Madison Meeks, Nathaniel Clark – Opinion Editor, A&E Editor

mvm7037@psu.edu nuc5002@psu.edu

After her massive Super Bowl reintroduction, Rihanna has come back to make two announcements: she has a second child and, finally, a new album on the way.

On Feb. 12, Rihanna took to the stage for the halftime show at Super Bowl LVII. Her first performance in years, the RnB icon, sang her hits like “Rude Boy” and “Diamonds.” While this did please the masses, many wondered why there was no hinting at any new musical material. 

While this was a shock, many in the discourse were mostly focused on the singer’s attire. Throughout the halftime performance, her outfit indicated to the audience that she might be pregnant. This choice led to an absolute firestorm of speculation on social media as people began wondering about every detail of this new child. 

To quell the flames, Rihanna’s representatives immediately confirmed the artist was indeed pregnant with her second child. 

This announcement came less than a year after the birth of her first child with rapper A$AP Rocky. Since then, the singer has kept all information about that child private, not even sharing its name. 

Child news aside, Rihanna has not released an album since “Anti” in 2016. For the past half-decade, rumors and speculations on the record’s follow-up have been in mass. This prospective album has been titled “R9” by fans, playing on the fact this will be the singer’s ninth studio album. Various dates, rumors, and possible feature lists have floated through social media, all of which were never confirmed by Rihanna or her representatives. 

Going into a short silence after the Super Bowl, Rihanna fever spread to the masses once again on Feb. 15 when Rihanna was revealed to be the cover star of the March edition of British Vogue. The singer was not alone on this cover either, joined by A$AP Rocky holding their child. 

With the tagline of “Everything Changes,” it appears that this new cover and interview will be the first deep-dive into Rihanna since the birth of her child. Based on what is known so far about the piece, the public knows Rihanna, Rocky, and their baby has been secluded in the early months of childhood. They wanted to create loving bonds before being reintroduced into the limelight. 

While baby news is nice to hear, Rihanna knows what the world and, most specifically, her fans want: music. Speaking to Vogue on a new album, the singer stated “I want it to be this year.” “Like, honestly, it would be absurd if it’s not this year. But I just want to have fun. I just want to make music and make videos.”

Rihanna also explained what has taken so long for the record’s release. “There’s this pressure that I put on myself. That if it’s not better than that, then it is not even worth it.” 

While no date is concrete, it appears that 2023 is going to be the year of Rihanna. With a new album, a new child, and a plethora of new content from the singer on the horizon, it is a perfect time to get back onto the Rihanna hype train.