Rihanna says goodbye to music?

Rihanna could be ready to leave her music career behind. And although it sounds like one of those rumours that makes us debate between ‘it’s clear’ and ‘it can’t be’, the truth is that Rih herself launched a rather ambiguous message at the Fenty Skin launch party in her native Barbados. What she basically told us is that music is over, that now there are other priorities and that, if anything has become clear to her over the years, it’s that life has its own plans.

‘I would say that music was what caught my attention. But God had other plans for me’, said the 36-year-old artist to an audience that, as always, was more interested in her impeccable look than in what she was really saying. And no wonder: Rihanna has been reigning outside the studio for years, with empires like Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty, which, come on, are way beyond any album.

And no, it’s not that she’s stopped being interested in music, but what’s clear is that the projects she’s most excited about are others. ‘I don’t feel like this is a job. I’m celebrating with the people who have always supported me, my community. The ones who have given me the strength and inspiration to keep growing,’ she said, almost as if she were giving us a crash course on how to be a high-calibre businesswoman without mussing her hair.

Speaking of music, of course, R9, her long-awaited reggae album that she started promising years ago, has yet to see the light of day. In 2018, Rihanna announced it on a Vogue cover as if it were the next thing to arrive, but the truth is that all we’ve had are rumours, unofficial clues and many, many memes. Anti, her last album, dates back to 2016, with gems like ‘Work’ and ‘Love on the Brain’, but since then, the artist has preferred to conquer other more profitable territories than the music market.

Still, in a recent chat with Complex, Rihanna opened up: ‘I’m in an era of discovery. Or maybe rediscovery, because everything is changing. Some things are flying away, and some things are still to come.’ Is this a dig at her fans or is she really going all in on her business reinvention? The only thing that’s clear is that if Rihanna says music is still her first passion, it’s a secret only she knows how to keep.

The fact is that Rihanna’s last singles were for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – does anyone else remember ‘Lift Me Up’ – and there’s no sign of R9 landing any time soon. In the meantime, the queen continues to expand her empire with her Fenty Universe, and it looks like the singer bug is getting further and further away. Are we saying goodbye to Rihanna’s music for good? Probably not, but what is clear is that, if Rih says goodbye, it will be in style.

Rihanna was in Los Angeles launching her new Fenty Beauty Soft’lit Foundation and talked about her upcoming album.