Rihanna Just Sent Fans Into A Frenzy. Here's Why

Rihanna is sending fans into a frenzy over some playful comments she left under her Instagram post on March 24, 2021. The "Desperado" singer shared a video to celebrate the success of her popular 2016 abum Anti that included a statement from Chart Data, which claimed that her eighth studio album has officially spent five full years on the Billboard 200 chart. "grateful to the most High for putting die hard supporters in my circle," she wrote. 

Supporters immediately flooded Rihanna's comment section with congratulatory messages, while others took the chance to beg her for some new music — which is no new task for RiRi fans. One comment, in particular, got a head-turning reply from Rihanna herself. In response to a fan who suggested that Rihanna should celebrate by releasing a song, the Barbados native said, "I think I should" with a "soon" emoji. She then followed up with another comment, saying she would only release one song, if any, as seen in a screenshot shared on Twitter. Fans immediately went to "Work" by adding onto the pressure for new music. "RELEASE IT RIGHT NOW IF YOU BAD!" one Instagram user commented. Another went for a more subtle approach, simply saying "please" with a one-tear sad emoji. Others went full out, asking the singer to release her whole album, which Rihanna has teased time and time again.

So, does this mean new Rihanna music is on the way?

Rihanna has not released a solo project since 2016's Anti and has been hard at work on her business ventures, like her Savage X Fenty lingerie line and cosmetics lines Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin. The "We Found Love" singer has remained fairly tight-lipped about when new music will arrive, but she has dropped a few hints here and there. She more or less confirmed that the album is completely ready in December 2019 when she posted a video of a small dog dancing on Instagram. "update: me listening to R9 by myself and refusing to release it," she teased. In March 2020, she told British Vogue that while she "can't say" when her ninth album will drop, she has been "very aggressively" working on new music. She shared a similar story with Entertainment Tonight in July of the same year. "I am always working on music," she confirmed. "I am always working on music and when I am ready to put it out in the way that I feel fit, it's gonna come out. And you're not going to be disappointed when it happens. It's going to be worth it."

Rihanna is well aware that her fans are ready for new music, but it is clear they need to wait until she is ready to release it. In the meantime, they can keep replaying Anti as it continues to rank on the Billboard charts.