Singer Rihanna has revealed that she has at least 170 unreleased songs in her music vault, giving fans another glimpse into the massive catalogue behind her long-awaited return to music.
The Barbadian superstar made the revelation during a Fenty Beauty TikTok livestream on Wednesday, October 7, while promoting the brand’s Gloss Bomb Vault collection.
When asked how many unreleased songs she had stored away, Rihanna used the beauty collection to make the comparison.
The Gloss Bomb Vault contains 10 products. Using that figure, she suggested that her music vault contains at least 17 equivalent “vaults”, putting the number of unreleased songs at a minimum of about 170.
The revelation has reignited excitement around Rihanna’s long-awaited ninth studio album, widely referred to by fans as R9.
Rihanna’s last studio album, Anti, was released in January 2016. Although she has released a handful of songs since then, including “Lift Me Up” for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in 2022 and “Friend of Mine” for the Smurfs soundtrack in 2025, she has yet to release a follow-up album.
Her decade-long break from albums has not, however, ended her work in music.
In August, her partner A$AP Rocky revealed that Rihanna was back in the studio and actively recording. In an interview with Jason Lee, Rocky initially rejected the suggestion that their relationship and family life caused the delay, then let slip that Rihanna was “in the studio” and “cooking.”
Rihanna has also hinted at her return to music herself. Earlier in 2026, she shared footage from a recording session and said she had to head to the studio after finishing other activities.
Her return to live performance has added to the anticipation. In July, Rihanna joined Jay-Z at Yankee Stadium, performing “Run This Town” and “B** Better Have My Money” during his concert.
The appearance marked one of her most notable live performances in years and came amid growing speculation about new music.
Despite the mounting clues, Rihanna has yet to announce an official release date for R9.
For now, her latest revelation suggests that the problem may not be a lack of material. With at least 170 unreleased songs reportedly in her vault, fans may simply be waiting for Rihanna to decide which ones are finally ready to leave.
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