Highlights
- A$AP Rocky said Rihanna is "in the studio" during a podcast interview.
- The singer has not released a studio album since Anti in 2016.
- Rocky also dismissed speculation that the couple are working on a joint album.
Rihanna's long-awaited return to music may be a step closer after her partner, A$AP Rocky, revealed she is back in the recording studio, ending months of speculation about her next album.
Speaking on The Jason Lee Podcast, the rapper said Rihanna was currently working on new music, offering one of the clearest updates yet on the singer's first studio album since Anti nearly a decade ago.
A$AP Rocky reveals Rihanna is recording again
When asked whether he was the reason fans had been waiting so long for a new Rihanna album, A$AP Rocky rejected the suggestion.
"She in the studio right now," he said, before adding: "She cooking."
The rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, appeared to realise he had revealed more than intended, joking: "Yeah I said it, sorry babe," before adding that he would probably "get in trouble" for the comment.
He also shut down rumours that the couple were working on a joint album.
Fans have waited nearly 10 years
Rihanna, whose real name is Robyn Fenty, has not released a full-length studio album since Anti in 2016. While she has put out standalone singles in recent years, including Lift Me Up for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, fans have continued to wait for a full album.
In an interview with Harper's Bazaar last year, the Barbadian singer said she had finally found the direction she wanted for the record.
"I feel like I've finally cracked it," she said, adding that after such a long wait she could not release "anything mediocre".
Music has taken a back seat
During the years since Anti, Rihanna has expanded her business empire with Fenty Beauty and her lingerie brand, while also raising three children with A$AP Rocky.
Forbes has previously estimated her net worth at more than $1 billion.
Rocky declined to answer questions about whether the couple had married, but his comments about Rihanna being back in the studio are likely to fuel expectations that her long-awaited music comeback is finally on the horizon.
