Rihanna Hints at Stepping Away from Music: “God Had Other Plans for Me”
Rihanna may be ready to turn the page on her music career, according to comments she made at her Fenty Skin launch in her home country of Barbados. The pop icon, who has spent the last several years expanding her empire beyond music, shared insights about her creative journey that have fans speculating about the future.
“I would say music was the thing that got the attention. But God had other plans for me, and I was able to create in ways that were very sincere and genuine or organic and authentic to the things that I love,” Rihanna, now 36, told the crowd on Thursday. She expressed her gratitude for the community that has supported her from the start, saying, “It doesn’t even feel like a job… To celebrate with the people that deserve it the most, the community that has always propelled me to the next place… that’s what this day means for me.”
Rihanna’s speech at Fenty Beauty’s Caribbean launch in Barbados: 🇧🇧
“Music was the thing that got the attention, but God had other plans for me. I cannot express what this day means to me, to be able to celebrate with people that deserve it the most. Thank you to my country.” pic.twitter.com/AS3Cr2ado1
— Fenty Headlines (@FentyHeadlines) November 8, 2024
Rihanna’s last studio album, Anti, was released in 2016, bringing fans unforgettable hits like “Work” and “Love on the Brain.” Though she initially teased a reggae-inspired album—dubbed R9 by fans—in 2018, the project has yet to materialize. Instead, Rihanna’s focus has shifted to her thriving businesses, including Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty, as well as to motherhood. She and partner ASAP Rocky have welcomed two sons, RZA and Riot, further fueling her evolution beyond the music scene.
Her recent singles “Lift Me Up” and “Born Again,” crafted for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, marked her most recent contributions to the music world. When asked last year by Complex’s Jordan Rose about her creative direction, she noted she’s in a unique chapter: “I’m in an era of discovery. Maybe it’s rediscovery because so much is changing, and some things are fleeting. And some things are yet to be discovered, right? And I’m in the center of all of that.”
With Rihanna’s focus clearly set on personal and entrepreneurial growth, fans are left to wonder if her days in the studio may be behind her for good.
