live for her Fenty Beauty brand on October 7, the singer shared that she has "at least 17 vaults," which adds up to roughly 170 songs that have never been released.
The revelation comes as anticipation continues to build for her ninth studio album, which would follow her 2016 record ANTI. That album produced hits like "Work," "Needed Me," and "Love on the Brain," and has remained on the Billboard 200 for years. Since then, Rihanna has kept fans guessing about when she'll finally drop new material.
Her partner A$AP Rocky added fuel to the speculation in August when he told The Jason Lee Show that Rihanna was "in the studio right now," joking that he might get in trouble for spilling the news. "She working. She cooking, no funny sh–," he said.
Over the years, Rihanna has teased different directions for her next project. In 2018, she hinted at a reggae‑inspired album she dubbed "R9," telling Vogue that reggae was in her blood. Later, she suggested the album wouldn't be confined to one genre, explaining to British Vogue in 2020 that she felt she had "no boundaries" when it came to music. By 2022, she told Harper's Bazaar she had "cracked the code" on the project's sound, promising it wouldn't be "commercial or radio digestible" but instead reflect where her artistry stands now.
Despite the long wait, Rihanna hasn't completely stepped away from music. She released "Lift Me Up" for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in 2022, followed by "Friend of Mine" for The Smurfs Movie soundtrack in 2025. She also joined Jay‑Z on stage at Yankee Stadium in July 2025 to perform "Run This Town" and "Bitch Better Have My Money."
While fans remain eager for a full album, Rihanna has made clear that whenever she does release new music, it will be worth the wait. As she put it, "This much time away from music needs to count for the next thing everyone hears."
