Rihanna has handed her fans a number they will be quoting for a long time. During a Fenty Beauty TikTok Live in the first week of October 2026, the singer was asked about unreleased music — and she answered with a prop. Holding up a Fenty box, she walked through the math out loud: if one vault holds 10 products, then she has "at least 17 vaults." That works out to around 170 unreleased songs sitting in her vault.
The confession spread across social media within hours and poured fresh fuel on the decade-long wait for R9, the still-mythical follow-up to ANTI. For the Navy, Rihanna's devoted fanbase, 170 songs is more than a number — it is a sign that the music exists and is simply waiting for its moment.
Story Details
The question was posed by Rihanna's business partner Jennifer Rosales, who was hosting the livestream alongside her while the pair promoted Fenty Beauty's holiday sets, including the Gloss Bomb Vault. When Rosales asked about unreleased tracks, Rihanna picked up a Fenty box and turned it into a calculator: ten products per vault, at least seventeen vaults, roughly 170 songs in total.
The moment was reported by PEOPLE and corroborated by Paste, Just Jared, and Page Six. Notably, Rihanna gave no song titles and shared no plans for how — or whether — any of the vault material will ever be released. Rihanna's biography traces her journey from a Barbados teenager to a global music and beauty mogul, but even that long arc contains no precedent for a vault this large.
A Decade After ANTI — The R9 Wait
Rihanna's last studio album remains ANTI, released in January 2016. In the years since, fans have dubbed its follow-up "R9," and every studio sighting, interview answer, and cryptic social media post is dissected for clues. She told Harper's Bazaar in 2025 that she had "cracked the code" on the new album's musical direction — a quote that sent expectations soaring all over again.
She has hardly been absent from the culture in the meantime. Her 2023 Super Bowl LVII halftime performance reminded the world exactly what a Rihanna stage looks like, and fans still revisit the Umbrella lyrics that first made her a household name. For the backstory on her longtime collaborator and mentor, Jay-Z biography covers the 2007 hit that launched her into the stratosphere. But a ninth studio album remains the one thing the Navy has never stopped asking for.
What A$AP Rocky Said
There are also signs that new music is genuinely in motion. Speaking on The Jason Lee Show in August 2026, A$AP Rocky said Rihanna is actively in the studio. "She in the studio right now… she working," he said, stopping short of sharing a timeline or any further details. Attributed to Rocky, the remarks were widely taken as confirmation that recording is underway — even if a release date remains nowhere in sight.
What We Know About the Vault
As for the vault itself, the confirmed facts are few. Rihanna revealed no song titles, no featured artists, and no release plans. Since ANTI, her only musical output has been two one-off soundtrack singles: "Lift Me Up" from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) and "Friend of Mine" from the Smurfs Movie (2025). Whether any of the roughly 170 vault songs resemble those records — or the sound of R9 — remains anyone's guess.
Watch the Official Video
Watch the official video for "Friend of Mine," Rihanna's most recent release, from the Smurfs Movie soundtrack:
Frequently Asked Questions
How many unreleased songs did Rihanna say she has?
Around 170. On a Fenty Beauty TikTok Live in the first week of October 2026, she explained that if one vault holds 10 products, she has "at least 17 vaults" of music.
When was her last studio album?
ANTI, released in January 2016 — more than a decade ago. Its follow-up is known among fans as "R9."
Is she recording new music now?
A$AP Rocky said in August 2026 that she is actively in the studio, and Rihanna told Harper's Bazaar in 2025 she had "cracked the code" on the new album's direction. No release date has been announced.
What music has she released since ANTI?
Only two soundtrack singles: "Lift Me Up" from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) and "Friend of Mine" from the Smurfs Movie (2025).
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