In her cover story with Harper’s Bazaar US, the pop superstar gave her fans an unexpected update on the long-delayed album, explaining what has taken her so long to release the record.

“I just cracked the code on what I really want to do for my next body of work. I am actually feeling really good about this,” she mentions.

She then continues by giving an update on its progress at the moment, stating that “there’s no genre now.” Though fans have speculated about a reggae-inspired album all the way back in 2018, Rihanna describes it as “not matching my growth” and how “it’s not matching my evolution.”

With how much time has passed since the release of her critically acclaimed eighth album Anti, she notes how there is some pressure on her end to ensure that this new direction for her sound “has to matter” as she mentions, “I have to show them the worth in the wait. I cannot put up anything mediocre. After waiting eight years, you might as well just wait some more.”

However, it doesn’t mean that she hasn’t recorded anything as of yet. “I’ve been in the studio the whole eight years. But it didn’t hit me.

I was searching for it. I went through phases of what I wanted to do. I know it’s not going to be anything that anybody expects.

And it’s not going to be commercial or radio-digestible. It’s going to be where my artistry deserves to be right now,” she teases. “I feel like I’ve finally cracked it, girl!”

Rihanna’s last full-length record was Anti, which was released all the way back in 2016. The album spawned several hit singles, including “Work” featuring Drake, “Needed Me,” and “Love On The Brain.”

Although it’s been close to ten years since the release of her last album, the pop icon has kept herself busy with several business ventures, such as Fenty Beauty, Fenty Skin, as well as Savage x Fenty.

In 2022, she also released her latest single “Lift Me Up” as part of the soundtrack to Marvel Studios‘ long-awaited Black Panther sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Also on the film’s soundtrack, Rihanna performed the original song “Born Again.”