Rihanna has ‘axed plans for her ninth album to concentrate on a skincare range’

Rihanna has reportedly shelved plans for her ninth studio album to concentrate on ‘becoming a beauty billionaire’.

According to The Sun, the singer, 32, who hasn’t released an album since 2016, has decided there’s more cash in fashion and cosmetics than in music – especially after COVID-19’s disruption in the arts world.

The publication writes that Rihanna has trademarked a new line called Buff Ryder, with insiders saying: ‘Rihanna’s ninth album is on hold indefinitely. She wants to make her millions with beauty and is planning a new skincare line to go alongside her Fenty Cosmetics range.

‘Her lingerie range has gone down so well too that she feels she needs to strike while the iron’s hot. Whenever she drops pics of her modelling the gear, sales go up.’

The Take Care singer has amassed a fortune of an estimated £480 million and, despite releasing a new album annually in her musical heyday, has cooled off on the singing front in recent years.

‘Fans hopes for [a ninth album] will be kept on hold while Rihanna builds her beauty empire as she plots to become the next beauty billionaire. She’s realised there is more money in the beauty game than music as record sales die down and live touring faces big competition.’

MailOnline has approached Rihanna’s reps for comment. 

Fans have been desperate for new music since she released Anti – her eighth album – four years ago.

And Rihanna has only egged them on, teasing new musical projects over the months, originally announcing at the end of 2018 that she would release a new album by the end of 2019.

That didn’t happen; but she hinted to fans in December 2019 that she had recorded it and was just keeping it back.

‘Update: me listening to R9 by myself and refusing to release it, ‘ the singer wrote in the caption of a video she posted a few days before 2019 came to a close.

R9 was an obvious reference to her much-anticipated ninth album. 

In the quick clip, a little white dog appears to be dancing in a box to House Of Pain’s funky 1989 party hit Jump Around. 

The pooch can bee seen moving and bobbing his head perfectly to the beat.    

Rihanna had already satiated fans when she appeared to hint at the name of her upcoming record in an Instagram post.

Alongside a pouty red-lipped selfie, the singer wrote: ‘to all my friends/family/coworkers who I have yet to get back to in the past months… please forgive me; this year has been quite an overwhelming one, and I’m working on that ish called Balance. brb.’

Some people looked into the post and deemed that the new record would be called Balance. 

In an interview with T magazine, the Fenty Beauty founder revealed she didn’t have a title just yet, before joking that she was considering calling it K9.

Also in November, the Barbados-born star responded on Instagram to her stylist and Fenty’s junior creative director Jahleel Weaver, who asked, ‘Where’s the album heaux?!!!’

‘I don’t need this kinda negativity in my life!’ Rihanna joked. ‘BLOCKT.’

Anti came out in 2016 and went double-platinum with the help of such hits as Work and Needed Me.