Will Rihanna be welcomed back by fans?
Rihanna released “Lift Me Up” – her first single in six – in 2022. (Getty)
After conquering the beauty world with Fenty and Savage X Fenty, superstar Rihanna is set to return to music, but has she alienated fans?
In February 2023, Rihanna made her big comeback when she performed at the Super Bowl half-time show.
The routine marked the end of a six-year break for the singer, whose performance divided fans despite the fact that she worked through 17 years of her greatest hits – while pregnant.
Following the headline show, many speculated that the “Diamonds” singer was going to drop a new album, or at least a single.
Speaking to Good Morning America hours after the performance, Rihanna was asked if she had any updates for fans who were hungry for new music.
She told host Michael Strahan: “They are waiting. I’m excited to actually put new music out but I don’t have any updates on that yet.”
In September, Rihanna and Savage x Fenty unveiled a Savage x League range, featuring football-inspired lounge-wear styles. Fans welcomed the addition which followed the introduction of a maternity collection a month earlier.
Rihanna released her first single in six years in October 2022 but “Lift Me Up”, from the soundtrack of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, didn’t hit as some fans thought it would.
She also received a backlash for casting Johnny Depp, who became the first man to be spotlighted in Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty fashion show, despite his defamation lawsuit involving ex-wife Amber Heard.
But after focusing solely on her brands, some of which have caused controversy – with Savage X Fenty being slapped with a $1.2 million (£963,000) fine for allegedly misleading customers – it isn’t yet known if she will be welcomed back by everyone.
However, if her Navy (the nickname of her loyal supporters) accounts are anything to go by, she’ll be just fine.
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