Why Rihanna won't release new music any time soon

Rihanna is focusing on her beauty line, Fenty Beauty. Photo / Getty Images

Rihanna is putting music on hold "indefinitely" to focus on her beauty empire.

The Work hitmaker hasn't released an album since Anti in 2016 and it seems fans will have to wait even longer for new material because the 32-year-old star has just trademarked the name Buff Ryder, a skincare line to coincide with her Fenty Beauty cosmetics range, and plans to concentrate her efforts there.

A source told the Sun newspaper's Bizarre column: "Rihanna's ninth album is on hold indefinitely.

"She wants to make her millions with beauty and is planning a new skincare line to go alongside her Fenty Cosmetics range.

"Her lingerie range has gone down so well too that she feels she needs to strike while the iron's hot. Whenever she drops pics of her modelling the gear, sales go up.

"Fans hopes for R9 will be kept on hold while Rihanna builds her beauty empire as she plots to become the next beauty billionaire.

"She's realised there is more money in the beauty game than music as record sales die down and live touring faces big competition."

In May, the Rude Boy hitmaker told fans she had "lost" her long-awaited ninth album.

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2 new baddies on da block! #CREAMblush #CREAMbronzer @fentybeauty fentybeauty.com out now.

A post shared by badgalriri (@badgalriri) on Apr 19, 2020 at 7:02pm PDT

Rihanna had taken to Instagram to share a clip of herself in the garden twirling a pair of her new sunglasses from her brand Fenty's Off Record eyewear range to promote the new line, and her fans soon took to the comments section to demand that she drop the record.

When one asked: "WHERES THE ALBUM", Rihanna replied: "I lost it", and added the shrug emoji.

And when another commented: "DON'T DROP THAT ALBUM", she responded: "navy this who to blame right here look."

In April, the Diamonds singer - who has donated millions to various causes during the coronavirus pandemic - told her fans to stop bothering her about new music while she is "trying to save the world".

Speaking during an Instagram Live, she told her fans: "If one of y'all motherf****** ask me about the album one more time when I'm tryna save the world, unlike y'all president....on sight."