As she seemingly does by merely flicking a finger, Rihanna turned heads this morning as the cover star for Interview‘s summer 2019 issue. Shot in a bondage mask and Saint Laurent coat, the Bajan Boss channeled bad girl vibes for a shoot photographed by Pierre-Ange Carlotti and styled by Mel Ottenberg.
In the editorial she also wears looks by LaQuan Smith, Salvatore Ferragamo, Dior, Vivienne Westwood, Maison Margiela and Balenciaga.
In an interview conducted in late April 2019 by actress Sarah Paulson, she addressed the ever-persistent question on the whereabouts of her ninth studio album aka R9. She explains, “It really does suck that it can’t just come out, because I’m working on a really fun one right now. I’m really happy with a lot of the material we have so far, but I am not going to put it out until it’s complete. It makes no sense to rush it, but I want it out. I’ve gotten to the point where I’m like, ‘Even if I don’t have the time to shoot videos, I’m going to put an album out.’
When pressed for more exact timing, Rihanna explains, “I wish I knew. I have blocked off a solid period of time for the studio next month.”
Part of the reason the album has taken longer is because of her beauty and fashion commitments. The 31-year-old says, “It’s the reason why an album isn’t being spat out like it used to. I used to be in the studio, only the studio, for three months straight, and an album would come out. Now, it’s like a carousel. I do fashion one day, lingerie the next, beauty the next, then music the next. It’s like having a bunch of kids and you need to take care of them all.”
And while she doesn’t mention her beau Hassan Jameel by name, Rihanna let’s it be known she’s in love, which is perhaps why she’s begun putting personal days on her calendar. She notes, “It was like, ‘I need to make time for this.’ Just like I nurture my businesses, I need to nurture this as well. I’ll shut things down for two days, three days at a time. On my calendar we now have the infamous “P,” which means personal days. This is a new thing.”
Check out some images from the editorial below.
