What’s Rihanna been up to and why isn’t she releasing music? Set to headline Super Bowl 2023, the billionaire singer’s busy with Fenty, her new son with A$AP Rocky … and, yes, working on her new album

Oct 1 , 2022

Rihanna has been keeping busy in both her professional and personal life. Photos: @badgalriri/Instagram, Getty Images

Following her last release Anti in 2016, Rihanna fans have long anticipated new music, dubbing her unreleased ninth album R9; she’s said it’ll be reggae-inspired

She’s raked billions through LVMH-backed Fenty Beauty, and launching Savage x Fenty and Fenty Skin, and supports charities through her Clara Lionel Foundation

Rihanna’s last album release was Anti in 2016. Since then, fans of the 34-year-old pop icon have been eagerly anticipating new music, but it’s been over half a decade without any news.

Rihanna is confirmed to sing at the Super Bowl 2023, much to fans’ delight. Photo: @badgalriri/Instagram

But the long wait for Rihanna’s ninth album – dubbed “R9” by fans – might be coming to an end. The NFL confirmed on September 25 that “Bad Gal Riri”, as per her Instagram handle, will finally be making her comeback as a singer during the Super Bowl halftime next year.

The news came after much speculation over who the show’s headliner would be. And ever since Rihanna tweeted an image of her hand holding an American football, the internet has been celebrating with hilarious memes making light of the star’s long hiatus.

So what exactly has Rihanna been up to since … instead of releasing R9? Here’s everything you need to know.

Fenty

Despite going on an indefinite hiatus as a singer, the Barbadian singer has kept busy with work, work, work.

Born Robyn Rihanna Fenty, she launched herself as an entrepreneur and introduced the launch of her cosmetic line Fenty Beauty in 2017. Since then, Rihanna has slowly been working on building her beauty empire.

Rihanna posing for her make-up brand Fenty Beauty’s campaign. Photo: @fentybeauty/Instagram