For the last three years, Rihanna fans have been anticipating the release of her new album. Speculating for so long that they had to give her upcoming project a nickname, “R8.” Although she released three singles last year, there was no album name attached. But when Rihanna dropped “Work,” a dancehall song featuring Drake, the world knew this was the time.
After much speculation, I woke up to find Rihanna had just released the first single from her upcoming album, ANTi (see the pun in the title?). Throughout the day I heard everyone listening to the song, even my professor! On top of that, people couldn’t stop dancing to the song either! This track had quickly grabbed everyone’s attention.
That same night Rihanna dropped her album by surprise. Through a contract with SAMSUNG, some fans were able to download the album for free. Hours later the album was also available for purchase. The album went platinum in 15 hours, the quickest album to go platinum, all without the help of physical copies. The album became #1 on Billboard, without the inclusion of the SAMSUNG albums. After ANTi’s success, Rihanna became the 1st artist in RIAA history to earn 100 million song awards!
After the success with her eighth studio album, Rihanna didn’t stop working. She premiered her clothing line with PUMA during New York fashion week. Right after, she performed at MusiCares to Honor Lionel Richie.
Say what you want, but it’s clear that 2016 is going to be Rihanna’s year!