Rihanna's new Super Bowl halftime teaser reignites the age-old question: When the hell is she releasing a new album?
On Thursday night, the star took to Instagram with a reminder that she'll be headlining the Super Bowl LVII halftime show — as if we forgot! A brief clip shows the star strutting down a runway draped in a furry, lime green coat and a stack of Chrome Hearts necklaces.
The video is set to a flurry of soundbites acknowledging the public's hunger for a new full-length album from the star: "Its been two thousand, one hundred-ninety days," "Dude, Rihanna, we've waited for you," and "It's been over six years since the nine-time Grammy winner dropped her last album" are among the one-liners.
The audio cuts to silence, and a spotlight throws Rihanna into sharp relief. She puts her finger to her lips, shushing viewers — a cheeky acknowledgement of her fans' thirst for new music.
Clearly, the Bad Gal knows what we want from her. And though she shut down speculation regarding a new album in an interview last year, her teaser seems to leave the door open: Is she simply addressing the hullabaloo surrounding her résumé? Or is she hinting at a new release?
While Rih's last album, Anti, released in 2016, her music career hasn't been radio silent since then. In 2020, she was featured on the PartyNextDoor track "PartyMobile." And last year, she recorded "Lift Me Up" for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.
Will she debut a new single at the Super Bowl, or use the appearance to announce her next album? The countdown to February 12 begins.
