Rihanna has once again sent her fans into a frenzy after appearing to reveal just how much unreleased music could be sitting in her vault.
During a recent Fenty Beauty livestream, the global superstar was asked about the amount of music she has yet to release.
Rather than giving a straightforward number, Rihanna used one of her beauty products to make the comparison and her answer suggested that her musical archive could contain at least 170 songs.
The singer reportedly referenced Fenty Beauty’s Gloss Bomb Vault, which contains 10 products, and joked that if there were 10 products in a vault, she had “at least 17 vaults.”
The simple mathematics would amount to 170, although Rihanna did not explicitly confirm that she has exactly 170 completed songs ready for release.
Still, the revelation has reignited one of pop music’s biggest mysteries: when will Rihanna finally release her long-awaited ninth studio album?
Fans have waited a decade for new Rihanna music
Rihanna’s last studio album, ANTI, was released in January 2016.
The critically acclaimed project produced some of her biggest songs, including “Work,” “Needed Me,” “Love on the Brain” and “Kiss It Better.”
The album has remained remarkably influential during Rihanna’s lengthy absence from the album market.
It also continued to perform strongly on the Billboard 200, eventually becoming the first album by a Black woman to spend 500 weeks on the chart.
Since ANTI, however, Rihanna has largely concentrated on her business empire, including Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty, while also embracing motherhood.
She has released occasional music during the period, including “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and “Friend of Mine” from the Smurfs soundtrack, but fans have yet to receive a new full-length Rihanna project.
Fans have affectionately dubbed Rihanna’s next album “R9,” although the singer has never officially confirmed that as the album’s title.
For years, Rihanna has offered glimpses into the creative process behind the project without committing to a release date.
In 2024, she admitted that she had been approaching the creative process differently, saying she had developed numerous visual concepts before creating the music to accompany them.
The prolonged wait has also been partly connected to Rihanna’s desire to make an album that lives up to ANTI.
She has previously acknowledged the pressure she puts on herself, explaining that she does not want to release something simply because fans are demanding it.
That perfectionism has contributed to a constantly evolving project, with the singer reportedly scrapping and reworking material over the years.
A source told Us Weekly earlier in 2026 that Rihanna had made substantial amounts of music but at one point decided to start fresh.
A$AP Rocky recently confirmed she is back in the studio
There is, however, reason for Rihanna’s famously patient fan base to remain hopeful.
In August, her partner, rapper A$AP Rocky, revealed that Rihanna was actively working on new music.
Speaking during an appearance on The Jason Lee Show, Rocky said she was in the studio and “cooking,” before joking that he might get into trouble for revealing the information.
Rihanna has also been seen and documented working in the studio herself in 2026, adding credibility to the growing belief that the next chapter of her music career is genuinely taking shape.
Still, neither Rihanna nor her team has announced an official release date for R9.
From music superstar to business mogul
Rihanna’s extended musical break is particularly striking because of how dominant she was during the 2000s and 2010s.
From “Umbrella” and “We Found Love” to “Diamonds,” “Only Girl (In the World)” and “Work,” she established herself as one of the defining pop stars of her generation.
Her decision to step away from regular album releases coincided with the rapid expansion of her business interests.
Fenty Beauty became a major global brand, while Savage X Fenty developed into another significant part of her commercial empire.
At the same time, Rihanna’s personal life changed dramatically.
She and A$AP Rocky have welcomed three children, adding another major dimension to a life that previously revolved heavily around touring, recording and promotion.
Could fans really hear some of those 170 songs?
That remains the biggest question.
Rihanna’s playful “17 vaults” comment should not necessarily be interpreted as confirmation that 170 finished, release-ready songs exist.
The singer was making a comparison during a beauty livestream, and some of the material in her archives could consist of demos, unfinished recordings, discarded ideas or songs created for projects that never materialised.
Nevertheless, the comment has given fans something they have desperately wanted for years, another glimpse into what Rihanna might have been doing behind the scenes.
And if her vault really does contain anything close to the number she suggested, the possibilities are enormous.
After a decade away from the album charts, Rihanna would have an extraordinary amount of material to choose from.
The bigger challenge may not be whether she has enough songs, but which songs are good enough, personal enough and relevant enough to represent the artist she has become.
For now, there is no confirmed release date for R9. But between Rihanna’s latest vault tease, her continued studio work and A$AP Rocky’s confirmation that she is actively recording, the possibility of new Rihanna music feels more tangible than it has in years.
And for the Navy, the wait continues, with the tantalising possibility that Rihanna may be sitting on a musical treasure chest containing hundreds of songs they have never heard.
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