Quick Read
- Rihanna shared an Instagram video on February 26, 2026, showcasing her work on new music and Savage X Fenty designs.
- The video showed her at a Savage X Fenty meeting at 9 p.m. and in a recording studio around 2:18 a.m.
- Fans are eagerly anticipating her ninth studio album, ‘R9,’ following a decade-long album hiatus.
- Rihanna’s billionaire status primarily stems from her Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty ventures.
- She also revealed the challenges of balancing motherhood with her extensive professional commitments.
NEW YORK (Azat TV) – Global superstar Rihanna has offered fans a rare and intimate glimpse into her demanding professional life, sharing an Instagram video on Thursday, February 26, 2026, that simultaneously teased new music and highlighted her hands-on involvement in her billion-dollar fashion and beauty empire. The video, captioned “commercial break,” has ignited fervent speculation among fans awaiting her ninth studio album, known as R9, while underscoring her continued influence across music, fashion, and business.
The timestamped video montage, which documented a night in the life of the Barbadian mogul, began shortly after 9 p.m. with Rihanna immersed in a meeting for her lingerie and loungewear brand, Savage X Fenty. She was seen actively reviewing designs and examining fabric samples, providing her approval and even signing album covers. Later, at approximately 2:18 a.m., the nine-time Grammy winner transitioned to a recording studio, where she was observed working at a console and jotting down notes amidst playful exchanges with sound engineers. The audio during the studio session was notably muted, further fueling anticipation for her long-awaited musical return, her first album since 2016’s critically acclaimed “Anti.”
Rihanna’s Studio Return Ignites ‘R9’ Hopes
The Instagram post quickly sent her 349 million followers into a frenzy, with many expressing excitement over the prospect of new music. This isn’t the first hint Rihanna has dropped about R9; in June 2024, at the launch of her haircare brand Fenty Hair, she stated she was ‘prepared to go back in the studio.’ In February 2025, she confirmed progress, telling Harper’s Bazaar that she had ‘finally cracked’ her new sound. Her recent studio appearance in New York City in January 2026 further solidified fan hopes that the album is indeed on its way.
Despite the decade-long hiatus from album releases, Rihanna has contributed to several film soundtracks, including ‘Lift Me Up’ for Marvel’s ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ in 2022 and ‘Friend of Mine’ for the 2025 animated feature ‘Smurfs,’ in which she also starred as Smurfette. However, these individual tracks have only intensified the demand for a full-length album.
Beyond Music: Rihanna’s Billion-Dollar Fenty Empire
While her music career remains a significant part of her legacy, Rihanna’s substantial wealth has largely been built through her entrepreneurial ventures. Forbes recognized her as a billionaire in 2021, a testament to the success of her Fenty brands. Fenty Beauty, launched in 2017 as a 50/50 joint venture with luxury conglomerate LVMH, quickly became a powerhouse, generating over $550 million in annual revenue by 2018. Its success was attributed to its inclusive product range, resonating with a diverse customer base.
Her direct-to-consumer lingerie brand, Savage X Fenty, launched in 2018, followed a similar trajectory. It reported $150 million in revenue by 2019 and achieved a $1 billion valuation in 2021 after raising $115 million. Rihanna has since expanded her portfolio to include Fenty Skin and Fenty Hair, further cementing her status as a global businesswoman. This January, Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin expanded their distribution into 19 Space NK stores across the U.K., with Myer in Australia also announcing a rollout in May 2026.
Balancing Act: Motherhood and Global Brands
The Instagram video not only highlighted her professional commitments but also offered a peek into her personal life as a mother. After leaving the studio at around 6:45 a.m., Rihanna headed home to begin ‘mom duties,’ which included hot-gluing sequins and feathers to create a Mardi Gras costume for her two-year-old son, Riot. She also shares three-year-old son RZA and baby girl Rocki with partner A$AP Rocky.
Rihanna openly reflected on the challenges of balancing her diverse passions with her family life. She shared, ‘Every decision I make revolves around them, but everything that I do that I love robs me from them. So I have a weird resentment with the things that I love.’ This candid admission provides insight into the immense pressure she faces, striving to find fulfillment in her work while minimizing ‘self-guilt’ as a parent.
Her multifaceted schedule also recently included attending New York Fashion Week in support of A$AP Rocky, who debuted the Fall/Winter 2026 collection for AWGE. Rihanna also teased a new Dior J’adore fragrance, expected to launch on February 27, further demonstrating her wide-ranging engagements.
Rihanna’s recent social media activity serves as a powerful reminder of her strategic approach to career management, where she masterfully leverages her immense brand power across multiple industries while carefully controlling the narrative around her highly anticipated musical output.